SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois lawmaker has proposed legislation that aims to provide a more comprehensive definition of consent for sex education classes in the state. The State Journal-Register reports that the bill defines consent as "a freely given agreement to sexual activity." The bill directs schools to use the definition when discussing consent, since current state law doesn't offer a specific definition. Advocates say the more detailed definition will help students better understand boundaries.
(Undated--jc) --California and several other Democratic-led states have announced they are challenging the Trump administration's effort to set up obstacles for women seeking abortions. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Monday that the state filed a federal lawsuit aiming to block a new family planning rule from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. The rule bars taxpayer-funded family planning clinics from referring patients to abortion providers. Illinois is among the states in the democratic challenge.
(Undated--jc) -- A top U.S. regulator wants to meet with Walgreens leaders to discuss whether the drugstore chain has a problem with illegal tobacco sales to minors.Scott Gottlieb of the Food and Drug Administration said Monday Walgreens is a top violator among drugstores that sell tobacco products including cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes. He says inspectors have found nearly 1,800 instances since 2010 in which one of the company's stores violated the law.Deerfield, Illinois-based Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. runs more than 9,500 U.S. drugstores.
(Rantoul--jc) -- Rantoul Park Board officials are in the process of getting bids for a multi-purpose court that could be built in Wabash Park. The local board may issue around 120 thousand dollars in bonds for the proposed project. The project has received support from Rantoul City Schools and the local Rotary club. The subject is expected to be a topic this month for the Rantoul Park board.
(Rantoul-dg)-The Rantoul Chamber of Commerce along with the Rantoul Historical Society dedicated a new roof Monday afternoon that was recently added to the Historical Society building. The Historical building houses the treasures of the past of the village of Rantoul. This was accomplished with the help of State Senator Scott Bennett of Rantoul, Former State Representative Chad Hays, and a grant from Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. Senator Bennett and Representative Mike Marron were in attendance.
(Springfield--ab) 11 Illinois State Troopers have been hit by passing motorists so far this year. The latest incident occurred this weekend when a trooper was struck in his squad car in montgomery county. Back in january a trooper was killed at the scene of a roadside accident. State police spokesperson Mindy Carroll says it’s a dangerous situation on the side of the road.
State Police Spokesperson Mindy Carroll
Motorists are reminded about the state’s “move-over” law, requiring them to slow down, move over if possible and be alert when any vehicle is stopped on the side of the road.
(Springfield--ab) The Illinois state government is looking into legalizing recreational use of Marijuana. 104th District State Representative Mike Marron, a Republican from Fithian has concerns ...
104th District State Representative Mike Marron of Fithian.
(Gibson City--jc) The Ford County Soil and Water Conservation District is sponsoring a household hazardous waste recycling project later this month in Gibson City. The March 23rd event takes place at 115 South Sangamon Avenue in the city from 8am until 3pm. Among items that can be recycled include used oil, antifreeze, pool chemicals and medicines. The event is also sponsored by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.
(Paxton--jc) -- The Paxton Area Chamber of Commerce annual meeting is set for next month. Engelbrecht Farms is the venue for Tuesday April 16th. Happy Hour begins at 5 to start the evening’s festivities.
(Springfield--jc) As Governor. J.B. Pritzker prepares for talks with legislative leaders about possible tax rates and income levels for a progressive income tax in Illinois, a pro-business group is calling for those discussions to be done in public. The group says the governor dodged questions on the campaign trail about where he wanted the rates to be, but said he'd like to see tax cuts for middle class and tax increases for the wealthy. The governor says he's now ready to negotiate rates with legislative leaders. Governor Pritzker says the first step is for conversations with leadership about rate structure, for the graduated income tax, and a fair tax system. Greg Baise, the leader of Ideas Illinois, a group formed to oppose a graduated income tax system in the state, said any such negotiations should be done in the open, especially around tax time.
(Undated--jc) Representatives of Illinois’ villages, towns and cities are confident that municipalities will be able to get more state tax money with newly-installed Democratic supermajorities and a Democrat in the governor’s office. The Illinois Municipal League announced Monday a list of changes the group wants to usher through in Springfield. Chief among them is raising the percentage of state tax revenue municipalities get from the Local Government Distributive Fund which had been reduced in recent years. I-M-L Executive Director Brad Cole said the group has seen support for that among Democrats in the General Assembly and think freshman Governor J.B. Pritzker also will be receptive.
(Springfield--ab) The Illinois Department of Human Services is a launching a new website for those fighting gambling addiction. The website: we-know-the-feeling-dot-org, compliments the existing 1-800-gambler hotline, and offers treatment and recovery options says D-H-S’ Dani Kirby...
Illinois Department of Human Services Spokesperson Dani Kirby
(Springfield--jc) Country group “Old Dominion” is joining the Illinois State Fair Grandstand lineup. The group will play on Thursday August 15th says Illinois State Fair Spokesperson Morgan Booth…
Illinois State Fair Spokesperson Morgan Booth
(Springfield--jc)Many public employees in Illinois are able to save up rolled-over sick days to boost retirement payouts, but lawmakers are moving ahead with legislation that would keep officials from being blindsided by those costs.The amount that a public pensioner in Illinois receives in retirement is based on their pay in the last years of their career in public service. It’s become common for some workers to save up sick days and cash them out in this window to boost their annual pay, thus boosting their retirement pay as well.State Rep. David McSweeney’s legislation, which was unanimously approved by a committee, wouldn’t ban the practice, but it would require many of the workers to disclose how many sick says they’re holding onto. The state's constitution prohibits the diminishment for pension benefits
(Springfield--jc) -- Illinois State Treasurer Mike Frerichs’ office is touting the success of the Secure Choice Retirement program. About 9 thousand people have opened accounts, saving more than 1 million dollars to date. State Treasurer Frerichs says secure choice is for people who don’t have a retirement savings option at work..
State Treasurer Mike Frerichs.
(Woodworth--jc) --The Iroquois County Republican Central Committee’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner has been set for 6 p.m. Thursday, March 14. This year’s event will again take place at St. Paul’s Lutheran School in Woodworth. Tickets for this year’s event are available from any precinct committeeman, or by calling 815-278-1513. St. Paul’s Lutheran Parent/Teacher League will decorate and prepare the meal The featured speaker will be Peter Breen, a former State Representative who currently serves as a lawyer with Thomas Moore Society, a non-profit law firm which focuses on the defense of First Amendment rights.
(Undated--jc) There is some more snow in the forecast, as most in the area are looking for spring like weather as soon as possible. With the warmer weather, local cities and towns will look at road repair and pot hole repair. The extreme temperatures, large amounts of snow and temperature changes have caused many potholes and road issues. Road crews will be out in road repair in many area cities and towns, when the weather becomes more stable. We will hear from Doug Quick about the latest forecast, following this newscast this morning. WPXN news invites you to show us your local road pot holes, and e-mail a picture to news-at-WPXN-radio-dot-com. We will post the results on our website.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Gov. J.B. Pritzker has named leaders in three cabinet-level agencies.The Democrat announced the appointments Monday. Paula Basta will be director of the Department on Aging. The governor tabbed Ron Guerrier as chief information officer for the Department of Innovation and Technology. And the director of the Department of Insurance will be Robert Muriel. Basta has been a strong advocate for seniors and LGBT rights. She is director of senior services for the Chicago Housing Authority and teaches at Loyola University.Guerrier has more than two decades' experience in information technology in the private sector. He last served as CIO for Express Scripts, a pharmacy benefit manager.Muriel is a trial lawyer specializing in civil and commercial litigation. It includes insurance, bad-faith claims, financial fraud and more.
