(Iroquois County-jm) -- One person is dead following an accident in Iroquois County. The accident happened on Route 116 at the Ford/Iroquois County line near Ashkum. A jeep and semi collided and the driver of the jeep, a 20 year old woman from Ashkum, died at the scene. Her name was not released.
(Springfield-jm) -- The state’s credit rating is being upgraded for the first time in more than 20 years. Governor J-B Pritzker says passing three balanced budgets in a row, paying off old bills and keeping up with pension payments helped Moody’s Investors Service bump up Illinois’ rating…
Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. A higher bond rating generally means the state can borrow money at a lower interest rate, which the Governor says ultimately saves the taxpayers money.
(Springfield-jm) -- A new report analyzing unfunded public pension liabilities ranks Illinois near the bottom. The annual publication, called “Unaccountable and Unaffordable 2020” by the American Legislative Exchange Council, looks at each state’s unfunded public pension liabilities. American Legislative Exchange Council ranked Illinois 49th in terms of the total liability and also per capita amount at $31,980 per person.
(Springfield-jm) -- Secretary of State Jesse White’s office is extending the expiration date for Illinois driver’s licenses and ID cards to January 1st. Illinoisans now have an additional five months to get their licenses and ID’s renewed, so there’s no need to rush into driver’s services facilities, says Secretary of State Spokesperson Henry Haupt…
Secretary of State Spokesperson Henry Haupt. Haupt reminds that a number of services are available online at: cyber drive illinois dot com such as renewing your license plate sticker.
(Rantoul-jm) -- A Rantoul factory is expanding production. Mayor Chuck Smith says Rantoul Foods is looking to increase their production…
Rantoul Mayor Chuck Smith.
(Crescent City-jm) -- Six girls will be competing for the title of Miss Iroquois County Fair. Those competing are Leah Lemenager of Clifton, Cassie Peters of Crescent City, Emma Morts of Milford, Hailey Lucht of Milford, Erin Anderson of Rankin and Kaitlyn Bell of Crescent City. The Queen pageant takes place July 13th.
(Gilman-jm) -- The Iroquois County community of Gilman is reminding residents with golf carts about regulations. Golf carts must be registered and underage people are not allowed to drive. City leaders say Iroquois County Sheriff’s officers have been given the authority to issue tickets to violators.
(Washington-jm) -- China's purchases of our nation?s ag goods remain strong under the Phase One Trade Agreement however what might this mean regarding long-term sales? Rod Bain reports…
(Springfield-jm) -- Daycare will be more affordable for low to moderate income families under changes announced by Governor J-B Pritzker. 80 percent of families in the state’s child care assistance program will pay less in daycare costs and those at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty line will pay just one dollar a month. The program is administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services. Secretary Grace Hou (Ho) says providers will get more state support as well…
Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary Grace Hou. The additional benefits begin tomorrow.
(Springfield-jm) -- The red-hot Illinois real estate market is showing no signs of slowing down. According to Illinois Realtors, statewide home sales in May totaled 17,675, an increase of 51.8% from May 2020. The statewide median price in May was $262,000, up 21.8% from May 2020. But with the pandemic housing boom and low mortgage rates, signs of weakness can jump out, including a slowdown in buying if prices continue to rise in some places.
(Springfield-jm) -- College athletes will soon be able to sign endorsement deals under a new state law signed by Governor J-B Pritzker Tuesday. Universities and the N-C-Double-A make plenty of money off of college sports, and so should the students who have their name, image and likeness used in promotions and merchandise, says Representative Kam Buckner of Chicago. He says this will increase opportunities for all college athletes…
State Representative Kam Buckner of Chicago. This new law takes effect July 1st.
(Paxton-jm) -- Paxton police are investigating a residential burglary at a home in the 900 block of Jack Street around 4:10 am on June 24th. Residents told police that they heard somebody inside their home and confronted them, and a foot chase ensued. The residents eventually lost sight of the burglar, who was described as a 40-year-old white male, about 6 feet tall, with a dark tan and brown curly hair and wearing a blue shirt, blue jeans and a baseball cap. Anyone with information is asked to call Paxton Police at 379-4315.
(Gilman-jm) -- Wheat harvesting is underway in parts of the state. While its not a huge commodity in the area, some farmers do plant winter wheat. Ford Iroquois Farm Bureau Manager David Treece says they haven’t started harvest yet…
Ford Iroquois Farm Bureau Manager David Treece.
(Rantoul-jm) -- In updating our story from yesterday, Rantoul firefighters continue to investigate a house fire in the village Monday afternoon. Firefighters received the call around 3pm in the 900 block of Eastview Drive. When they arrived they saw smoke coming from the house and a fire on a bed in a bedroom. The fire remains under investigation.
(Sibley-jm) -- Apex Clean Energy, developer of the proposed Ford Ridge Wind Farm near Sibley, has awarded grants to three local nonprofits: the Community Resource & Counseling Center in Paxton, Paxton-Buckley-Loda Education Foundation and Sibley Area Fourth of July Committee. The grants were from the Ford Ridge Wind Community Grant Program.
(Washington-jm) -- A newly released USDA study finds that participants to its SNAP nutrition program currently face barriers to healthy foods. Stephanie Ho reports…
