(Undated–jm)  –  Several area schools will be e-learning today due to the cold. PBL, GCMS, Rantoul City Schools, Rantoul Township High School, St. John’s Lutheran School, Gifford Grade School, Ludlow Grade School, Thomasboro Grade School, Champaign, Urbana, Christ Lutheran High School and Hoopeston Area have already announced their intentions. Decisions on extra curriculars will be made by mid-day. Also…No Peace Meals in Buckley today. No Illinois People's Action Group meeting concerning the C-oh-2 Pipeline in Gibson City. The meeting will be rescheduled

 

(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois Department of Public Health encourages the public to protect against respiratory illnesses as levels continue to rise. COVID-19, the flu and RSV are some seasonal respiratory viruses that are making the rounds. The triple threat illnesses have similar symptoms, such as coughing, sneezing, sore throat, a runny nose and fever, which can make it difficult for people to know what kinds of treatment to seek if they catch one. IDPH recommends staying at home if you feel sick, and wearing a mask if you must leave the house or enter a large crowd.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Chicago continues to struggle to handle the influx of migrants coming from the southern border. 53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City talks about the state’s response…

 

 

53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City.

(Urbana-jm) – The University of Illinois Police Department is investigating a string of burglaries that took place at different fraternity houses on campus. n the span of two weeks, burglaries were reported at the following three Greek houses: 

Zeta Beta Tau, Alpha Chi Rho and Psi Upsilon. Authorities said no one was hurt in these incidents, and at least one of the buildings was left unlocked when the crime occurred.

 

(Champaign–jc)  Preventing bowel obstructions, a good life lesson O-S-F-s Tim Ditman has the details…

 

 

(Champaign-jm) – Champaign Police were dispatched at 10:45 p.m. on Sunday, January 14, 2024, to the 100 block of W. Green Street for a report of a Shooting with Injuries. On-scene, officers located a 23-year-old male victim from Champaign suffering from a potentially life-threatening gunshot wound. The victim was transported to an area hospital where he remains hospitalized in stable condition. The initial investigation indicates that the victim was waiting in a store when an unidentified subject approached and attempted to rob him. When the victim was uncooperative, the suspect produced a firearm and fired it, striking the victim in the torso. The subject then fled the area.

 

 

(Urbana-jm) – Urbana has agreed to pay several hundred thousand dollars in taxpayer funds for a partial 2020 census recount. The pricey expenditure is warranted, Mayor Diane Marlin said, because Urbana is losing several hundred thousand dollars in state and federal funding every year because their recorded population numbers were down by several thousand people in the official 2020 census results. About 55,000 students attend the University of Illinois at the Urbana-Champaign campus. Many of them live in private rental housing or in residence halls that are located in Urbana. The students are counted as city residents, Marlin said. In the Census year 2020, U of I shut down in-person learning on campus in the middle of March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two weeks later on April 1, when the 2020 Census got its official start, several thousand students had left their apartments and residence halls and did not get counted, Marlin suspects.

 

(Washington-jm) – The USDA noted increases in both corn and soybean stocks but what is behind the rise in both categories? Rod Bain reports…

 

 

(Undated-jm) – The Mahomet Seymour school board meets tonight where they are expected to approve a tax abatement resolution and begin preparing FY25 budget appropriations. In Gilman, the Iroquois West school board will discuss a roof survey, discuss a health-life safety bond, approve the first reading of 57 policy updates and set an open house for the new building. Both meetings get underway at 7pm.

 

(Springfield-jm) – A recently introduced Illinois Senate bill would strip the driver’s license of a Firearms Owners ID card holder that doesn’t surrender a revoked permit. Senate Bill 2720, filed by state Senator Julie Morrison,  of Deerfield, says that if someone’s FOID card is revoked and they don’t surrender that to Illinois State Police, their driver’s license could be suspended. Illinois law already requires individuals with suspended or revoked FOID cards to transfer their firearms to another person who has a valid FOID card. The Illinois State Rifle Association President Doug Mayhall said in a social media video that if such a measure passed, it would be a “new way to target and harass gun owners.”

 

(Kankakee-jm) – Gotion, Inc. will hold two local job fairs this week to recruit workers for the electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant to be located in Manteno. Kari Nugent, Kankakee Community College Vice President for Advancement, Marketing and Public Relations has more about the job fairs…

 

 

Kankakee Community College Vice President for Advancement, Marketing and Public Relations Kari Nugent.

 

(Paxton–jc)  The Paxton based “Just an Angel” group is seeking help for a single mom called Operation Newborn. Just an Angel Spokesperson Dale Puls says the family is in need of supplies for a newborn…

 

 

Just An Angel Spokesperson Dale Puls. Contact Puls for donations or drop them off at the WPXN studios. 

 

(Urbana-jm) – An Urbana man has been arrested in relation to a string of vehicle burglaries in southeastern Urbana. Tyrese Ford was arrested after a police investigation into the burglaries. Urbana police said that since mid-December, the city has experienced a notable increase in thefts from motor vehicles, with over 70 reported incidents. In a search of Ford's home, police found stolen property linking him to multiple vehicle burglaries in the area. Officers also found firearm ammunition. Ford is a convicted felon and is not permitted to possess ammunition.

 

(Champaign-jm) – An armed person's call prompted a police response to a Champaign hotel. According to University of Illinois Police, on Saturday at 12:21 p.m. U of I Police responded to the I Hotel and Illinois Conference Center after it was reported that someone displayed a firearm during an otherwise verbal dispute. Police said no shots were fired, and no one was injured. The incident occurred during a non-UI graduation event hosted at the I Hotel. Police quickly determined that there was no ongoing emergency threatening the campus. According to U of I Police, officers conducted a traffic stop nearby on a vehicle that was thought to be involved. Two guns were seized from the vehicle. One adult received a state of Illinois notice to appear in court for carrying a concealed weapon on prohibited property. A person under 18 years old was also in the vehicle and possession of a firearm.

 

(Washington-jm) – The USDA's new round of crop forecasts had a couple of mild surprises. Gary Crawford reports…