(Springfield-jm) – A new study shows Illinois has the ninth worst unemployment rate change in the country. The personal finance website WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on six metrics that compare unemployment rate statistics from June 2023 to key dates in 2023, 2022, 2020 and 2019. Illinois’ unemployment rate was 4%. That is compared to 2.5% in neighboring Wisconsin, and 2.7% in Iowa.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Illinois is part of a $12.4 million settlement with Raymond James & Associates, Inc. and Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., according to the Illinois Secretary of State's Office. Illinois is among five states that discovered Raymond James entities had charged unreasonable commissions on trades by investors, including Illinoisans. As part of the settlement, Raymond James will pay at least $8.2 million in refunds to clients nationwide and $4.2 million in penalties and costs to state securities regulators.

 

(Springfield-jm) – More than 66 percent of the state is still dealing with drought conditions, but some areas are starting to improve. According to the latest U-S Drought Monitor, the extreme drought in spots of Pike and Adams Counties lessened, but western Illinois and the far northern and southern borders of the state remain in a severe drought. Not much rain fell this past week north of I-70 except for in McLean and Vermilion Counties, but southern Illinois got plenty, says State Climatologist Trent Ford…

 

 

State Climatologist Trent Ford. Ford says this week looks hot and dry, with humidity pushing the heat index into the triple digits some days.

 

(Paxton-jm) – One person was taken to the hospital following a motorcycle accident Saturday evening. The accident happened on the I-57 northbound off ramp at Paxton. There’s no word on the condition of the motorcyclist.

 

(Champaign-jm) – A Champaign man has been arrested following an investigation into a homicide on South State Street on July 13, 2023. Upon arrival, officers found 20-year-old Jahiem Law from Champaign with a potentially life-threatening injury from a gunshot wound and a 21-year-old female victim from Champaign with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. The investigation indicated that two large groups gathered and engaged in a physical altercation in a parking lot in the 1700 block of S. State Street. During the altercation, Trevione Robinson, 20, of Champaign, produced a firearm and discharged the weapon, fatally striking Law and hitting the female victim in the leg. Following an investigation, on Friday, Champaign Police arrested Robinson for his involvement in this incident. He remains in the custody of the Champaign County Correctional Center awaiting arraignment on murder charges.

 

(Washington-jm) – A three-day United Nations summit focuses on efforts to build more resilient and sustainable food systems across the world. Rod Bain reports…

 

 

(Champaign-jm) – Some people in Champaign are going to get some relief from a noisy stretch of Interstate 74. A sound-dampening barrier is being put up on the south side of the interstate from Mattis to Prospect Avenues. The wall will be completed in the next year. The sound barrier is being built as part of the $250 million Rebuild Illinois project on I-57 and I-74 in Champaign.

 

(Springfield-jm) – The extreme hot temperatures that the Southwest part of the country has been dealing with for weeks may be shifting closer to Illinois this week. By Tuesday, 90-plus-degree highs will envelop much of the Midwest. Temperatures will approach the mid-90s by the end of the week for much of the state. Rain chances are expected to be minimal throughout the week.

 

(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency recently sponsored several used tire collection events throughout Illinois. The Used Tire Program provides funding through the Used Tire Management Fund for an environmental contractor to remove and dispose or recycle tires recovered by local highway departments. From April through June, the Illinois EPA’s contractor removed approximately 428 tons of used tires, equivalent to nearly 38,000 passenger car or truck tires that had been dumped in various townships and municipalities in Illinois.  Officials said dumped tires can serve as habitats for disease-carrying insects, particularly mosquitoes.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Jobs were up and the unemployment rate was down last month in Illinois. There were some positive signs in the latest job numbers, says State Department of Employment Security Acting Director Ray Marchiori (mar-chee-or-ee)...

 

 

Illinois Department of Employment Security Acting Director Ray Marchiori. Industry sectors with the largest job gains from May to June are educational and health services, construction, leisure and hospitality and government.

 

(Champaign-jm) – A Champaign man has been arrested following an investigation into two recent bank robberies in Champaign. Champaign Police were dispatched June 5 to the 1600 block of W. Springfield Avenue for a report of a Bank Robbery. Additionally, Champaign Police were dispatched on July 18, to the 1200 block of S. Mattis Avenue for a report of a robbery at a credit union. In both cases, officers learned that a suspect entered the bank, displayed a handgun, and demanded money. On Friday, Champaign Police arrested Edward J. Peppers, 45, of Champaign, for his involvement in these robberies. He remains in the custody of the Champaign County Correctional Center awaiting arraignment on charges including Armed Robbery.

 

(Washington-jm) – It looks like the contraction in the beef cattle herd may continue for a while. Gary Crawford reports…

 

 

(Champaign-jm) – Champaign’s former Fire Chief is under investigation as some of his own employees accuse him of making sexual and other inappropriate comments over a number of years. Chief Gary Ludwig resigned from the Champaign Fire Department last week, citing family reasons. However, a report from the City of Champaign reveals disturbing allegations made against the chief prior to his resignation. Dorothy David, Champaign’s City Manager and Ludwig’s superior, interviewed a number of Fire Department employees starting at the end of June. Those employees told her stories about Ludwig making inappropriate remarks at meetings, talking about his own sexual encounters and showing photos of women on his phone.