(Springfield-jm) – Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security, and the Illinois State Police are closely monitoring the conflict in the Middle East and potential threats in Illinois. The Governor said he has been briefed by both agencies and the White House. Pritzker instructed both agencies to work closely with law enforcement partners and to be on heightened alert for any threats related to places of worship across the state to protect First Amendment rights and the safety of worshippers. At this time, there is no actionable intelligence regarding any credible threats in Illinois.
(Springfield-jm) – The fall veto session gets underway next week. 53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City hi-lites the upcoming session…
***News nws 2904veto1***
53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City.
(Paxton-jm) – Paxton celebrated their Fall Gathering and Pumpkin Patch events for the first time on Saturday. Despite the cold, many people came downtown to have a good time. There was also a breakfast and 30-35 vendors. The pumpkins will be a mainstay every weekend through the end of the month.
(Champaign–jc) – The latest home health remedies on social media involve onion, garlic, and honey. Tim Ditman of OSF HealthCare separates fact from fiction…
(Urbana-jm) – The Urbana Fire Department responded to a working fire on Sunday morning that left a home uninhabitable. It happened just after 10:30 a.m. in the area of South Dodson Drive and East Elm Street. One person and a dog safely escaped the home before the Fire Department arrived. Damages amounted to around $150,000. An investigation determined the cause of the fire to be an accidental cooking fire.
(Paxton–jc) The Paxton Carnegie Library is hosting a semi-annual book sale this month. Library Director Deb Mason says there are a lot of titles available at a very low price…
Paxton Carnegie Library Director Deb Mason.
(Undated-jm) – There are several school board meetings around the area tonight. In Rantoul, the Rantoul Township High School board will hear a financial update and consider board leader recognition criteria. In Mahomet, the Mahomet-Seymour school board will consider a rental of space agreement at Sangamon on Main, consider an affiliation agreement with WGU and consider a resolution concerning the review of hazardous conditions. In Gilman, the Iroquois West school board will hear about a teacher vacancy grant and maintenance grant, hear the FY 23 audit presentation, consider work on the ag shop drain and a softball coaching MOU and discuss the Title 1 schoolwide plans. In Cissna Park tonight, school board leaders will hear recommendations from the building committee on potential maintenance grant items and consider filling some vacant positions.
(Cissna Park–jc) – Today’s WPXN Business of the Day is Creekside Terrace of Cissna Park. Creekside Terrace is an independent living apartment complex on the east side of Cissna Park. Creekside Terrace Manager Stella Grindy says each of the 15 apartments is full of amenities from walk in showers, nice bedrooms and security parking area in a beautiful country setting. Grindy says the rent is determined by adjusted income…
Grindy says most of the residents are on social security and the apartments are income based…
Creekside Terrace of Cissna Park Manager Stella Grindy
Creekside Terrace is a HUD Housing Authority property. The low income housing complex is located on the North-East side of the village. More information is found by calling Stella at 815-457-3535.
(Undated–jc) –As the Israeli-Hamas conflict continues, the Illinois State Police continues coordinating statewide law enforcement communications and activity in response to the elevated level of threats of violence and hate crimes related to the current conflict. State police officials continue to remind the public of the importance of remaining vigilant against hate crime activity and potential terrorism. The public should report suspicious behavior to their local law enforcement agency or call 911 depending on the level of the threat. State Police say… that if you see something, say something.
(Springfield-jm) – The shortage of teachers in Illinois has slowed and even improved but gaps in critical areas, such as special education, remain and racial diversity among school leaders lags far behind that of the state’s pupils, according to a study released last week. The review by advocacy group Advance Illinois is a follow-up to a 2022 survey examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public education. The report found that the supply of new teachers and principals has gradually increased in recent years. The possibility of filling leadership roles appears to be a bright spot. The report found that there are enough teachers in the state who have completed credentialing to become principals. Over half of the state’s school districts do not have a teacher qualified to step into the principal’s office. The report’s findings came as a surprise in many areas. Despite the historic classroom disruption of COVID-19, the number of teachers, assistant principals and paraprofessionals, or classroom aides, grew by 7,000 from 2018 to 2022, reaching totals not achieved since 2009. During the challenging first two years of the pandemic, staffing levels were steady and even grew in some areas. But newly trained candidates in special education and bilingual education lag behind demand and attrition is especially high among special education instructors. The number of paraprofessionals, key to helping classroom teachers provide individual attention, is declining.
(Paxton-jm) – 2 mapping sessions for the City of Paxton are in the books with 3 more to come. The sessions are put on by Western Illinois University’s Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs. Mapping Program Manager Gisele Hamm encourages the public to attend the next session…
Mapping Program Manager Gisele Hamm. Again the next session is tomorrow night from 5:30-8:30 in the PBL Junior High Commons.
(Gifford-jm) – Gordyville USA is still for sale. The event center near Gifford has been for sale since June 2022, originally with an asking price of $4 million. The price has been dropped to $3.6 million.
(Springfield-jm) – A pest that is making headway throughout the Midwest is causing concern among soybean farmers in Illinois. The Soybean Cyst Nematode was first detected in Illinois soybean fields in the 1970s. The worm sucks the nutrients out of the soybean plant, causing more than $1 billion in soybean yield losses each year in the U.S. Soybean Cyst Nematodes attacks the plant roots, and what happens is that it inhibits the actual nutrient outtake and that in turn causes major yield loss. The pest normally thrives in hot, dry weather, which is what the 2023 growing season experienced in Illinois. As a result, the nematode most likely populated and produced a lot of eggs, which could affect soybean yields.
(Springfield-jm) – Archery hunting season is underway in Illinois. Phil Boarsdorf with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources shares some tips for hunters…
Illinois Department of Natural Resources Phil Boarsdorf.
(Undated-jm) – There are several school board meetings around the area tonight. In Rantoul, the Rantoul Township High School board will hear a financial update and consider board leader recognition criteria. In Mahomet, the Mahomet-Seymour school board will consider a rental of space agreement at Sangamon on Main, consider an affiliation agreement with WGU and consider a resolution concerning the review of hazardous conditions. In Gilman, the Iroquois West school board will hear about a teacher vacancy grant and maintenance grant, hear the FY 23 audit presentation, consider work on the ag shop drain and a softball coaching MOU and discuss the Title 1 schoolwide plans. In Cissna Park tonight, school board leaders will hear recommendations from the building committee on potential maintenance grant items and consider filling some vacant positions.
WPXN News Notes this Week…
The Eastern Illinois Foodbank will hold a mobile food distribution on Thursday October 19th from 9-9:30 at Abbe Insurance in Buckley, 10-10:30 at Durham Park in Onarga, 11-11:30 at the Crescent City Community Center, 12:30-1 at R&P Home and Harvest in Watseka and 1:30-2 at Town and Country in Milford and on Friday, October 20th from 9-9:30 at the Piper City Community Center, 10-10:30 at Living Word Church in Roberts, 11-11:30 across from Melvin Convenient, 12-12:45 at the Gibson City city hall, Elliott village hall from 1-1:30 and 2-3 at Paxton Hardware and Rental.
The Paxton Emergency Response Service will hold their all you can eat chicken and noodle supper on Thursday, October 19th from 5-7 pm. Cost is $11 for adults, kids 6-13 $6. Meal includes chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, green beans dessert and drink.
