(Undated-jm) – The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 16,581 new Coronavirus cases and 66 additional deaths Wednesday. The seven day positivity rate jumped to 7.9 percent. Champaign County reported 427 new cases and 3 additional deaths. Vermilion County reported 99 new cases and 3 additional deaths.
(Springfield-jm) – State and local police are boosting patrols this holiday season. Expect to see an enhanced police presence, roadside safety checks and special details, as law enforcement looks for drunk drivers, speeders and other offenders. Illinois Department of Transportation Spokesperson Paul Wappel says the public can assist as well…
IDOT Spokesperson Paul Wappel. More than 12 hundred people have died on Illinois roads this year, an increase over 2020.
(Undated-jm) – Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White is announcing all drivers services facilities open Monday through Friday are closed today and tomorrow for the Christmas holiday.
(Urbana-jm) – A Champaign man accused of killing a boy in July faces new charges, including one that claims the man performed a sex act on the boy’s body. Fifty-six year-old Daryl VanDyke had a court appearance to be arraigned on the new charges filed by the prosecutor. There are three counts of murder and one charge alleging sexual abuse of a corpse. If convicted of murder, VanDyke faces 20 to 60 years in prison. However, he could see life in prison if prosecutors prove certain elements of the charge, and the judge chooses a life sentence. VanDyke is accused of killing 14 year-old Steven Butler III with an axe or some other edged tool. Bicyclists found the boy’s body off of High Cross Road in Urbana on July 30.
(Urbana-jm) – Five people appeared in court on Wednesday in relation to a robbery and murder that was staged to look like a home invasion. Monday night, Jaquan Shorter, Ryan Mason, Erion Davis-Murdock, Kareasha Alston and Shaniquh Johns allegedly lured Trenton Jones to a home on North Division Avenue to rob him. One of the five shot Jones and stabbed him with a bayonet attached to a World War II-era rifle. Johns allegedly called 911 to say the incident was a home invasion. Officers arrived and later pronounced Jones dead at the scene. Each person faces four counts of first degree murder, with each count carrying a penalty of 20-60 years in prison if convicted.
(Washington-jm) – How much of the country will see a White Christmas this year? Stephanie Ho reports…
(Minneapolis-jm) – Three members of a Ford County militia group who firebombed a Minnesota mosque in 2017 will be required to pay $10,500 in restitution to a man who was present when the bomb went off and says he lived in fear for months afterward. In updating our story, during a restitution hearing in U.S. District Court in Minnesota, a man identified in court documents only as “H.J.” testified that he was scared to go home or to work for “at least six months” following the August 5, 2017, bombing of the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minn., because he was worried that those responsible for the attack, who had not yet been arrested, might find him. The man requested restitution of $5,000 to cover his hotel costs and other expenses over the six-month period, although he said that amount represents only a “fraction” of what he had to spend. He also requested $5,500 in restitution for lost wages.
(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois Tollway is working to make travel a little more convenient over the holidays. Temporary maintenance and construction lane closures will be suspended during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays to help ease congestion. Tollway Spokesperson Dan Rozek recommends I-Pass holders add the license plate of any out of town guests to their account so their visitors don’t have to worry about tolls. Additionally…
Illinois Tollway Spokesperson Dan Rozek. More information is available online at: get ipass dot com. Rozek adds that if you need roadside assistance on the tollway, you can call star 9 9 9.
(Champaign-jm) – OSF HealthCare is proud to partner with three well known student athletes in Urbana-Champaign to promote OSF OnCall Urgent Care and OSF HealthCare Medical Group - Pediatrics in Savoy. College basketball stars Kofi Cockburn and Da’Monte Williams teamed up to say while “monster dunks” or “hitting nothing but net” is easy for them, OSF OnCall Urgent Care is also easy, with 24/7/365 virtual care options and affordable, convenient care for minor illnesses and injuries. Volleyball star Megan Cooney also got in on the action to remind parents that when they need someone in their court for support, they can count on OSF Pediatrics.
(Champaign-jm) – Two arrests have recently been made in connection to an investigation of a homicide that happened at Champaign Park Apartments on October 20. Champaign Police were dispatched to the 200 block of Kenwood Road for the report of a shooting with injuries at around 10:40 p.m. on October 20. When officers arrived at the scene, they found 19-year-old Acarrie Ingram-Triner with a life-threatening gunshot wound to her lower neck. She died at the hospital. Police say Arieana Colbert shot Ingram-Triner. Quincy Hayes, who was present during the shooting, provided false information about the incident to investigating officers and detectives.
(Champaign-jm) – A Champaign man will be on probation for 30 months after admitting in court to holding his ex-girlfriend against her will. 21-year-old Shemar Harris pleaded guilty to aggravated unlawful restraint. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed other charges, including some that claimed Harris sexually assaulted the victim.
(Washington-jm) – What's driving food price increases? Gary Crawford reports…
(Livingston County-jm) – An Odell man has been sentenced to 135 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Cory Melvin has been found guilty of five counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a minor under the age of 13.
