(Springfield-jm) -- The population of Illinois dropped by 18,124 from 2010 to 2020, a decrease of 0.1 percent, according to new data released last month by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Illinois population as of 2020 stood at 12,812,508, compared to 12,830,632 a decade earlier, the federal agency reported.
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(Springfield-jm) -- A credit rating agency is forecasting a full job recovery for Illinois and the rest of the country won’t happen until the end of 2022. Fitch Ratings says the job market was hit hard by the pandemic, and despite recent monthly gains, the recovery in employment has lagged output. Unemployment will not fall back to 4.3%, which is Fitch Ratings’ estimate of the natural rate, until the 4th quarter of next year.
(Springfield-jm) -- Nearly 51 percent of Illinois adults are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Over 67 percent have received at least one dose. Governor J-B Pritzker reminds that teens can now get vaccinated as well…
Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. The latest daily COVID total includes 478 new cases and 9 additional deaths. The Governor says the number of cases and hospitalizations continue to decline. Locally, Iroquois County reported 5 new cases bringing their total to 3,111. Vermilion County reported 25 new cases and 1 additional death, a man in his 90s, bringing their total number of cases to 9,936 and deaths to 139. Ford County reported 13 new cases bringing their total to 1,848. Champaign County reported 22 new cases bringing their total to 21,000. Visit coronavirus dot illinois dot gov for the list of vaccination or testing sites near you.
(Urbana-jm) -- A COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Champaign is closing down. Carle announced that the vaccination clinic at the Kohl's Plaza will shut down on Sunday, June 6. Vaccination appointments for people who live or work in Champaign County will move to Carle Champaign on Curtis and Carle Urbana on Windsor. This transition will start on Monday, June 7. These clinics will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and will accept walk-ins only.
(Washington-jm) -- How many acres of what crops are farmers planting this spring? USDA has begun the huge effort to answer that market-moving question for us. Gary Crawford reports…
(Washington-jm) -- The latest USDA Agricultural Prices Report reflects notable month-over-month increases in what most producers received pricewise for their crops and livestock commodities. Rod Bain reports…
(Gifford--jc) The Gifford Community Celebration is set for Saturday June 26th in the downtown area of the village. A 5-K Walk and run kicks off the event at 7 that morning. A parade is set for 10am with food, a car show, waterball competition and bags tournament also hilite the day. The event concludes with fireworks at dusk at Werner Roessler Pak. WPXN will be broadcasting live for the Gifford celebration on June 26th as part of our Summer Fun tour 20-21.
(Champaign-jm) -- Parkland College will be adding a new Mental Health Certificate program this fall. The new five-credit-hour certificate will train entry-level mental health and social service workers to enter full or part time mental health support professional roles. These skills include therapeutic communication and de-escalation techniques; identification of signs and symptoms of mental illness, substance abuse, and developmental disabilities; and certification in mental health first aid, among others. The two-course program, offered by Parkland's Social Science and Human Services department, can be completed in a single semester and will benefit people working or wanting to work in social services organizations.
(Rantoul--jc) Freedom Fridays are coming to downtown Rantoul. Live music will start in the downtown area on Friday July 2nd. The first artist is Chrissy Sparks. The Freedom Fridays will continue each Friday in the downtown area through August 20th.
(Springfield-jm) -- Illinois is a year past its lowest point in terms of job losses and it is recovering slower than all but a handful of states. A new analysis of federal jobs data by the Illinois Policy Institute shows Illinois has added 408,400 jobs since April 2020, or 7.7% of the jobs lost since then. Employment levels in Illinois remain 424,800 below their pre-pandemic peak in January 2020, meaning Illinois has regained fewer than half the jobs it lost during the pandemic.
(Springfield-jm) -- A new study shows Illinois is leading the Midwest in delinquent mortgages. Data from the Mortgage Bankers Association shows 5.7% of Illinois homeowners were at least 90 days behind on their payments at the end of 2020. The next closest was Indiana at 5.1%, Missouri was at 4.1% and Iowa and Wisconsin were both below 4%.
(Melvin--jc) The 20-21 Ford County Fair is approaching fast. This year’s event will take place from June 13th through the 19th at the fairgrounds in Melvin. The annual Queen pageant is set for Monday June 14th at 7pm. Among other events include a lumberjack show on Wednesday June 16th at 7-30pm and the Eli Young music concert on Friday June 18th at 7-30pm. WPXN will be broadcasting live at this year’s event as part of ou Summer Fun Tour 20-21.
(Champaign-jm) -- Springfield Avenue in Champaign is closed beginning yesterday for bridge repairs. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, the closure involves Springfield Avenue over Copper Slough and east of Duncan Road in Champaign. There will be access to local businesses maintained during construction. Prairie Gardens can be accessed east of the bridge on Springfield Avenue from Duncan Road. Repairs are expected to last about two months.
(Washington-jm) -- Have higher commodity prices dampened global demand for U.S. agricultural products? Gary Crawford reports…
(Undated-jm) -- A Paxton man is a write in candidate for the Illinois Soybean Program Marketing Board. The Illinois Department of Agriculture announced the list of candidates Wednesday. Included in that list is Matthew Murray of Paxton. He would represent the 11th District on the board.
