(Springfield-jm) -- Secretary of State Jesse White’s Office is warning the public about two scams targeting Illinois residents. Complaints have been coming in about the scams and the Federal Trade Commission and FBI have been notified says Secretary of State Spokesperson Henry Haupt…

 

 

Secretary of State Spokesperson Henry Haupt. The other scam is a website: illinois car reg dot com, offering bogus license plate sticker renewals.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- A White County Circuit Court judge has again ruled Illinois’ Firearm Owner Identification Card is unconstitutional, setting the stage for the Illinois Supreme Court to reexamine the issue. In 2017, Vivian Brown, was charged with violating the FOID card law for owning a rifle without possessing a FOID card. Yesterday, a judge dismissed the charges, and ruled the FOID card law was unconstitutional, saying it makes the Second Amendment a “facade” turning a right into a privilege.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- Illinois is losing a seat in Congress. Preliminary data from the 2020 U-S census indicates that the number of Illinois members in the U-S House of Representatives will drop from 18 to 17. Republican Representative Avery Bourne of Morrisonville says this isn’t surprising…

 

 

State Representative Avery Bourne of Morrisonville. Bourne says the census data shows the need for more pro-business policies in Illinois and for fair political boundaries to be drawn.

 

 

(Washington-jm) -- Several Republicans in Washington, D.C. including U.S. Representative Rodney Davis of Illinois, are pushing for a bill that would allow marijuana users to purchase guns in states where marijuana is legal. A person can possess a gun and use marijuana legally. However, marijuana users cannot purchase a firearm because marijuana use is not federally legal. This new bill would allow those who live in states where marijuana is legal to buy a firearm even if they use marijuana.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- A bill that would expand the statute of limitations for perjury has advanced out of the Illinois House. The bill would extend the statute of limitations for a prosecution for perjury to five years of the last act committed in furtherance of the crime. It’s sponsored by State Representative Tom Bennett…

 

 

State Representative Tom Bennett. The bill now moves to the state Senate where it was picked up by Senator Scott Bennett as chief sponsor.

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,556 new cases and 23 additional deaths Tuesday bringing the state’s total number of cases to 1,325,726 and deaths to 21,858. Vermilion County reported 19 new cases bringing their total to 9,152. Iroquois County reported 1 new case bringing their total to 2,935. Champaign County reported 39 new cases bringing their total to 20,107. 

 

 

(Rantoul-jm) -- The Rantoul Township High School FFA Chapter will be hosting their plant sale again this year. FFA Advisor Theresa Porter talks about this year’s sale…

 

 

Rantoul Township High School FFA Advisor Theresa Porter. Proceeds from the sale go to improvements in the greenhouse.

 

(Springfield-jm) -- Governor J-B Pritzker is signing a new law designed to bring more equity to healthcare in Illinois. The reform bill makes several changes to tackle the problem of discrimination and racism when it comes to getting medical treatment. They include…

 

 

Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. The new law also requires daycare providers to be trained in childhood emotional learning and trauma, prevents someone seeking treatment for a drug overdose from being arrested and ensures hospitals provide N-95 masks to all doctors and nurses free of charge.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- The federal REAL ID deadline has been extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security extended the deadline to May 3, 2023. The Illinois Secretary of State's Office said current Illinois driver's licenses or ID cards will continue to be accepted at airports and secure federal facilities until DHS' new deadline.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- This is Work Zone Awareness Week. Construction season is underway in Illinois, with several projects planned this year says State Department of Transportation Spokesperson Paul Wappel…

 

 

IDOT Spokesperson Paul Wappel. There are about 64 hundred crashes in work zones each year in Illinois, injuring 17 hundred people and killing 34.

 

(Springfield-jm) -- A new bill passed in the Illinois House would expand a statewide database for children to help doctors know which shots and vaccinations people have received as an adult. The bill passed along party lines with every Republican voting against the measure.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- The Illinois House has approved  legislation ensuring mature drivers can participate online in training they need to obtain insurance premium discounts. The bill was sponsored by State Representative Dan Brady…

 

 

State Representative Dan Brady. The measure now moves to the Senate.

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,556 new cases and 23 additional deaths Tuesday bringing the state’s total number of cases to 1,325,726 and deaths to 21,858. As for local active and recovered cases, Vermilion County reported 104 cases are active and 7 are hospitalized. Iroquois County reported 2,857 have been released from isolation, 12 are in isolation and 5 are hospitalized. Champaign County reported 19,554 have recovered, 409 are in isolation and 14 are hospitalized.

 

 

(Mahomet-jm) -- The Mahomet Seymour School District is launching the Bulldog Blueprint. Superintendent Lindsey Hall talks about the program and the goals they hope to accomplish…

 

 

Mahomet Seymour Schools Superintendent Lindsey Hall.