(McLean County---jc)  -- A lawsuit was filed over a bus versus semi crash in McLean County. The accident happened on December 5th near Downs along Interstate 74. Bloomington resident Kathleen Crabtree is suing the Jason Farrell Trucking company.  Her husband Charlie Crabtree was fatally injured in the mishap. Crabtree is suing the company for 50 thousand dollars plus court costs

 

CHICAGO (AP) — World War II fighter pilot John Lyle, a Tuskegee Airman, has died at the age of 98.Lyle died Saturday at his home on Chicago's South Side, his wife, Eunice, said Monday. She added that Lyle had been battling prostate cancer. The members of the nation's first black fighter squadron won acclaim for their aerial prowess and bravery, despite a military that imposed segregation on its African-American recruits while respecting the rights of German prisoners.

Lyle, who named his plane "Natalie" after his first wife, was credited with shooting down a German Messerschmitt. The Tuskegee Airmen trained at the Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul during the 1940s.

 

 

(Loda--ab) The Loda American Legion is hosting an all you can eat chicken and fish fry on Friday January 11th from 4:30-7:00 PM. Cost is 8 dollars for adults. Children 8 and under eat for free.

 

 

(Paxton--ab) One local diner has closed its doors.  The Little Chef Diner at 560 S. John Street on Paxton’s west side officially closed their doors. The diner which served American staples with a Spanish flair opened in Paxton in late March of 2018. No word was given on the future of the former Pizza Hut building that has hosted two failed restaurant ventures.

 

 

 

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker wants to offer cabinet members salaries 15 percent higher than current law allows to lure top talent. Legislation to bump the salaries of the agency directors and assistant directors is under consideration in the General Assembly. Jordan Abudayyeh is spokeswoman for the incoming Democrat. She says current salaries are not competitive.

 

 

(Paxton--jc)  The Paxton Grand Ole Flag committee met last night at the Paxton Firehouse to look at ways to raise the 45 to 50 thousand dollars to get the project of placing a  large community on the city’s west side. The local group has already received several donations. The project is seeking the approval of the Paxton Buckley Loda School District along with the City of Paxton. The group will have to get approval for the project from the F-A-A and state due to the height of the proposed flag and its proximity to Interstate 57.

 

(Illinois--ba)

WPXN’s Braedon Arnett has the information you need to know about the 60th Miss County Fair Queen Pageant.

 

 

 

SPRINGFIELD, IL - The Illinois State Police (ISP) and the Illinois State Police Merit Board have partnered to produce a recruitment video, which displays the virtues of public service and aims to inspire men and women to join the ISP ranks.

The unique six-minute film was commissioned by ISP Merit Board member and Chicago-based businessman, Andrew T. Berlin. Berlin envisioned a tool that would help recruit high-caliber cadets.

 

(Lincoln--jc)  --The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for East Central Illinois from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Today. Gusts up to 45 mile per hour are possible. So be careful while driving, and bring your lawn items inside. Doug Quick will have a full look at today’s Storm team Forecast following this news cast.

 

 

(Chicago--jc)  -- Almost 180-thousand former students at for-profit adult education schools headquartered in Illinois will not have to pay back almost a half-billion dollars in student loan debt, under a settlement won by 49 state attorneys general, including Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. The company, Career Education Corporation, is based in Schaumburg and currently runs mostly online schools under the names American InterContinental University and Colorado Technical University. Eileen Boyce, a spokesperson for Attorney General Madigan, says the company misled many students about their job prospects after graduation, pressured them to enroll, and deceived them about costs and the ability to transfer credits.  Boyce says Illinois' new Student Loan Bill of Rights should prevent many of these problems going forward.

 

 

C-E-C has closed or phased out a number of its schools, including Briarcliffe College, Brooks Institute, Brown College, Harrington College of Design, International Academy of Design and Technology, Le Cordon Bleu, Missouri College, and Sanford-Brown.

 

 

(Paxton--jc)  -- Paxton City leaders are expected to rescind an ordinance that would have given a helicopter located at the local airport to a armed services group in Vermilion County. The helicopter was believed to be abandoned by a former fixed-base-operator at the Paxton airport. After several inquiries the plan was to give the helicopter to the Westville Legion. Since that time the owner of the helicopter has come forward to claim the machine. Also on Tuesday’s agenda for the Paxton City council is a proposal for new home building incentives in the city. The Paxton City council meets at 7 Tuesday night on the second floor of city hall.

 

 

 

(Springfield--ab) --  Opponents of a proposed gas tax increase are rallying at the capitol. A group gathered in the capitol rotunda…urging lawmakers to say no to raising the motor fuel tax in Illinois. That includes Representative Allen Skillicorn of East Dundee.

 

 

No specific legislation has been introduced yet but a 20 to 30 cent per gallon hike has been suggested. supporters say the money is needed to pay for transportation projects.

 

 

Illinois is lagging behind in terms of adolescent anti-smoking campaigns WPXN News’ Austin Burklund has the story.

 

 

 

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) — For the second time in three years, the lower Mississippi River is flooding in January. High water is moving downriver from the junction with the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois, where the Ohio crested over the weekend. The river is predicted to crest at Memphis, Tennessee, on Thursday, at Vicksburg on Monday, at Natchez on Jan. 18 and at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by Jan. 20.Flooding of low-lying areas unprotected by levees will be widespread. Relatively few buildings are unprotected.  National Weather Service hydrologist Marty Pope says rainfall across the Ohio and Mississippi valleys caused the flood. Springtime is historically the river's flood season.

 

(Illinois--ba)-Illinoisans already pay among the highest gas taxes in the nation. But drivers in Illinois could be paying more taxes at the pump than any other state. WPXN’s Braedon Arnett has the story.

 

 

 

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A former Democratic leader in the Illinois House has resigned his seat. Lou Lang announced Monday that he's ending his 32-year legislative career. The 69-year-old from Skokie has joined the lobbying firm Advantage Government Strategies. Lang resigned as deputy majority leader last May when a legislative activist accused him of sexual harassment. But legislative Inspector General Julie Porter announced in September that there was insufficient proof that Lang harassed or intimidated Maryann Loncar . Porter noted at the time that Loncar did not cooperate with the investigation. Lang sponsored legislation to create Illinois' medical marijuana program. He was also a leader on legalized gambling, capital construction and more.

 

 

(Champaign--ab)  High school and home school students and their families can learn more about an early college program that could reduce the time it takes to earn an associate's degree or bachelor's degree after high school. An informational session on the Early Transfer Academy (ETA) has been set for Monday, Jan. 28 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in Room U140 of Parkland College's Student Union. College faculty and administrators will be on hand to discuss the academy, its benefits to students, and the eligibility requirements for participation.