(Washington--jc) -- Several Farm Service Agency offices will reopen temporarily this week after being open two days last week. Despite the partial government shutdown and the the F-S-A offices being close, Ag Secretary Sonny Purdue has called back some employees to open for several days. This is to help with loans from the agency for ag professionals. Among the offices open on Tuesday includes the Farm Service Agency office in Champaign. Tuesday will be the only scheduled open day for area F-S-A offices until the government shutdown is over.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — The University of Illinois is reviewing its policy on consensual relationships between students and faculty members after a law professor's study found the current policy to be lacking. Jamelle Sharpe characterized UI's policies as anti-nepotism rules rather than specifically addressing faculty-student relationships. He examined policies at 64 schools in the Big Ten and the Association of American Universities. Like many other schools, UI's policy focuses on conflicts of interest according to Sharpe. More than 50 universities ban relationships between students and faculty members who supervise them, but Illinois' policy is unclear.UI's Student Code policy on faculty-student relationships focuses on sexual relationships and has ambiguous language that could cause enforcement inconsistencies. The university's Campus Administrative Manual also addresses faculty-student relationships, but only applies to students who are employees.
CHICAGO (AP) — The city of Chicago is inviting residents to weigh in on the lead architect and design for O'Hare Airport's new global terminal. The city unveiled renderings and models from five architecture finalists. The public is encouraged to view them online or the airport. People have until Wednesday to vote for their pick. The Chicago Department of Aviation said more than 10,000 votes had been submitted as of late Friday.It's the first time the city has included public feedback in a design competition at a Chicago airport.
Governor J-B Pritzker says more needs to be done to fight gun violence in Illinois. The governor just signed a gun dealer licensing law…but says other gun control measures are still needed.
Pritzker says he think lawmakers will tackle that issue during the spring session. He also wants to address assault weapons but says that might not get done this year.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Future Parkland College graduates will be able to place an additional credential on their college resumes before leaving with their degrees, without spending more to earn it. The Parkland College Board of Trustees approved the school's new General Education Core Curriculum Certificate. It is incorporated into the credential the state's basic general education requirements for college freshmen and sophomores.
(Rantoul--jc) The date is Saturday February Second. The place is the Youth Center in Rantoul. The event is a father and daughter dance. The Rantoul Recreation Department is hosting the 3rd annual event. Along with dancing, refreshments and fun are also part of the event. There is a 5 dollar per person fee and those tickets will be available at the door on February 2nd.
(Undated--jc) --Amtrak says it expects to have all of its trains back on a full schedule today after a weekend of cancellations and delays caused by the winter storm as it rolled through the Midwest and Northeast. Among the lines impacted were the Acela Express between Boston and Washington; Empire Service between New York and Buffalo; the Lake Shore Limited that travels between Chicago, New York and Boston; and Keystone Service between New York, Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Amtrak says travelers should continue to check on their train status on the Amtrak website or smartphone app before leaving for the station.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s 90th birthday anniversary today. Actor Reggie Guyton (GYE'-tun) will read King's "I Have a Dream" speech at 10:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. in the museum's main plaza. King originally delivered the oration at the Lincoln Memorial during the 1963 civil rights March on Washington. The library and museum celebrates King's birthday each year by allowing free admission to community service nonprofits who register in advance.
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) — Illinois State University is to receive $9.6 million in state money to pay for emergency repairs to its fine arts buildings.Former Governor Bruce Rauner released the funds. ISU media relations director Eric Jome says the money will be used for heating, air conditioning, ventilation work and plumbing repairs. Jome called the funding "a nice end-of-term infusion."
ISU has been waiting a decade for nearly $62 million in state money to tear down the school's Center for the Visual Arts and Centennial West and build a facility next to Centennial East, where the School of Music and other arts facilities are located. Centennial East would undergo extensive renovations under that project. Jome says the school remains hopeful for that money to be released.
URBANA, Ill. (AP) — A central Illinois police department is about to roll out new body cameras. The Urbana Police Department has purchased a system that includes 14 squad-car cameras and two interview-room surveillance cameras, as well as 60 cameras to be worn by officers.
(Kankakee--jc) --Kankakee County crimestoppers were seeking information about an inmate at the Jerome Combs Detention Center in Kankakee that was inadvertently released on Friday afternoon. Police are seeking 41 year old Anees Ussami. He was dropped off in Kankakee with another inmate. If seen, you are asked not to approach Usami but call local police or Kankakee County Crimestoppers at 815-932-7463.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Two of three militia members accused of bombing a Minnesota mosque have hearings scheduled this week in federal court to change their pleas.Online court records show hearings for Michael McWhorter and Joe Morris on Jan. 24. The two men, along with Michael Hari, are accused of driving from Clarence, Illinois, in August 2017 and attacking Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center. McWhorter allegedly said the men did it to scare Muslims from the country.McWhorter and Morris have pleaded not guilty to federal hate crime charges. A change of plea hearing typically means that the defendants plan to enter a guilty plea before the court.McWhorter's and Morris' cases have been combined in Minnesota, while Hari's cases remain separate.
(Urbana--jc) Bond was set at 1 million dollars for a Rantoul man arrested on Friday in the village for possession of suspected methamphetamine,cannabis, heroin and guns. 48 year old Carlos Mendoza was arrested on Friday in Rantoul by the Champaign County Street Crimes Task Force Mendoza is expected to be formally charged today in Champaign County court.
(Springfield--jc) -- A change in Illinois education law removed a minimum instructional hour requirement, effectively allowing school districts to define what a school day means.The change comes in conjunction with the removal of an option that allows schools to “bank” extra hours to shorten the overall school year.Although Illinois law still requires 176 days of instruction during a school year, a previous statute allowed schools to “bank” time from school days that had more than the minimum of five instructional hours. These banked hours could then be applied to other days to allow for events like parent-teacher conferences.The statute change essentially adds two days of instruction to Illinois schools, although the number of days on the calendar stays the same.
