(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois State Fair set a new attendance record this year. More than 700 thousand people visited the fair last month, enjoying the mild temperatures, daily promotions and free entertainment. State Fair Manager Rebecca Clark says another big draw was the return of the multi-purpose arena, which had a rodeo, truck and tractor pulls and monster trucks…

 

 

State Fair Manager Rebecca Clark. Clark says grandstand concert ticket sales were the second highest in the last five years with Tim McGraw and Nelly drawing crowds of over 10 thousand people.

 

(Grundy County-jm) – Grundy County Board Chairman Chris Balkema is throwing his hat into the ring for the 53rd District seat. Balkema made his announcement Tuesday. He is hoping to fill the seat of Senator Tom Bennett who announced he will be retiring.

 

(Gilman–jc)  With the 250 Million Dollars in capital investment for  Incobrassa Industries in Gilman, the area will see 40 new jobs and retain 200 others. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, and officials from Incobrassa made the announcement last Wednesday.  What are the uses of soybeans in the American diet is a question that can be answered in part by the Illinois Soybean Industry. Illinois Soybean Association Spokesperson Andrew Larson says one use is for Vegetable Oil…

 

 

Illinois Soybean Association Spokesperson Andrew Larson. The expansion will allow Incobrassa to double it’s capacity by 20-30. A 50 acre solar array is also being planned to help fuel the plant.

 

(Ford County-jm) – Ford County Public Health Department announces the hiring of a new Senior Services Staff Member overseeing the Senior Information Specialist or SIS program. Tracie Teske has been hired to provide information and assistance regarding services available to seniors and adults with disabilities. Tracie has been certified in SHIP counseling, (Senior Health Insurance Programs) and will be replacing Lana Sample at this position. As part of the SHIP program, Teske will help seniors navigate life’s difficult questions and choices by providing free individual counseling services, information, and referrals dedicated to educating people aged 60 and over and their caregivers about available insurance options, as well as assistance with Medicare Part D, supplements, Benefits Access Program, long term care insurance, and prescription drug coverage information.

 

(Paxton–jc)  The Paxton Masonic Lodge 416 is hosting a fundraiser-giveaway on Saturday in downtown Paxton. It is the 4th annual “Get out of Dodge” Trip giveaway. Paxton Masonic Lodge Spokesperson Jim Shearl talks the grand prize…

 

 

Paxton Masonic Lodge Spokesperson Jim Shearl. Other prizes including 1 thousand dollars will be given away on Saturday afternoon at 2.  Money raised by the lodge helps fund local programs in the Paxton area. Under 40 tickets remain to be sold. 

 

(Champaign-jm) – In order to place a crane for maintenance work at 30 E. Main Street, Ko Fusion will close one northbound lane of Walnut Street between Taylor Street and Main Street.  The closure will occur today between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.  During the closure, northbound traffic will be reduced to one lane in the area.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Forecasted yields for corn and soybeans are down a bit in Illinois. Based on September 1st conditions, the forecast for corn is 198 bushels per acre says Crop Statistician Mark Schleusener…

 

 

State Crop Statistician Mark Schleusener. The Illinois soybean yield is forecasted at 61 bushels per acre. That’s a drop of two bushels per acre compared to last year. Total production of soybeans is expected to hit 628 million bushels. That would be a decrease of seven percent from 2022 but still keeps Illinois in the top spot for soybeans.

 

The Paxton Buckley Loda School Board meets tonight at 6 where they are expected to approve their fiscal year 2024 budget, hear a report on 2023 summer maintenance projects, consider taking action on some grants and discuss the behavior interventionist coach job description and evaluation tool.

 

(Washington-jm) – Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and an associate professor from the University of Illinois were in Washington DC Tuesday, testifying before a U-S Senate committee on banning books. Secretary Giannoulias highlighted a new state law which prohibits Illinois libraries that nix certain books from receiving state funding. He was asked to respond to claims that book banning isn’t serious….

 

 

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. During her testimony, U of I professor Emily Knox pointed out that the majority of books being challenged are written by or are about racial and religious minorities, L-G-B-T-Q-I-A individuals and other diverse groups.

 

(Vermilion County-jm) – The visitation for Former State Representative Bill Black has been scheduled for 4 to 7 PM; Friday, September 15th; at Sunset Funeral Home. A private funeral will be held on Saturday. Black passed away over the weekend following a short illness. Black was a former Assistant Minority Leader for Republicans when he served in the Illinois House of Representatives and served in the Illinois General Assembly from 1986 to 2010. Bill Black was 81.

 

(Gibson City–jc)  Health care costs for illegal immigrants adds up to a big number for Illinois taxpayers. 53rd district State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City talks about the way some programs are run by Illinois Governor J B Pritzker…

 

 

53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City.

 

(Champaign-jm) – An East Central Illinois family pleaded guilty to kidnapping and forced labor. Lorenza Domingo-Castaneda, a Guatemalan national, pleaded guilty on September 8 in the Central District of Illinois to three counts of forced labor and two counts of conspiracy to commit forced labor. On August 18, codefendant Catarina Domingo-Juan also pleaded guilty to three counts of forced labor and two counts of conspiracy to commit forced labor A third codefendant, Domingo Francisco-Juan previously pleaded guilty on August 30 to forced labor, conspiracy to commit forced labor, kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. According to court documents, the defendants, who are siblings, conspired to bring two minor victims from Guatemala to the United States to work in their homes between December 2015 and March 2021. In accordance with the plea agreements, the defendants face penalties of 20 years up to life in prison.

 

(Paxton–jc)  –  The 20-23 Paxton Swine and Dine is set to start at 5am on Saturday morning in downtown Paxton. Swine and Dine Spokesperson Alan Meyer says the delicious smells of barbeque start at 5am, events throughout the day and at 9pm its the national act Parmalee…

 

 

Paxton Swine and Dine Event Spokesperson Alan Meyer. WPXN will be broadcasting live in the downtown area of Paxton with our On the Sidelines Show from 7am to 8am

 

(Champaign-jm) – Enrollment of first-year freshmen at University of Illinois System universities reached a record level of 13,231 this fall, as did total system enrollment of 60,013 undergraduate students. Numbers are based on enrollment on the 10th day of classes at the U of I System’s universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield. 

 

(Springfield-jm) – Forecasted yields for corn and soybeans are down a bit in Illinois. The September crop production is out, and Statistician Mark Schleusener has the forecast for the Illinois soybean crop…

 

 

State Crop Statistician Mark Schleusener. The corn yield is expected to be 198 bushels per acre, a decline of 16 bushels per acre compared to last year. Still, Illinois takes the number two spot for corn production, second only to Iowa.