(Springfield-jm) -- The Illinois State Police is announcing a new Sexual Assault Kit tracking system. It’s called Checkpoint, and lets survivors monitor the progress of evidence collected after the attack says ISP Biology Program Manager Brenda Danosky…
Illinois State Police Biology Program Manager Brenda Danosky. Access to the Checkpoint System will be limited with unique case numbers and passwords only available to survivors and law enforcement.
(Springfield-jm) -- The Illinois Department of Insurance helped Illinois life insurance holders collect more than $5 million in unclaimed funds. Millions of dollars in benefits go unclaimed every year. State law requires insurance companies to attempt to find the beneficiaries of deceased policyholders. To see if you are a beneficiary to an unclaimed life insurance policy visit the Illinois Department of Insurance’s website.
(Springfield-jm) -- October is Infant Safe Sleep Awareness Month and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services reminds parents of the ABC’s of safe sleep. Unsafe sleep is the leading cause of death in infants younger than one. DCFS officials say a baby should sleep Alone, on his or her Back in a safe Crib. They remind parents that cribs should have a firm mattress with a tight fitted sheet with no blankets, pillows, bumper pads, stuffed animals or toys. In 2019, 108 infants under the age of 1 died because of unsafe sleep.
(Springfield-jm) -- The Illinois Department of Public Health is issuing COVID-19 Halloween guidelines. Halloween is a go, but it might look a little different this year says Public Health Director Dr Ngozi Ezike...
Illinois Public Health Director Dr Ngozi Ezike. Ezike says if you plan on handing out candy to kids you should wear a mask and that a cloth mask should be worn under a Halloween mask. Indoor haunted houses are not allowed but open air haunted trails are ok.
(Undated-jm) -- The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,273 new Coronavirus cases and 35 additional deaths Wednesday bringing the state’s total number of cases to 293,274 and deaths to 8,672. Locally, McLean County reported 3 new cases bringing their total to 3,301. Champaign County reported 46 new cases and 1 additional death bringing their total number of cases to 4,737 and deaths to 21. Livingston County reported 8 new cases and 1 additional death bringing their total number of cases to 435 and deaths to 7. Ford County reported 4 new cases bringing their total to 164. Kankakee County reported 15 new cases bringing their total to 2,795. Iroquois County reported 2 new cases bringing their total to 406. Vermilion County reported 27 new cases bringing their total to 700.
(Undated-jm) -- As for cases in area communities per the Illinois Department of Public Health and local health departments...312 cases in Rantoul, 170 in Mahomet, 92 in St. Joseph, 79 in Gilman, 64 in Clifton, 56 in Watseka, 48 in Paxton, 44 in Chebanse, 39 in Fairbury, 37 in Hoopeston, 36 in Fisher, 31 in Onarga, 28 in Gibson City, 23 in Forrest, 20 in Potomac, 18 in Cissna Park, 15 in Thomasboro, 14 in Ashkum, 13 each in Milford and Rossville, 12 each in Gifford and Danforth, 10 each in Piper City and Crescent City, 9 each in Foosland and Donovan, 8 each in Martinton, Saybrook and Cabery, 7 each in Buckley and Bellflower, 6 each in Loda, Ludlow, Beaverville and Cullom, 5 in Dewey and 2 in Penfield.
(Paxton-jm) -- The 2nd annual Wine and Chocolate Walk sponsored by the Paxton Area Chamber of Commerce is set for this Saturday from 11 to 4. Chamber President Alan Meyer talks about the walk…
Paxton Area Chamber of Commerce President Alan Meyer. Meyer says 18 businesses are participating. A shuttle will be available to take you to the businesses. Meyer also reminds those participating to social distance and wear a mask.
(Fisher-jm) -- The Fisher school district is announcing dates for juniors and seniors to take the SAT and PSAT tests. Seniors can take the SAT and juniors can take the PSAT on Wednesday, October 14th.
(Champaign-jm) -- Organizers of the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon are hitting pause on registration for the 2021 race. Race organizers cite the continued Coronavirus pandemic and the need for a vaccine to be available for the race to take place the weekend of April 29th. They say if the situation changes they will reopen the registration for the race.
(Washington-jm) -- Congressional leaders and the White House continue to be far apart on another Coronavirus relief bill. Congress leaves at the end of the month and won’t likely be back until after the election. U-S Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois says that’s not a good idea…
U-S Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois.
(Paxton-jm) -- Cats must now be leashed in the city of Paxton. The council approved the new regulations. Owners of cats picked up by animal control could face a $25 fine.
(Washington-jm) -- USDA's new reports on grain stocks and wheat production had some potentially bullish numbers. Gary Crawford reports from Washington…
(Springfield-jm) -- The state Department of Labor is launching free COVID-19 safety training for small businesses in Illinois. The program is called “Back to Business Illinois” and is for businesses with up to 250 employees says State Labor Director Michael Kleinik…
State Department of Labor Director Michael Kleinik. The consultants will advise on protecting both workers and customers during the pandemic. More information is available online at: illinois dot gov slash worksafe.
(Washington-jm) -- U-S Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois is introducing legislation to give unemployed Americans tax relief. The Coronavirus Unemployment Benefits Tax Relief Act would exclude the first $10,200 of unemployment compensation from federal income taxes for tax year 2020.
(Springfield-jm) -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is joining 43 other attorneys general in announcing a $39.5 million settlement with insurance company Anthem over a 2014 data breach. The breach affected more than 78 million Americans. The company is also required to improve their security measures. Illinois will receive approximately $1.7 million as part of the settlement.
(Springfield-jm) -- The Illinois Department of Public Health is issuing COVID-19 Halloween guidelines. Trick or treating is allowed, although Public Health Director Dr Ngozi Ezike urges residents to wear a mask when handing out candy or leave candy out for kids. Additionally…
Illinois Public Health Director Dr Ngozi Ezike. Haunted trails, pumpkin patches and hayrides that require masks and social distancing are allowed.
(Undated-jm) -- The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,273 new Coronavirus cases and 35 additional deaths Wednesday bringing the state’s total number of cases to 293,274 and deaths to 8,672. Champaign and Livingston Counties each reported additional deaths Wednesday. As for local active and recovered cases, McLean County reported 3,093 have recovered, 176 are in isolation, 9 are hospitalized and 1 is in the ICU. Champaign County reported 4,355 have recovered, 361 cases are active and 7 are hospitalized. Livingston County reported 380 have been removed from isolation, 48 cases are active with 2 hospitalized. Ford County reported 140 have been released from isolation while 19 remain in isolation. Kankakee County reported 2,472 have recovered, 251 cases are active with 9 hospitalized. Iroquois County reported 371 have been released from isolation, 14 are in isolation and 2 are hospitalized. Vermilion County reported 572 have been released from isolation, 113 remain in isolation and 11 are hospitalized.
(Springfield-jm) -- The state is warning Region 6 which includes all of the WPXN listening area could be at risk for mitigations. The state says including Champaign County’s testing numbers, which includes the University of Illinois, the region's positivity rate is 2 percent. Removing those, the region’s positivity rate is 7.2 percent. IDPH says enhanced mitigations include closing indoor dining at restaurants and bars and further restricting the size of event gatherings.
(Bloomington-jm) -- The November election could have a significant impact on the political climate in the state as well as at the national level. 53rd District State Senator Jason Barickman of Bloomington talks about the election…
53rd District State Senator Jason Barickman of Bloomington.
(Urbana-jm) -- OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center’s Faith in Action has been awarded the Ruth Hayward grant. The $6,000 grant will assist elderly in Champaign County with food, clothing, medicine and rehab services.
(Ashkum-jm) -- District 21 Illinois State Police are announcing results of recent Occupant Restraint Enforcement Patrols. The patrols took place in Ford, Iroquois and Kankakee Counties resulting in 16 safety belt citations.
(Gibson City-jm) -- The latest unemployment numbers came out last week. And while the number has gone down some it's not all good news says 106th District State Representative Tom Bennett of Gibson City…
106th District State Representative Tom Bennett of Gibson City.
(Rantoul-jm) -- The village of Rantoul will be flushing hydrants over the next couple of weeks. The village says hydrant flushing will take place this week and next week from 10 pm to 5 am.
(Washington-jm) -- The USDA has just released its summary report on this season's small grains production. Gary Crawford has the details…
