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Car theft increases who you leave your car running to let it get warm.

(Springfield-jm) -- An 88-member task force missed a key deadline to deliver a report on how to reduce the state’s high property taxes, all but guaranteeing none of the group's recommendations will be signed into law this year.Subcommittees of the Property Tax Relief Task Force gave presentations on various focus areas as recently as Nov. 1. A similar meeting of another subcommittee is set for Friday. But the task force has yet to produce a report required by the law the governor signed to create it.

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- Rural Americans die more often from potentially preventable causes than their urban counterparts, a new government study shows. These causes include cancer, heart disease, injury, respiratory disease and stroke, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research. Between 2010 and 2017, rural counties saw a widening disparity in preventable deaths from cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease, compared to city areas. This is despite the fact that preventable cancer deaths fell to less than 10% of all nationwide deaths from cancer in 2017.Closing the gaps starts with recognizing that people in rural areas tend to be older and sicker than people in cities, the CDC said. Compared to city dwellers, rural Americans smoke more, have higher rates of obesity, report less physical activity during leisure time and are less likely to buckle up when they drive.They're also poorer, have less access to health care and are less likely to have health insurance.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- The state Senate is voting to make daylight savings time permanent in Illinois. The idea was presented to Senator Andy Manar of Bunker Hill by high school students in his district. He says they wanted to open a discussion on the subject…

 

 

State Senator Andy Manar of Bunker Hill. The bill calls for Illinoisans to set their clocks forward an hour on March 8th and leave them there. But that’s only if there is a change in federal law or Congress grants the state a waiver from the current practice. 

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- Bell ringers for the Salvation Army's Red Kettle campaign are offering more ways to give this holiday season.Rich Draeger, the director of development for the Tri-County Salvation Army based in Peoria, said that in addition to collecting coins and cash outside of stores, shoppers will now able to donate with their smartphone. Donations can be accepted using Apple Pay, Google Pay or by scanning a QR code. The annual Christmastime Red Kettle fundraising campaign is a significant part of the Salvation Army's fundraising efforts.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- Farmers continue to inch closer to the end of harvest as we hear in the weekly crop report. Less than five days were suitable for fieldwork this past week, but there was some harvest progress says Crop Statistician Mark Schleusener…

 

 

State Crop Statistician Mark Schleusener. 93 percent of wheat has been planted and 75 percent has emerged. Average statewide topsoil moisture came in at six percent short, 72 percent adequate and 22 percent surplus.

 

 

(Watseka-jm) -- A Watseka Thrivent Financial representative will be holding an informational session this week. Larry Burton will host a session on Preparing for Long Term Care on Thursday, November 14th at 6:30 pm at his office at 112 East Walnut Street in Watseka. Those interested in attending must RSVP by calling 815-432-0355.

 

 

(Paxton-jm) -- The Paxton-Buckley-Loda School District will hear an update on the demolition of Eastlawn Elementary at tonight’s school board meeting. In addition, school board members will approve the 2019 proposed tax levy and set a public hearing for the levy, consider improvements to Memorial Field, consider new courses for the 2020-2021 school year and hear a report on the districts report card from the state. The PBL School Board meeting gets underway at 6pm.

 

 

(Washington-jm) -- With a much delayed harvest for many crops and with uncooperative harvest weather, how certain can we be of USDA's latest crop production estimates? Gary Crawford reports…

 

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says they may have made a potential breakthrough in the vaping illness that has killed 39 people so far. The CDC says Vitamin E Acetate, a compound found in supplements, cosmetics and some vaping products, were detected in 29 lung tissue samples. T-H-C, the product found in marijuana, was detected in 23 samples while nicotine was found in 16 samples. The CDC does warn there may be more than one cause. So far 2,051 probable cases have been reported including 163 last week alone.

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- As cold weather season gets underway, one group is warning of the dangers of starting your car and letting it run. The America’s Transportation Research Institute says laws in some areas prohibit leaving your car run for longer than 10 minutes. The group also warns that running your car for long periods of time like that can strip your car of oil. Police say they see an increase of car thefts this time of year as a result.

 

(Springfield-jm) -- Illinois officials told lawmakers that the state isn’t doing everything it could to leverage technology to help people with developmental disabilities be independent. State human service leaders talked to an Illinois state Senate Committee about a recent trip to Missouri to study how they help developmentally disabled people to be independent.  Allison Stark with the Department of Human Services Division of Developmental Disabilities said Missouri was more “tech first,” which reduced the need for more personnel.The department estimated about 10,000 Illinoisans with disabilities that have or want independent housing options.Illinois operates under a number of court orders related to minimum standards of care for people with developmental disabilities.

 

 

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois High School Association has ended its appeal of a Cook County judge’s decision to allow Chicago Public Schools athletes to run in the state cross-country meet. The IHSA filed the appeal Nov. 4, but the appellate court decided not to rule immediately, clearing the way for the students to run last Saturday. The IHSA barred CPS runners from the competition because of the Chicago Teachers Union strike. The organization’s rules prohibit teams from postseason competition if it begins while the district is on strike.

 

(Springfield-jm) -- State officials are celebrating National Apprenticeship Week. Businesses say they can’t develop talent pools fast enough to meet with employment demands, and job seekers say many companies are looking for very specific skills…

 

 

Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Erin Gutherie says employers looking to start an apprenticeship program and workers hoping to enter one can visit apprenticeship illinois dot com for more information. 

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- New research shows more women are pursuing tech careers. The survey shows a 200 percent increase in women applying for data engineering positions. Out of 100,000 women surveyed, more than a third didn’t have STEM related subjects. More than half however, had technical skills such as coding.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- The Illinois Department of Agriculture is hosting a hemp summit next month to answer questions and address concerns about the new industry. The department’s Bureau Chief for Medicinal Plants Jeff Cox says the summit will give farmers an opportunity to discuss the inaugural hemp growing season and more... 

 

 

Illinois Department of Agriculture Bureau Chief for Medicinal Plants Jeff Cox.  Attendees will also hear from hemp processors and a presentation on market dynamics. Registration is 25 dollars and includes lunch. Visit the Department of Agriculture’s website for more information. 

 

 

(Sibley-jm) -- Sibley has approved a new contract with the Ford County Sheriff’s Office. The village will pay $8,948 for patrol service. The payment will be divided into two payments.

 

 

(Buckley-jm) -- The village of Buckley has repaired their street sweeper. Last month, village trustees voted to fix the street sweeper instead of selling it. Residents can have their leaves picked up by the street sweeper by putting their leaves on the curb line.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- Farmers continue to inch closer to the end of the harvest season as we hear in the weekly crop report. 71 percent of corn and 87 percent of soybeans have now been harvested, still well behind the average pace. Farmers are a little ahead when it comes to wheat planting, with 93 percent of acres now planted says crop statistician Mark Schleusener…

 

 

State Crop Statistician Mark Schleusener. Average statewide topsoil moisture came in at six percent short, 72 percent adequate and 22 percent surplus.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- A group that advocates for public education in Illinois released a report indicating the state has made some progress in improving educational outcomes over the past five years, but it still has a long way to go to achieve the goal of having 60 percent of all adults attaining some kind of college-level degree or certificate by 2025. According to the Illinois State Board of Education, only 26 percent of 5-year-old children in Illinois showed the social, emotional and academic skills needed to start kindergarten. In other areas, Illinois made slight improvement over the five-year period. For example, 35 percent of fourth-grade students in 2018 met or exceeded state standards for reading skills, a key indicator of a student’s future risk of failing or dropping out of school. But there were fewer students demonstrating mastery of eighth-grade math skills 32 percent in 2018, down from 36 percent in 2013.Postsecondary enrollment among high school graduates rose during the period 53 percent in 2018.

 

 

(Washington-jm) -- A Congressman from Illinois who announced earlier this year he will be retiring at the end of his term may be reconsidering that decision. Politico is reporting Oregon Congressman Greg Walden may retire in 2021. He is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the same committee Illinois Congressman John Shimkus serves on. Shimkus could be in line to become chair of the committee.

 

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