(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois State Board of Education has announced the income eligibility guidelines for free and reduced-price meals at childcare centers and homes participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by ISBE. In fiscal year 2023, sponsors participating in the program served more than 35.9 million meals and more than 21.6 million snacks. All participating childcare centers and day care homes must provide meals to enrolled children at no additional charge.

 

(Springfield-jm) – A bill that would lift a moratorium on new nuclear reactors in Illinois has passed the Senate. State Senator Sue Rezin’s legislation would end the 1987 prohibition on new nuclear operations in favor of small modular reactors. Instead of seeking a vote to override the governor’s veto of an earlier bill, Rezin introduced the new plan that would reduce the allowable size of small modular reactors.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Senate Republicans are calling for the Pritzker Administration to address issues within state government. 53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City explains…

 

 

53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City.

 

(Champaign-jm) – The Champaign City Council awarded about $2.3 million dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act to 9 organizations to support its' Gun Violence Reduction Blueprint. Champaign Police Department and it said that shootings are down from 129 in 2022 to 59 so far in 2023.

 

(Rantoul-jm) – A Rantoul man was convicted for possession of child pornography at the United States Courthouse in Urbana. A federal jury returned a guilty verdict against Edward Brown. During two days of testimony, the government presented evidence to establish that Brown was in possession of a phone with several child pornography images on it. The evidence showed the minors depicted in the images were under the age of 12 years. Brown was already serving a term of supervised release for another child pornography offense. At sentencing, Brown faces statutory penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment, a maximum life term of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. His sentencing has been set for March 8, 2024.

 

(Washington-jm) – The USDA last week announced a new initiative designed to support and expand markets for our country's specialty crop industry. Rod Bain reports…

 

 

(Urbana-jm) – A 17-year-old is under arrest in Urbana after police said he fled from a traffic stop in possession of a gun. Officials with the Urbana Police Department said on Facebook that just before 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, an officer pulled a car over for driving through a stop sign. The driver came to a stop and remained inside the car, but the sole passenger got out and ran away. An officer eventually caught up to the teen and arrested him. The teen, who was not identified due to his age, is said to have a history of gun-related charges and was on parole at the time. A search of the route the teen took while running later resulted in a loaded gun being found. The 17 year old is charged with two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

(Springfield-jm) – In the wake of a Carlinville funeral home allegedly mishandling dozens of human remains, an Illinois lawmaker has introduced legislation that would further regulate the funeral home industry. State Senator Doris Turner’s bill would create new protocols to protect families who have lost family members. The measure would establish an identification tagging system for all human remains and track them from death to burial or return to family.

 

(Manteno-jm) – A rezoning hearing for the Gotion battery plant in Manteno has been moved to accommodate an anticipated large turnout. Officials have shifted the venue from the community center to an elementary school. Initially set for November 14, the rescheduled meeting on November 21 will allow public input on the Chinese company’s controversial rezoning application to pave the way for a new electric vehicle battery factory.

 

(Paxton-jm) – The mapping sessions for the city of Paxton are over but the work is just beginning. The mapping sessions were put on by Western Illinois University’s Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs. Program Manager Gisela Hamm talks about the purpose of the mapping groups…

 

 

Mapping Program Manager Gisela Hamm. Over the next several days, we’ll recap each session from beginning to where we are now.

 

(Urbana-jm) – Carle Hospital said it saw more patients this past week because respiratory infections were on the rise. The flu and COVID-19 are some of those illnesses they’ve seen increase. Carle said they’ve borrowed beds from their partners in Peoria because of the increase.

 

(Gibson City-jm) – Gibson City police are looking for a person that struck the city’s Christmas tree and drove off over the weekend. Security camera video shows a dark colored SUV running into the tree and driving off. There’s no word on how much damage was caused.

 

(Washington-jm) – Grain and oilseed markets lost ground last week in reaction to a surprisingly large USDA corn crop forecast. Gary Crawford reports…

 

 

(Urbana-jm) – University of Illinois Police arrested a suspect in connection to several cases of burglary and theft. Police said James A. Algee, 56, was arrested as a result of investigations into three cases throughout October. U of I Police arrested Algee on charges of possession of stolen credit cards, wire fraud and theft.