SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Gov. J.B. Pritzker has issued a disaster proclamation ahead of forecast double-digit subzero temperatures in Illinois, calling the weather "potentially historic."...

 

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker

The National Weather Service says the frigid weather is life threatening and temperature records going back to the late 1800s could fall.

 

 

(Rantoul--ab) The extreme cold has closed schools and businesses and lots of events today. Some people still are heading to work today. For those working or traveling,  Rantoul Police Department Lieutenant Justin Bouse says you should keep vital supplies in the car...

 

 

Rantoul Police Department Lieutenant Justin Bouse

 

 

(Rantoul--ab) The Cold weather can wreak havoc on a residents water pipes if not careful. Rantoul Public Works Departments Jake McCoy says there are remedies, should your pipes freeze...

 

 

Rantoul Public Works Departments Jake McCoy

 

 

(Ford County--jc)  Bond was set at 20 thousand dollars for a Ford County woman accused of stealing a vehicle owned by a doctor at Gibson Area Hospital.  A car was stolen at the hospital early Sunday. Police say they arrested 28 year old Kristy Miller of Gibson City on Monday. A conviction on the Class 2 felony carries a sentence of probation to 7 years in prison.

 

(Rantoul--jc)  Rantoul Fire Department officials say a cigarette could be the cause of a fire at the Rantoul Wal-Mart on Tuesday morning. Rantoul Firefighters along with help from the Thomasboro firefighters, were called to the Rantoul Wal-Mart just before 8 Tuesday morning. Several cardboard boxes were on fire. Officials say there was nothing malicious about the blaze. The building was not damaged and the property damage was limited to the boxes and pallets.

 

(Paxton--ab) The human body is one of the last things people think about when dealing with cold temperatures. Its always the car, the home, the furnace that  seem to come first. Paxton Clinic Doctor Richard Foellner says no skin should be exposed in these cold temperatures we have today into Thursday....

 

 

 

He says the key to thawing out frostbite is to make sure the person is in continuous warmth to take care of the frostbite...

 

 

Paxton Clinic Doctor Richard Foellner

 

 

CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago newspaper is reporting that a federal affidavit says the FBI secretly recorded Illinois' powerful House speaker in 2014 discussing a hotel development project. Tuesday's Chicago Sun-Times' report on Michael Madigan suggests a federal investigation may cast a wider net than first thought after it led to a charge earlier this month against another Chicago alderman, Ed Burke. A Madigan lawyer denied any wrongdoing and said they have no indication Madigan is under investigation.

 

 

 

(Paxton--jc)  Warming Centers are being opened in places like Kankakee, Danville and Champaign Urbana. In the Ford County city of Paxton the local E-M-A is putting its office space for use as a warming center. The center is open now through Thursday morning at 8 says Paxton E-M-A Director Ed Hanson…

 

Paxton E-M-A Director Ed Hanson

 

(Iroquois County--jc) In Iroquois County, for local residents whose homes cannot keep up with the cold temperatures, the following warming centers are opening:

Watseka Public Library  Watseka. Today, & Thursday, 10 AM- 2pm  

Trinity Church  Watseka. Today & Thursday, 9 AM to 5 PM.

Crescent City Community Center today, Thursday, 7 AM to 9 PM.  

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Gilman. To, & Thursday, 8 AM to 5 PM.

Church of Christ in Martinton. Now through Friday morning, 24/7.  

United Methodist Church in Loda. today & Thursday, 10 AM to 5 PM.  

Milford Christian Church  in Milford. Today & Thursday, 7 AM to 7 PM.

Creekside Community Center in Cissna Park. Today & Thursday, 4:30 AM to 9 PM.

These warming shelters are open to anyone who needs a place to get warm.

 

(Undated--jc)  -- Winter's sharpest bite in years moved past painful into life-threatening territory yesterday with worse conditions this morning. Local city and town officials, school leaders and businesses are closing their doors today. Some businesses are open to help to deal with the cold and groceries. The Midwest Ag Expo is going on today and WPXN will be broadcasting live this morning and afternoon at the two day event at Gordyville USA near Gifford. Warming Centers are available throughout the WPXN listening area. Head to our facebook page or wpxnradio-dot-com for more information.

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The bitter weather striking much of the Midwest this week isn't stopping one of America's most formidable endurance tests. The Arrowhead 135 is going on as scheduled in Minnesota. It's a 135-mile race that competitors cover by bicycle, cross-country skis or on foot. Race director Ken Krueger says this is one of the top three coldest years in the race's 15-year history. But he says the people who enter "want a hard race."

 

 

(Springfield--jc)  A freshman Illinois lawmaker wants to allow public schools to publicly display the motto “In God We Trust,” something church-state separation advocates say alienates nonreligious students.One of the first bills Louisville Republican state Representative Darrin Bailey filed after taking office was House Bill 341, which says a school board can allow the national motto “In God We Trust” to be conspicuously posted on school grounds. Bailey says the current political climate shows a need for a return to Christian principles.

 

(Washington--jc)  What are the weather dangers for winter wheat? Stephanie Ho has the story…

 

 

(Paxton--ab) The furnace is another key appliance to the home in these below zero wind chills. Dogtown Heating and Cooling of Paxton’s  Jeremy Kopmann says the key is to leave it on at a steady temperature...

 

 

Dogtown Heating and Cooling of Paxton’s Jeremy Kopmann

 

(Paxton--jc)  -- The Ford County meeting set to discuss windmills and windfarms is being delayed by one day. The Ford County Zoning committee was scheduled to meet Thursday morning at 9 at the courthouse in Paxton. That Meeting is not on Friday at 9am. The public is invited to the meeting.

 

 

(Springfield--jc)  --Illinois lawmakers accidentally left a requirement for a minimum number of hours in the classroom out of last year's education overhaul and now Democrats and teachers unions are racing to put it back.Illinois school kids are required to be in school for 176 days. But, because of an oversight in last year's education reforms, there's no set number of hours for those days.Some schools are using the new-found flexibility to let students learn from home on snow days or enroll in an apprenticeship.

 

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Predicted severe weather conditions have forced the Illinois House to cancel sessions the rest of the week. The House met Tuesday and adopted rules for the 101st General Assembly and adopted plans to receive Governor  J.B. Pritzker's budget plans in an address scheduled for next month. The House calendar called for sessions on today and Thursday

 

 

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says state employees will be placed on the correct step of the state pay plan on April 1. The reinstatement of long-postponed, experience-based salary increases is expected to affect about 20,000 state workers represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Step increases, required by state law, are paid to employees in their first eight to 10 years who, as a savings to state government, start at below-market rates.