(Paxton --jc) The Paxton Park District and WPXN Radio are sponsoring the annual Halloween Parade on Wednesday, Oct. 31st. The parade begins at 4 Halloween afternoon at the Paxton Carnegie Library in the downtown area. Kids in costume will go north on Market with their destination being the Paxton Fire Station. Treat bags will be given and Halloween safety material will be provided by Ford County Sheriffs and Paxton Police and Ford County Crimestoppers officials. After the parade, kids are encouraged to trick-or-treat back down Market Street where they'll get more candy and goodies by stopping by all of the local participating businesses.
(KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct. 16, 2018) – Online voting will close Friday at 5 p.m. for the 2018 Tank of the Year contest sponsored by Tnemec Company, Incorporated. The company is a leading provider of high-performance protective coatings. People can vote for their favorite water tank at tank of the year-dot com-- where photos of this year’s nominated water tanks are posted. Only one vote is allowed per person. After online voting has ended, the water tank receiving the most online votes will be named the People’s Choice and receive an automatic bid as a finalist for the 2018 Tank of the Year title. The People’s Choice winner and the 11 finalists selected by a committee will be announced on Oct. 22nd with the champion announced on October 26th. Three towers locally are on the list. They are two water towers in Rantoul and one in Gibson City.
JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — A suburban Chicago gymnastics coach has been charged with sexually assaulting a girl he trained at a gym in Channahon. Will County prosecutors say 68-year-old Jose Vilchis committed sexual abuse and assault against the girl in late 2012 or 2013 while he was coaching her at I&M Gymnastics. Authorities say the girl was between the ages of 13 and 17 at the time of the assaults. Bond was set at $300,000. It wasn't immediately known if Vilchis has legal representation.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois officials have a message for voters this election season: Your vote is safe. State Board of Elections chairman William Cadigan told reporters in Chicago Tuesday that voters should rest assure that their November 6th votes are secure. Illinois National Guard Adjutant General Richard Hayes will be able to help…
Illinois National Guard Adjutant General Richard Hayes.
(Springfield--jc) -- The state of Illinois has improved greatly the amount of money it is giving to K through 12 grade schools in the state. Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner says that was a goal for he and a non-partisan group of state lawmakers. Rauner says more money needs to be given to colleges and trade schools…
Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner
URBANA, Ill. (AP) — A top University of Illinois administrator says he expects action within several months on recommendations toward quelling the ongoing turmoil over the school's former Chief Illiniwek mascot.Chancellor Robert Jones told the campus senate this week that he's working to create "a coalition of the willing" to implement a university report released last month. That report suggested the school adopt a new sports mascot to replace the Chief Illiniwek portrayal that was dropped in 2007 after complaints from American Indians that it was offensive. The campus senate voted 64-29 in favor of a resolution backing the report recommendations.Education Professor Nick Burbules sponsored the resolution and said he believes it's past time for a new mascot. But he said the mascot selection risks causing more division.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Recreational areas up and down the state will be sharing more than $1.5 million in federal grant money to repair bridges, build trails, purchase property and help pay for other projects.In a news release, Gov. Bruce Rauner's office says the projects are in eleven communities and include city park districts, county forest preserve districts as well as Southern Illinois University and Prairie State College. Locally, the village of Mahomet will net a 98 thousand dollar federal grant for a concrete trail though a local forest and water area. THe area will also include an overlook to accommodate visitors with disabilities. The money will come from the Recreational Trails Program, a federal grant program that in Illinois is administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in cooperation with the state's transportation department.
(Paxton--ab) Should 6th graders be able to play on 7th and 8th grade sports teams at Paxton Buckley Loda Schools. That was the topic earlier this week for the P-B-L school Extra Curricular Committee. The group also talked about what is getting reported to the board of education from coaches in the district.
CHICAGO (AP) — Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic governor candidate J.B. Pritzker each reported income of roughly $55 million last year. Rauner and Pritzker released partial 2017 tax returns Tuesday. Rauner is a multimillionaire former private equity investor. Pritzker is an entrepreneur and a billionaire heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune. Neither candidate has released his full returns or provided detailed documentation on the source of his income.
(Undated--jc) Illinois is celebrating its 200th anniversary as a state. Here is Today’s Bicentennial minute…
BLOOMINGTON — State Farm will remove the iconic red letters spelling out its name at its former headquarters in downtown Bloomington.The company has hired local contractor P.J. Hoerr Incorporated of Normal and Peoria for the job. State Farm has stopped lighting the letters in the sign earlier this month The company has been marketing the 9 million dollar building to several interested companies.
(Springfield--jc) -- A legal scholar who studies public and private investment funds says the people who are managing taxpayer-funded retirement plans are looking out for pensioners when they should be focused on what’s best for taxpayers.Publicly funded retirement boards are responsible for directing pension investments. Historically, they’ve acted on behalf of the pensioners and soon-to-be-retirees that are paying into the fund. Ohio State University professor Paul Rose, who is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Robert J. Watkins/Procter & Gamble Professor of Law, proposes that they should be acting on behalf of taxpayers because taxpayers are largely responsible for contributions and would be expected to foot the bill for any funding shortfalls.
(Washington--jc) -- Soybean maturation is ahead of schedule, but the news is not as good for harvest or condition. Stephanie Ho reports…
(Champaign--jc) Champaign County Crimestoppers is seeking information about a 22 year old man from Champaign. John Gonzalez is wanted for failure to appear on a aggravated use of a weapons charge. Gonzalez is described as 5 foot 10 inches tall, black hair and brown eyes. Bond on the weapons charge was set at 25 thousand dollars and bond on an aggravated DUI charge was set at 10 thousand dollars. Anyone with information about Gonzalez is asked to call Champaign County Crimestoppers at 217-373-8477
(Champaign county--jc) Several in Champaign County have Legionnaires Disease. Champaign County Public health officials have confirmed six cases of Legionnaires' Disease within the County.The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District announced on Tuesday that six county residents have been diagnosed with the illness since September 15th. Symptoms typically begin two to 10 days following exposure and may include diarrhea, muscle aches, vomiting, nausea, fever and chills. Shortness of breath, coughing, headaches, or mental confusion may also be common. The disease does not usually spread from person to person.
(Springfield--jc) --In an effort to reduce interest payments, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed SB 2858 into law, allowing Illinois to invest funding from other sectors to generate interest monies.The new law could save the state up to 100 million dollars a year in interest payments, according to Treasurer Michael Frerichs. He says , now, if the state has a bill that is more than 90 days late, they start paying 1 percent interest per month, so effectively 12 percent interest annually. The governor says it makes sense to borrow money at a lower rate. The state can not use the money from other funds, but by investing, can get to the 100 million dollars in interest for the state.
(Bloomington--jc) Democrat gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker made a stop in Bloomington on Tuesday to talk with officials from the Pantagraph. The Democrat talked about his "kitchen table issues" and also gave more criticism of incumbent Governor Bruce Rauner. The Pantagraph reports the Democratic nominee for governor put stagnant wages, labor training, health care and college costs front and center as he laid out his vision for the state. Illinois voters go to the polls to elect a governor among other state and area officials on Tuesday November 6th.
(Lexington--jc) -- One McLean County town is set to celebrate the holidays with a special event. Officials in Lexington say the “Christmas on the Prairie” day is set for December First from 9am until 8pm The event starts out at the Lexington School with a vendor fair...which also includes Breakfast with Santa, a children’s shopping area and fresh Christmas tree & wreath sale until 2pm. Shopping in the downtown area, food from local restaurants, holiday crafts and a festival of trees also hi-lite the event.
