(Decatur-jm) – Governor J.B. Pritzker suggests allowing the influx of migrants who have arrived in Illinois to be workers on farms throughout the state. The notion has drawn questions. Around 12,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago and other parts of the state over the past year. At a stop in Decatur to the Farm Progress Show, Pritzker was asked about utilizing such workers on farms. The state currently offers the H-2A program that allows permitted immigrants to work on farms after having gone through background checks and other vetting practices. Republicans argued the Governor’s stance would promote illegal immigration.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch, and a delegation are scheduled to travel to Israel and Palestine today for several days. The group plans to make stops at religious and historic sites in the region. According to a news release from Welch’s office, the trip will allow the delegation to “connect with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to better understand and learn about the complexities of the Middle East.”

 

(Rantoul-jm) – A 16-year-old is recovering after they were shot in the hand Tuesday morning in Rantoul. The shooting happened near the intersection of Hamilton Drive and Cantonment Avenue. Police said the suspects shot into the upstairs bedrooms of an apartment with four people inside, hitting one of them. The teenage victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment. They are expected to be ok. Police found damage to the outside and inside of the property, including damage to windows, bricks and a TV. They are still investigating.

 

(Vermilion County-jm) – State Senator Paul Faraci announced that four Vermilion County school districts will receive over $700,000 in evidence-based funding to help students. The funding comes from the 2017 Illinois Senate Democrat-backed evidence-based funding formula — an overhaul of the way the state funds K-12 education. The law made school funding more equitable by calculating the needs of individual school districts and basing its state revenue on those needs. The formula takes into account a district’s total enrollment, poverty rate and number of special education or English language learners, among other factors. Vermilion County schools set to receive funding through the formula include: Danville Schools, Oakwood, Westville and the Vermilion Regional Office of Education.

 

(Decatur-jm) – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has just announced new investments in USDA's Rural Energy for America program. Gary Crawford reports…

 

 

(Urbana-jm) – Emergency responders responded to the University of Illinois campus for a hazardous materials leak. The leak happened at the university’s Engineering Sciences Building, located at 1101 West Springfield Avenue in Urbana. The leak was isolated to a single lab.

 

(Undated-jm) – Drug overdoses have become an international crisis. The Penington Institute reported the estimated number of people using opioids has gone up 70% from 2010 to 2020. In Champaign, people want to do something about it and make sure others don’t become part of the statistics. The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District wants to make Narcan more accessible. Today is International Overdose Awareness Day and they’re bringing light to it now. In 2022, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 3,261 people died from an opioid overdose in the state. CUPHD is passing out free Narcan kits on Thursday at their building at 201 West Kenyon Road in Champaign. The team will distribute them from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. toward the back of the building by the small shed.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Heading into the final big weekend of the summer, the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois State Police and local police are stepping up enforcement efforts and reminding motorists that driving under the influence is a serious crime. The “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign runs through Labor Day weekend. ISP said troopers will be strictly enforcing the "Fatal Four" violations; DUI, speeding, distracted driving and occupant restraint laws, in an attempt to keep the roads safe for all motorists.

 

(Rantoul–jc)  The Labor Day Holiday is upon us, but summer activities continue. In the Village of Rantoul, the sports complex continues to see large numbers of participants and spectators. Rantoul Mayor Chuck Smith says another large event starts today at the Rantoul Sports complex…

 

 

Rantoul Mayor Chuck Smith

 

(Springfield-jm) – Three top Illinois Emergency Management Agency workers are out of a job, but the reasons why remain unclear. Chief of Operations Marc Sullivan, Deputy Director Scott Swinford and Legislative Liaison Jennifer March were forced out in late July. All three were involved in responding to disasters such as flooding, tornadoes and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Sullivan was let go for misconduct, while Swinford resigned the same day. March resigned “in lieu of termination for poor performance.”

 

(Vermilion County-jm) – The Vermilion County Animal Shelter is pressing charges after two neglected horses were recently seized from their owners. The shelter investigated an undisclosed property after getting calls from people who were troubled by the horses’ appearances. They were taken into the animal shelter’s care two weeks ago, after shelter officers and deputies spoke to the owners and gained grounds for seizure.

 

(Vermilion County-jm) – One person was killed in a crash on Interstate 74 eastbound in Vermilion County Wednesday morning. Illinois State Police, IDOT and EMS were called to a three-vehicle crash at milepost 208 at 7:49 a.m. Troopers said the crash involved two truck-tractor semi-trailers.

 

(Decatur-jm) – The Agriculture Secretary talked about USDA's fertilizer initiative at the Farm Progress show in Illinois Wednesday. Gary Crawford reports…

 

 

(Champaign-jm) – The need for nursing home beds is growing in Champaign County, and a new group has been finalized to fix the issue. Experts said Champaign County is in a nursing home crisis. The closing of one home and the downsizing of another has removed almost 250 beds. Health care providers and community members met in an effort to solve the problem. The Advocates for Nursing Home Care is a group made up of people who have personally struggled with finding care for family members. The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District said the county needs more than 700 beds, but there are currently only about 400 available.

 

(Danville-jm) – A Danville birthing center held a blessing and rededication ceremony ahead of reopening its doors at the end of this week. The OSF Labor and Delivery Unit in Danville closed last October due to staffing challenges. In May, officials announced they were reversing course and opening the doors. They wanted to make sure the needs of infants, mothers, and families were met, and wanted to keep them from driving too far for care. Officials say the re-opening of the OSF Danville Birthing Unit means another change within the hospital system. They are in the process of transitioning all labor and delivery care at the Urbana location to Danville or OSF HealthCare St. Joseph in Bloomington.

 

(Paxton–jc)  City of Paxton officials have been looking at re purposing uninhabitable properties in the city. Two of those properties were torn down this week and a third was demolished several weeks ago. Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold says there are more properties being looked at by the City and Land Bank…

 

 

Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold