Listeners Club

Forgot Password

Not a Member? Sign up here!

WPXN Blog

Mysterious Noise Heard By Many Saturday Night

(Undated--jc)  It was a sound, maybe a streak in the sky. A phenomenon happened around 9-15 on Saturday night. Ford County Sheriff’s police were among the law enforcement groups that received calls about the noise. Reports about the noise were taken from several communities throughout the WPXN listening area.

 

 

(Springfield--jc)  -- Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner is looking at clemency cases. This is the 27th set of petitions the governor has reviewed since taking office. Each person granted clemency has recently undergone a criminal background check through the Illinois State Police’s Law Enforcement Agencies Data System.A granted clemency request for a pardon with expungement allows the petitioner to seek expungement of their conviction through the court system.Gov. Rauner has acted on 3,829 petitions since taking office, clearing the backlog left by previous administrations.For additional information on the granted clemency cases, please contact the Prisoner Review Board at (217) 782-1610.

 

CHICAGO (AP) — Tel Aviv University is the first international partner in a research center led by the University of Illinois. Officials from the Israeli school signed the agreement Friday. The university will help guide development and participate in educational and research programs at the Discovery Partners Institute.The facility in downtown Chicago will house more than 100 researchers who will conduct work in health care, cybersecurity, food supplies and the environment. Tel Aviv University joins other academic partners including Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. All rank on Reuters' list of the world's 100 most innovative universities.


 

 

(Clinton--jc)  -- The final “200 Years of Statehood” Christmas Candlelight Tours, themed in honor of the Illinois State Bicentennial, will take place Friday  at the C.H. Moore Homestead DeWitt County Museum in Clinton. Friday night, the mansion will be illuminated by candlelight and holiday music will be enjoyed by all.  Doors open at 5pm Guests are asked to enter at the front door. No reservations are needed. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for ages 11 to 18 years, and free for children aged 10 years and under.

 

GALESBURG, Ill. (AP) — Communities across Illinois are receiving a combined $13.7 million to reduce hazards from lead-based paint in low-income housing.

About $3.6 million will be used for remediation at 200 housing units in Galesburg, where the Illinois Department of Public health has reported high rates of elevated blood lead levels in children. A 2015 study found 14.4 percent of tested children showed elevated levels — one of the highest rates in the state. Lead-based paint has been proven to harm children and cause behavioral and cognitive problems.U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth said three other communities will receive grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.Chicago is receiving $4.1 million, Moline is receiving $2.4 million and Kankakee is getting $3.6 million.

 

(Paxton--jc)  -- Property owners in the Paxton Buckley Loda School district will have to wait officially till the first quarter of next year, but taxes for the local school could be cheaper next year. P-B-L school officials say property value in the district increased by nearly 10 million dollars from a year ago and that could mean a lowering of taxes.


 

URBANA, Ill. (AP) — The University of Illinois has fired a professor who was accused of falsifying research.Fei Wang worked in the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology. He has been at the university since 2005 and was granted tenure in 2012.The investigation and its aftermath lasted nearly five years. Wang was accused of applying for research grants with information from experiments that hadn't been performed. He included images of mouse cells, not human cells.

Spokeswoman Robin Kaler says the university has returned $355,000 in grant money to various agencies.

 

(Champaign--ba)-The tree is up and decorated…now here’s some tips for keeping it looking fresh through christmas. The best thing you can do is make sure your tree has plenty of  fresh, clean water says U of I Extension Horticulture expert Richard Hentschel.

 

 

U of I Extension Horticulture expert Richard Hentschel

 

 

VALMEYER, Ill. (AP) — Environmentalists in southern Illinois have raised concerns that a proposed wind turbine project will diminish the area's natural beauty and hurt animal habitat. Developer Joe Koppeis, who owns Southern Illinois Wind, hopes to construct 50 wind turbines along 15 miles of bluffs south of Valmeyer and Waterloo,  Koppeis expects the project to cost $220 million and says the reason he is in the wind industry is for his family and belief in renewable energy. The wind turbines reduce the need for the burning of fossil fuels and also generate alternative energy and raise tax revenue for government services, such as local schools.On the opposite side is  Heartlands Conservancy that contend the wind farm could change the character of the rural landscape and harm wildlife and make the area more industrial.

 

(Undated--jc) --  Illinois is celebrating its anniversary as a state. Here is today’s Bicentennial minute…

 

 

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — Lawyers for the man charged with kidnapping and killing a Chinese University of Illinois scholar have argued the case should be heard in state court, where the death penalty isn't an option.Federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty  against former graduate student Brendt Christensen. He's charged with the 2017 abduction and death of 26-year-old Yingying Zang. Authorities have not found her body. A federal judge in Peoria is holding several days of pre-trial hearings.Defense attorney Robert Tucker said Friday he believes the main reason federal prosecutors are trying the case is to seek the death penalty. Illinois abolished it in 2011 for state cases. Prosecutor Eugene Miller denied Tucker's claim. He argued there are several valid legal reasons to try the case in federal court.

 

NORMAL, Ill. (AP) — Illinois State University will buy about 80 acres of land to expand the central Illinois farm operated by the university's agriculture department.

The ISU board of trustees on Saturday authorized the university to purchase the land adjacent to University Farm for $810,000, including closing costs. The money will come from university reserves. The farm is located about 20 miles northeast of Normal, and provides students with hands-on farming experience. The 360-acre University Farm produces corn, soybeans, alfalfa, beef, sheep and swine. It was dedicated at its site near Lexington in 2002. In addition to student employees it has eight full-time employees.

 

 

(Champaign--jc)  The weather for the final days of fall and heading into the Christmas holiday are expected to be warmer. That is according to  State Climatologist Office Spokesperson Brian Kerschner..

 

 

State Climatologist Office Spokesperson Brian Kerschner

 

 

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The city of Springfield is the winning bidder for a historic neon sign that's one of the city's remaining Route 66 landmarks.An online auction was held for the Sonrise Donuts sign, which went up along Route 66 in 1949.At one point the top bidders were in Chicago and California. But Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau director Scott Dahl revealed Friday the city made the winning bid of $22,000. The money will come from city hotel-motel tax.Dahl says buying the sign "ensures our visitors will continue to experience Springfield's story as it relates to Route 66." Plans for the 6-by-8-foot sign weren't announced.The sign remained on the Sonrise Donuts building even after the shop closed in 1998 and other businesses moved in.

 

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Governor.-elect J.B. Pritzker's inaugural celebration will raise money for a Chicago-based legal aid organization and the foundation that supports the state fairgrounds in Springfield and Du Quoin The inauguration committee released information Friday about two events scheduled for Jan. 14.The swearing-in will occur at Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield at 11 a.m. People interested in attending may request up to two free tickets starting Dec. 28 through the inauguration website. The celebration will begin at 7 p.m. at the Exposition Building of the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Tickets are currently available by invitation only but may go on general sale depending on availability. The committee says all ticket purchases and donations will be given to the Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic and the Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation.

 

 

(Paxton--jc)  -- The city of Paxton joint review board is set to meet this week. The subject is Paxton’s Tax Increment Finance District. THe meeting comes to order on the second floor of city hall on Tuesday evening at 6.

 

 

(Gibson City--jc)  Gibson City officials have set up a special meeting on Tuesday at 7pm. On the agenda includes an Ordinance Approving an Addendum to the Agreement by and between the City of Gibson City, One Earth Energy, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Community Unit School District #5, Gibson City Fire Protection District, the Ford County Supervisor of Assessments, and the Ford County Board of Review. A second agenda item is an Ordinance Approving and Authorizing the Execution of a third Amendment to the Intergovernmental Agreement by and between the City of Gibson City and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Community Unit School District #5.

 

 

(Springfield--jc)  -- The chairman of the Illinois Republican Party said he didn't know Governor  Bruce Rauner had asked other people to take his spot in the governor's race after a narrow primary victory and ahead of the November election contest with J.B. Pritzker. The governor told a Chicago TV station that he talked with four people about taking his place in the lead up to the midterm elections. Rauner said they all turned him down. Republican Party leaders said they weren't aware of it.

 

 

(Buckley-dg)-Goat’s Christmas Charity in Buckley has been operating for the last 15 years. This time of year can be especially hard on some and the donations received at Goat’s goes to help those in need. This year is no different. A woman in Buckley is need of helping to pay her water bill. There was a leak that took some time to be fixed and the village said they wouldn’t be able to help out. The charity is trying to raise $1000 to help with repair costs and take the burden off this Christmas. If you would like to donate to this cause please send your donation to Goat’s Christmas Charity at P O Box 207, Buckley, Il 60918.

 

 

 

Get our App

Facebook

On Air Now

Becky Puetz & Mr. Dan Gee
Becky Puetz & Mr. Dan Gee
6:00am - 10:00am
Regular Programming

Listen on Alexa

Weather

Share This Website