(Springfield-jm) – As the two week fall veto session gets underway in Springfield, House Republican Leader Tony McCombie says there are a number of issues that require fixing within our state agencies where we have seen continual cases of mismanagement and disarray, issues that are ongoing and need to be addressed…
House Republican Leader Tony McCombie.
(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Tuesday that the state of Illinois has awarded $9.5 million in funding to 40 different applicants across the state to support post-pandemic child and adolescent health. The funding is primarily from the CDC’s COVID-19 Public Health Workforce Supplemental Funding program authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act plus $500,000 in state dollars. Sixty percent of the grants are going to schools, 20% to hospital or clinic-based programs, and the rest to local health departments and colleges.
(Paxton-jm) – The fourth mapping session for the city of Paxton was held last night. The sessions are through the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University and focuses on what community members vision for the city over the next 10-30 years. Mapping Manager Gisela Hamm talks about the goals the groups are working on…
Hamm talks about where the group is at now…
Mapping Manager Gisela Hamm. The final session is next week Thursday from 5:30-8:30 in the PBL Junior High Commons. The public is invited.
(Urbana-jm) – The ILEAS, the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System Training Center in Urbana is getting a facelift.. The group got a $3 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The money will allow them to renovate the building and maximize their space for public safety training.
(Rantoul–jc) Work is set to smooth the runways at the Village of Rantoul Airport. Rantoul Mayor Chuck Smith says the project will help with usage and safety at the local facility…
Rantoul Mayor Chuck Smith
(UIUC-jm) – A pair of University of Illinois police officers are being credited by their superiors with saving a man’s life on Saturday and then promptly going back to their normal routines for the Illini Homecoming game. U of I Police Department officials said the officers’ life-saving actions took place on Saturday in the area surrounding Memorial Stadium. Amidst the pregame festivities for the game against Wisconsin, officials said a man went into cardiac arrest two hours before kickoff. When first responders were notified, Officers Tara Hurless and Chris Williams were the closest to where the emergency was happening, and they responded immediately. Providing CPR and using a defibrillator, officials said the officers were able to get the man’s heart rate back into rhythm. Paramedics later took over and transported the man to the hospital. He was awake and alert when he arrived, officials said. Once the man was on his way to the hospital, Hurless and Williams went back to work. Police officials said that this was the fifth cardiac arrest on the U of I campus since 2018. Of those, four of the patients were awake and talking by the time they reached an ambulance
(Paxton-jm) – A Paxton nursing home will be celebrating the Halloween holiday this weekend. Accolade Healthcare on Pells is holding a fall festival. Spokesperson Michelle Harmon shares some of the day's activities…
Accolade Healthcare on Pells Spokesperson Michelle Harmon. They will also host a trunk or treat on Halloween night.
(Hoopeston–jc) Today’s WPXN Business of the Day are the Brown Family businesses in Hoopeston. They are Bricks and Ivy Sports Collectibles, The 112 Wine and Coffee Shop and Bakery and Boxcar Books and Vinyl. Family spokesperson Emily Brown says it started with Bricks and Ivy over 6 years ago…
Brown talks about expanding the family businesses buy purchasing a building in the downtown area for a coffee and bakery shop…
Brown family Business Owner Emily Brown. Bricks and Ivy, The 112 Wine and Coffee Shop and Bakery and Boxcar Books and Vinyl are all located in the same area in downtown Hoopeston. They are the WPXN Business of the Day, today.
(Springfield-jm) – Illinois State Police will be hosting three public hearings to address concerns about the firearms ban. 53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City explains…
53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City.
(Undated–jc) Reports are coming in this morning concerning an officer shooting in the state capitol. The shooting happened just before 11 last night along Toronto Road in Springfield. No word on the condition of the officer has been released.
Update-The person suspected of shooting a law enforcement officer in Springfield Tuesday night has been arrested. The Illinois State Police also confirmed that the officer is an Illinois State Trooper.
ISP officials said their preliminary investigation into the shooting indicated that the Trooper conducted a traffic stop on Toronto Road and interacted with the suspect, identified as 37-year-old Cristobal Santana of Chicago. Santana, officials added, was wanted in connection to a recent murder in Chicago.
During that traffic stop, officials said shots were fired and the Trooper was hit in the leg. Santana fled his car on foot, but was arrested at 2 a.m.
The Illinois State Police are still investigating.
(Springfield-jm) – Changes could soon be coming to Illinois' early childhood education and care programs as Governor J.B. Pritzker proposes housing all those functions under one roof with the creation of a new state agency. The new agency, which will be known as the Early Childhood Agency, will focus on the early childhood block grant, which funds preschool for all, the prevention initiative home-visiting program and the child care assistance program, home-visiting and early intervention services, according to a state news release. The plan includes an additional $250 million in taxpayer funding for the child care Smart Start program and an advisory board to oversee the agency, but the total taxpayer cost of creating a new state agency isn't known yet.
(Rantoul-jm) – The Department of the Air Force and the Village of Rantoul will mark the complete transfer of the former Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois, to the community during a ceremony this afternoon at 2 p.m. at Rantoul Village Hall.
Air Force officials will join local and state representatives for a Whole Base Transfer celebration honoring the enduring civilian-military partnership that ensured the success of the 30-year effort to transfer the one-time Air Force technical training center to the community. Since Chanute’s closure in 1993, the Air Force has committed more than $200 million to environmental clean-up efforts closing out 276 sites with significant soil and groundwater contamination.
(Paxton–jc) The City of Paxton now has a new Five year plan with the Flock Company for the four security cameras in the city. The cameras are used for safety and any major illegal activity in the city. Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold says the 5 year agreement locks in the current price…
Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold
(Momence–jc) – Illinois State Police are requesting the public’s assistance in the investigation surrounding the death of 52-year-old Bert N. Lawton of Grant Park On August 27, at approximately 2:45 a.m., state police responded to a hit and run crash involving a motorcycle and passenger vehicle on 4000 North Road near 14000 East Road in Momence. The driver of the motorcycle, Bert N. Lawton, was transported to an area hospital and pronounced deceased. The offending vehicle fled the scene westbound onto 4000 North Road into Momence and it is believed to be a black or dark colored Chevrolet Impala between the years of 2006 to 2011. The offending vehicle sustained heavy front-end damage and it is missing the front bumper grille. Anyone with information regarding this crash is asked to contact the State Police at 815-209-6567. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can do so by calling Crime Stoppers at 815-932-7463. A Cash reward is being offered.
(Woodworth-jm) – The 12th annual Ford-Iroquois 4-H Foundation auction will take place Sunday, November 12th at St. Pauls School in Woodworth. Foundation President Nita Dubble talks about the reason behind the auction…
Ford Iroquois 4-H Foundation President Nita Dubble.
