(Springfield-jm) – Governor J-B Pritzker says he’s not planning to institute a new COVID-19 vaccine mandate like the one in New York City. New York Mayor Bill De Blasio is enacting a mandate for private sector workers. The Governor was asked if that’s something we could see in Illinois…
Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. Just over 66 percent of Illinoisans ages five and up are now fully vaccinated. Over the past week, an average of nearly 70 thousand doses are being administered each day.
(Springfield-jm) – An Illinois lawmaker has decided not to pursue a bill that would have unvaccinated people pay all their own COVID-19 hospital expenses. Representative Jonathan Carroll announced on Thursday that based on feedback and further reflection, he would no longer push the bill. The bill would have made it so if you get COVID-19 and you are unvaccinated, you would have to pay out of pocket for all COVID-19 related expenses if you were eligible for the vaccine.
(Springfield-jm) – Harvest totals were down this year for the annual firearm deer hunting season. Hunters took 71,675 deer over the two weekends of the firearm season in Illinois. That compares to more than 77,000 deer harvested last year. State Department of Natural Resources Spokesperson Tim Schweizer looks ahead…
State Department of Natural Resources Spokesperson Tim Schweizer. The muzzleloader-only deer season is this weekend and archery season continues through January 16th. You can find more dates and other information online at: hunt illinois dot org.
(Undated-jm) – The Illinois Department of Public Health is reporting 9,301 new cases and 54 additional deaths. Champaign County was the only county to report Thursday. They reported 208 new cases.
(Loda-Clarence-tr) – The Kaeb Family will be hosting their third annual drive through nativity scene near Loda tonight and tomorrow. Kaeb Nativity Spokesperson Val Kaeb details how to get there from Loda…
Kaeb Nativity Spokesperson Val Kaeb.
(Champaign-jm) – The Champaign City Council sat down for a meeting this week to discuss the police hiring process at a time where the department is down 20% of its workforce. The council shared different preference points they would like to address in hiring, but also shared the urgency in getting the hiring done. The Champaign Police Department is down 25 of its 125 staff members. The department is also looking for a new chief of police after Anthony Cobb retired.
(Urbana-jm) – The city of Urbana is looking for feedback from community members on where it should spend resources to improve equity and quality of life. The city is sharing a survey for its Equity and Quality of Life Project which is aimed at underserved communities. The project will use $2 million to invest in small infrastructure projects such as street lights and sidewalks.
(Washington-jm) – The Agriculture Department has announced updates regarding two of its dairy risk management programs for 2022. Rod Bain reports…
The Candy Cane Square event on Paxton’s Northwest side runs from 6 to 8pm
(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois Emergency Management Agency is reminding families about the state’s school safety hotline. Anyone who sees or hears something concerning can report it to Safe Two Help Illinois via text, phone call or online. This is especially important right now says IEMA Spokesperson Rebecca Clark…
IEMA Spokesperson Rebecca Clark. Safe Two Help isn’t just for suspected school violence, students can also reach out about depression, bullying, anxiety and self-harm. The website is: safe, the number 2, help il dot com or text 7-2-3-3-2.
(Springfield-jm) – A task force with the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority stalled out in trying to advance proposals to the General Assembly on whether people can bring lawsuits against individual police. After two opposite proposals both failed to advance, the committee took a pause. It’s unclear if the group will make the end-of-the-month deadline to produce a report.
(Springfield-jm) – Need extra money this holiday season? Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs is urging the public to check the I-Cash database. The office is in charge of unclaimed property, long forgotten in safe deposit boxes or bank accounts. Treasurer Frerichs says an estimated one in four people who search the database find something…
State Treasurer Mike Frerichs. To see if you have any money or property waiting to be claimed, visit the website: illinois treasurer dot gov and click on i-cash.
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(Loda-Clarence-tr) – The Kaeb Family will be hosting their third annual drive through nativity scene near Loda tonight and tomorrow. Kaeb Nativity Spokesperson Val Kaeb details times of operation…
Kaeb Nativity Spokesperson Val Kaeb.
(Urbana-jm) -- A brand new first of its kind imaging study is coming to Champaign-Urbana. Carle has partnered up with the University of Illinois, to conduct the Champaign-Urbana Population Study. A study that will use the new, jointly acquired unique technology, the Siemens MAGNETOM Terra 7 Tesla MRI to collect information about the brain’s structure and function across a diverse group of volunteers. Leaders of the study will gather information on ways to improve our understanding of brain health and how the brain changes over time, and hopefully the findings will support the translation of technology to improve clinical outcomes.
(Watseka-jm) – A Watseka woman is facing multiple charges. Madison LeClair was arrested on felony charges of fleeing and eluding, speeding, leaving the scene of an accident and disobeying several stop signs. LeClair was also wanted on an Iroquois County warrant.
(Washington-jm) – As expected, there were very few changes from last month in USDA's new round of crop reports. Gary Crawford reports…
A Live Drive Thru Barn Nativity will be held today and tomorrow from 5-9 pm at the Kaeb Farm located at 170 N 800 E near Loda.
Gibson City will hold a Christmas Salute tonight and tomorrow at North Park.
The Candy Cane Square event on Paxton’s Northwest side runs from 6 to 8pm
