(Springfield-jm) – State officials are urging the public to stay off the roads if possible as Illinois is hit with severe winter weather. This storm will include heavy snow. That’s why it’s best to stay home if you can, says State Department of Transportation Secretary Omer Osman…
State Department of Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. If you must head out, Osman says you should make sure your gas tank is full, take it slow, give snow plows plenty of room, make sure your cell phone is charged and have blankets, an ice scraper and a first aid kit in your car. All schools in the WPXN listening area are either closed or doing remote learning today. Also most government buildings in Ford, Iroquois, Champaign and Vermilion Counties are also closed.
(Undated-jm) – The Illinois Department of Public Health is reporting 8,665 new Coronavirus cases and 123 additional deaths. The seven day positivity rate has fallen to 8.5 percent. Locally, Champaign County reported 380 new cases and 2 additional deaths. Vermilion County reported 77 new cases. Ford and Iroquois Counties did not have a report Tuesday. All the health departments announced they will be closed today because of the winter storm.
(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois legislature has gone home due to the winter storm, but Governor J-B Pritzker will be giving his annual budget address live at the Old State Capitol today. The combined State of the State and Budget Address will go on as scheduled, with the Governor laying out his proposal for the next fiscal year online. He says it’s disappointing not to be speaking with a live audience…
Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. Details of the speech have already emerged, specifically tax relief for Illinoisans. The address begins at noon and can be streamed live at: illinois dot gov slash live video. WPXN News will have the latest from the Governors address on our news tonight at 4 and 5.
(Champaign-jm) – Police officers in the Champaign area arrested four people in connection to a carjacking that happened on the University of Illinois campus Tuesday afternoon. An Illini Alert was sent just before 4 p.m. warning campus community members about a carjacking at Second and Chalmers Streets and advising them to avoid the area. A follow-up alert 15 minutes later said the suspects were believed to have left the area and that it was safe to resume normal activities. 30 minutes later, another Illini Alert said the suspects were arrested off campus and the situation had been resolved.
(Paxton-tr) – The Paxton Buckley Loda school district will be E-learning today and Thursday, as many local communities issue snow emergencies. Paxton Buckley Loda Superintendent Cliff McClure shares how the district has planned ahead for this winter warning…
PBL Superintendent Cliff McClure.
(Undated-jm) – The Illinois unemployment rate fell for the 9th consecutive month in December. Locally, the unemployment rate fell from 5.7 percent in December 2020 to 3.2 percent in December 2021. Ford County’s fell from 5.3 percent to 3.1 percent. Iroquois County’s fell from 5.5 percent to 3.7 percent. Vermilion County’s fell from 7.3 percent to 4.6 percent.
(Paxton-jm) – The City of Paxton’s new shed is complete. The old shed burned down back in May of 2020. The cause of the fire was never determined.
(Springfield-jm) – Governor J-B Pritzker is issuing a disaster declaration ahead of the severe winter storm. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency will coordinate state response efforts from the Emergency Operations Center in Springfield and the Department of Transportation is deploying more than 18 hundred trucks and equipment to plow, says the Governor…
Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. The Governor warns that the impact of this storm will linger with bitter temperatures behind the storm. All schools in the WPXN listening area are either closed or doing remote learning today. Also most government buildings in Ford, Iroquois, Champaign and Vermilion Counties are also closed.
(Springfield-jm) – Senate Republicans are unveiling a legislative package to help reduce violent crime in Illinois. The Senate GOP introduced a similar proposal back in October, but the bills were never considered. It’s time for their democratic colleagues to debate these ideas and stop the continued increase in crime, says Senator Chapin Rose of Mahomet…
State Senator Chapin Rose of Mahomet. The bills include tougher penalties for violent firearm offenses and a crackdown on carjackings. Rose says they also want to start a grant program to help local police departments pay for things like hiring and training more officers, body cameras and community policing efforts.
(Mahomet-jm) – A 42-year-old man pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in someone’s death. Robert O’Malley turned himself in for a deadly hit-and-run in Mahomet in October 2020. He appeared in Champaign County court, where he pleaded guilty to the Class 1 felony that resulted in the death of Dr. William Schuh. That crash happened on Route 150 on October 11, 2020. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for March. O’Malley faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.
(Springfield-jm) – Area GOP members continue to voice their concerns over police and criminal justice reforms passed a year ago. Among the reform changes includes the elimination of cash bail. 106th District State Representative Tom Bennett of Gibson City says there have been several negative impacts because of the legislation…
106th District State Representative Tom Bennett of Gibson City. Representative Bennett says several of his colleagues are working on reform measures of their own.
(Champaign–jc) – C-U at Home’s 11th One Winter Night community awareness and fundraising event is coming up on Friday. The event will be headquartered at The Venue C-U, and participants will once again be scattered on sidewalks throughout downtown Champaign and various satellite locations around Champaign and even into other Illinois cities. One Winter Night participants brave the winter cold as they sleep on the streets in cardboard boxes to get a firsthand experience of what it might be like to be homeless and have no resources available. About 140 “box dwellers” are currently registered to take part in this year’s event Organizers say just over half of the 500 thousand dollars campaign goal has been reached to date. Go on line to donate at C-U-at-home-dot-U-S.
(Champaign-jm) - Champaign County home sales hit record highs in December and last year. 3,325 homes sold in 2021 up 7.3 percent from 2020. 248 homes sold in December. The median price also rose in 2021 up to $176,000 from $167,700 in 2020.
