(Cheneyville--jc)  State Police along with Vermilion County authorities continue to investigate a fatal car accident that occurred east of Hoopeston near Cheneyville on Monday evening. Police believe that 36 year old Migel Vera of San Benito Texas  lost control of his vehicle on Route 9. A passenger in the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. 

(Paxton-jm) -- The Paxton-Buckley-Loda School Board approved an area church as a rally point in the case of an emergency. Should Clara Peterson ever need to evacuate, children would be sent to First Lutheran Church after the board approved the church as the evacuation location at their August meeting.

(Paxton-jm) -- The 2019 Paxton Swine n Dine is less than a month away. This year’s event takes place on Saturday, September 21st in downtown Paxton. Paxton Area Chamber of Commerce President Alan Meyer says talks about the different categories you can enter in…

Paxton Area Chamber of Commerce President Alan Meyer. Other activities include food vendors, kids inflatables, a DJ, remote control cars for kids, a bags tournament. Capping off the evening is country music superstar Jerrod Nieman. WPXN will host its on the sidelines show downtown that morning.

(Rantoul--jc)  -- Punkin’ Chuckin’ is coming to the Rantoul airport the first three days of November. Weekend passes are currently on sale now for only $20 until the end of August. They will be $30 starting September 1st. Children 10 & under are free.  The national organization choose the Rantoul site for its annual competition. Between 10 and 20 thousand people are expected to come to the Rantoul area from around the United States and several other countries for the event.

(Springfield-jm) -- A new state law promotes diversity on corporate boards in Illinois. Under the law, publicly-traded companies that are headquartered in Illinois must submit an annual report about how many women and minorities have a seat at the table. Representative Chris Welch of Hillside says the University of Illinois will then analyze the data and issue reports and a rating system for businesses about corporate board diversity…

State Representative Chris Welch of Hillside. The first report from the U of I is expected in 2021.

(Loda-jm) -- A pair of homes in the Iroquois County village of Loda could be coming down. The village recently received authority to tear down the homes. Bids could be sought for the project as early as the September village board meeting.

(Paxton-jm) -- Paxton police have released their recent activity. On August 16th, Lisa Latham of Melvin was arrested on a Ford County warrant. On August 20th, Joshua Wright of Paxton was arrested on a Ford County warrant for failure to appear. On August 24th, Reginold Dixon of Loda was arrested for driving with a revoked driver's license and obstructing identification and ticketed for operating an uninsured motor vehicle and operating a motor vehicle with no rear registration lamp following a traffic stop at Railroad and Franklin. Dixon’s passenger, Cheyenne Morano of Loda was also arrested for obstructing identification.

(Paxton--jc) Officials with the Iroquois West Booster Club invite sports fans to Hometown Hero Night on Friday September 13th. The Paxton Buckley Loda Panthers take on the Iroquois West Raiders that night at John Boma Field at Iroquois West High School in Gilman. The booster club is selling T-Shirts that show the American flag along with the logos of the two schools. T-Shirts are 15 dollars each. Orders may be made by contacting the Iroquois West Booster club or the PBL Booster Club and are due by September 6th. WPXN will be carrying the game live on radio that night. 

(Kankakee--jc) --  A Kankakee man has been charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, resisting a police officer and aggravated battery stemming from an incident early Sunday morning along Interstate 57 in Kankakee County. Police say 31 year old Darrell Catchings of Kankakee was walking along the interstate early Sunday morning. Upon investigation, several guns were found on the subject. He appeared in court yesterday.

(Washington-jm) -- Several agricultural commodity groups are excited about export prospects to a major market now that a trade agreement in principle has been reached between the U.S. and Japan. Rod Bain reports…

 (Champaign-jm) -- A popular store in MarketPlace Mall in Champaign is moving. Old Navy will move from their current spot in the former Bergeners wing over to the Dick’s wing. The move isn’t expected to happen until after Thanksgiving. The current location will remain open until the new spot is ready. Old Navy isn’t the only store moving at MarketPlace Mall. Lenscrafters is also moving to the Dick’s wing.

(Pontiac-jm) -- The 71st annual Central States Threshermans Reunion gets underway tomorrow and runs through Labor Day in Pontiac. President Dave Herz talks about this years featured tractors…

Central States Threshermans Reunion President Dave Herz.

CHICAGO (AP) — A Muslim civil rights group says an Illinois driver's license rule violates religious rights The Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations filed a federal lawsuit this week challenging the rule that requires anyone wearing a religious head covering while taking a driver's license photo to sign a form saying they may lose their license if they're later seen in public not wearing it.

(Springfield-jm) -- A new state law aims to better protect students from sexual abuse at school. The law changes how students are questioned after making a report of harassment or abuse, so that they don’t feel intimidated. It also requires schools to review their policies for handling these cases and to report when a teacher is convicted of certain crimes to the State Board of Education says Assistant General Counsel Angie Brancato…

State Board of Education Assistant General Counsel Angie Brancato. The changes were prompted by a series of reports by the Chicago Tribune, detailing the abuse of students in Chicago Public Schools.

(Decatur--jc) The 20-19 Farm Progress Show is on-going through Thursday in Decatur. Illinois State Police are advising that  Illinois Route 48 from Interstate 72 to Mound Road in Decatur will experience heavy traffic today through Thursday. Expect traffic delays from 6am-10am in this area for these three days.  Troopers are manually operating the traffic lights at various locations around the Farm Progress Show. Unless you are coming to the show it is highly encouraged you find an alternate route.

(Ashkum--jc)  -- Illinois State Police in Ashkum have released details on a roadside safety check detail in Kankakee County from over the weekend. District 21 Commander, Captain Don Aaron Harsey says during the safety check, 9 insurance violations were handed out, along with 5 driver’s license offenses and 2 alcohol violations. The safety check was held from late Saturday night into early Sunday morning in Bradley.

Champaign, Ill. - Eastern Illinois Foodbank  will honor its community partners at a Partner Recognition Event sponsored by the East Central Illinois Building & Construction Trades Council. The annual event will take place on Thursday, September 5th,  at the I Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign from 5pm – 7pm. The event will feature awards given to the foodbank’s community partners that have contributed to its mission over the last fiscal year. Eastern Illinois Foodbank provides food to agencies such as food pantries, soup kitchens, snack programs and shelters throughout the area.

(Paxton-dg)-Hardee’s restaurant in Paxton has some new specials. Store Manager Mike McDonald talks about those specials. 

He goes on to talk about the discounts for all teachers, staff and students.

Hardees’s in Paxton Manager Mike McDonald

(Washington-jm) -- There are signs of new optimism for a trade agreement with China. Gary Crawford reports…