(Springfield-jm) -- Governor J-B Pritzker says when it comes to COVID-19, things are not moving in the right direction. The State Department of Public Health is announcing more than 12 hundred new cases, marking the sixth day in a row that daily new infections have surpassed one thousand. Governor Pritzker says people need to wear a mask and get used to it…
Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. The seven day statewide positivity rate is now three point eight percent, although some regions are higher. Over 74 hundred Coronavirus patients have died.
(Undated-jm) -- Locally, Livingston County reported 7 new cases bringing their total number to 76. McLean County reported 18 new cases bringing their total to 461. Vermilion County reported 5 new cases bringing their total to 146. Kankakee County reported 27 new cases bringing their total to 1,681. Iroquois County reported 10 new cases bringing their total to 220. Champaign County reported 32 new cases bringing their total to 1,312. Ford County reported no new cases.
(Undated-jm) -- According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, 228 cases have been in Rantoul, 76 in Mahomet, 56 in Clifton, 36 in Gilman, 30 in Fisher, 27 in Watseka, 22 each in Chebanse and St. Joseph, 20 in Hoopeston, 18 in Onarga, 14 in Ashkum, 11 each in Paxton and Gibson City, 8 in Danforth, 7 each in Ludlow, Foosland and Crescent City, 6 in Milford, 5 in Thomasboro, 3 in Dewey, 2 in Gifford and 1 each in Penfield and Ogden.
(Springfield-jm) -- The next time an unfamiliar number pops up on your phone, Governor J-B Pritzker says you might want to take the call. An important component in the fight against COVID-19 is contact tracing, where those who have been around someone who has recently tested positive are notified that they may have been exposed says Governor Pritzker…
Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. If you are contacted, the caller will discuss the potential risk and ask you to self quarantine for 14 days.
(Urbana-jm) -- OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana has been designated one of Newsweeks Best Maternity Care Hospitals in the nation. The hospital also received an A rating from Leapfrog, a national watchdog organization for patient safety.
(Washington-jm) -- Condition ratings for corn and soybeans look much better than they did the same time last year. Stephanie Ho reports…
(Champaign County-jm) -- Home sales were up in June in Champaign County. According to the Champaign County Area Association of Realtors, home sales jumped 10 percent from 344 in June of 2019 to 379 in June 2020. The median price also rose in June. In 2019 it was $164,000. June 2020 that number rose to $174,500. That’s a 6.4 percent increase. Year to date totals are down slightly this year compared to last year. In 2019 1,371 homes had sold. This year that number is 1,366.
(Rantoul-cf)-- As back to school time gets closer, this year will look a lot different for all schools in the area. Rantoul City Schools is offering two plans due to the pandemic. The first is a hybrid plan that students will be in class two days per week, and the other three will be online, says Rantoul City Schools Superintendent Michelle Ramage…
Rantoul City Schools Superintendent Michelle Ramage.
(Paxton-jm) -- Paxton police have released their recent activity report. On July 26th, Stephanie Dorrough of Paxton was arrested on a Champaign County warrant. Also on July 26th, Jacob Schultz of Paxton was arrested for domestic battery after an alleged incident with a family member. On July 24th, Rickie Kingery of Paxton was arrested for domestic battery, aggravated battery and criminal damage to property. Kingery allegedly committed domestic battery against a family member, then battered a responding paramedic. Also on July 24th, Ryan Mullett of Paxton was arrested on a Champaign County warrant following a fight in progress at Village Pantry. On July 21st, Harrington Matherne of Penfield was arrested on a Champaign County warrant.
(Undated-jm) -- As for local active and recovered cases, 61 have been removed from isolation and 13 active cases are being reported in Livingston County. In McLean County, 387 have been released from isolation, 61 are in isolation with 3 hospitalized. 117 have recovered in Vermilion County with 26 in isolation and 1 hospitalized. In Kankakee County, 1,190 have recovered, 426 cases are active and 8 are hospitalized. 181 have been released from isolation in Iroquois County, 26 remain in isolation with 6 hospitalized. In Champaign County, 1,117 have recovered, 177 cases remain active and 12 are hospitalized. 40 have been released from isolation in Ford County, with 5 remaining in isolation.
(Undated-jm) -- 5 new COVID-19 deaths were reported locally. 2 additional deaths each were reported in Kankakee and Iroquois Counties bringing their totals to 65 and 7 respectively. Champaign County also reported a new death bringing their total to 18.
(Springfield-jm) -- Amid the ongoing criminal investigation into House Speaker Michael Madigan, more subpoenas are being issued. The Speaker was implicated in a bribery scheme involving utility giant Commonwealth Edison and now subpoenas are being issued for his involvement with AT&T. Many Republicans are calling on Madigan to resign and for the state to pass ethics reform including 106th District State Representative Tom Bennett of Gibson City…
106th District State Representative Tom Bennett of Gibson City.
(Champaign-jm) -- The liquidation sale at the Salvation Army Thrift Store in Champaign has begun. The store announced earlier this month they will be closing their store on Market Street in Champaign near Marketplace Mall. The sale began yesterday and will continue until August 8th.
(Paxton-jm) -- The Paxton Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a raffle to replace the annual Swine n Dine event set for September. Chamber President Alan Meyer tickets are going fast…
Paxton Area Chamber of Commerce President Alan Meyer.
(Ford County-jm) -- Ford County’s final property assessment equalization factor has been released. According to the Illinois Department of Revenue, the factor, or multiplier if 1.0240. The multiplier is used to achieve uniform property assessments. Assessments are set at 32.55 percent of market value based on sales in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
(Springfield-jm) -- The unemployment rate was up in all 14 metro areas in June. The state’s unemployment rate came in at 14.6 percent. Locally, in Champaign County the rate rose from 3.9 percent in June 2019 to 16.4 percent in June 2020. In Ford County that number rose from 4 percent to 9.5 percent. In Vermilion County, it rose from 4.8 percent to 12.3 percent. In Iroquois County, it rose from 3.3 percent to 7.8 percent. The national unemployment rate for June was 11.2 percent.
