(Champaign-jm) – Champaign Police Department confirmed that one person was shot in the leg at Market Place Mall. The altercation involved a male and female that started near the food court, and ended in the parking lot. Diamond Mitchell, 22, of Urbana, produced a firearm, firing one shot, injuring a 19-year-old male involved in the altercation. The injuries are non-life threatening. Mitchell was taken into custody without incident and is being held at the Champaign County Correctional Center.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Senate Republicans say their plan regarding the Illinois gas sales tax is better than the governor’s proposal to freeze the rate this upcoming fiscal year. State Senator Terri Bryant said the plan would lower the gas sales tax to 5.25%. To make up for the lost road funds from gas sales, the plan proposes raising road funds from the General Revenue Fund to 53%. Bryant accused the governor of violating the “lockbox amendment” that passed in 2016, which bans lawmakers from using transportation funds for other purposes.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Legislation is being discussed in Springfield that would raise the legal age to get married in Illinois to 18. The bill’s sponsor, state Representative Joe Sosnowski, said many girls and some young men are forced into early marriages by their parents.  Under current Illinois law, it is legal for a 16- or 17-year-old to marry with the consent of a judge or of the parents.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Governor J-B Pritzker is asking for more money for the Department of Children and Family Services. The money would go towards hiring more staff, says the Governor…

 

 

Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. 

 

 

(Champaign-jm) – A Champaign man who authorities said killed three dogs when he set an apartment on fire has been arrested.  38-year-old Martell D. Jones is charged with aggravated arson, residential arson and aggravated cruelty to animals for the alleged January 18 fire. The apartment is located in the 800 block of S. Mattis Ave. in Champaign. There were no people at the apartment. Three dogs died when they were overcome by smoke. Jones faces six to 30 years in prison for aggravated arson, should he be found guilty.

 

 

(Urbana-jm) – A Sibley man has been sentenced to 19 and a half years in prison for armed robbery. Jason Joslin pleaded guilty to armed robbery after he pointed a gun at a Meijer employee who confronted him about shoplifting.  In exchange for his plea other charges of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, aggravated assault and armed robbery were dismissed.

 

 

(Washington-jm) – Farm Sector Income is projected to decline this year, but what about the median incomes of farm households? Gary Crawford reports…

 

 

(Springfield-jm) – Public university students across Illinois could have expanded access to emergency contraception on college campuses if a new bill passes through the General Assembly. State Representative Barbara Hernandez has sponsored a bill mandating that all Illinois public universities have a vending machine that dispenses emergency contraception in a place that is accessible after hours and on the weekends. 

 

(Springfield-jm) – An Illinois lawmaker wants to end standardized tests for the state's youngest students. Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas is spearheading a measure that would prohibit standardized tests for students pre-K through second grade. This week, Senate Bill 3986, also known as the Too Young to Test Act, passed the Senate Education Committee. Currently, the federal government requires standardized testing for students in third grade and older but does not mandate it for students in pre-K through second grade. The Illinois State Board of Education, ISBE, is considering allowing optional standardized tests for those younger students.

 

(Springfield-jm) – The state is looking at a budget surplus. Governor J-B Pritzker says its the first time in a while the state has had a surplus…

 

 

Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. 

 

(Urbana-jm) – Carle Foundation Hospital President Lynne Barnes is set to retire near the end of February after 45 years. Barnes went straight from graduating college at the University of Illinois to Carle as an occupational therapist in 1977, and she’s been in her current role for about ten years.

 

(Urbana-jm) – The second suspect in a 2021 Urbana murder has recently been arrested. Urbana Police said they heard gunshots coming from an area of 1400 Ivanhoe Way at around 4:40 a.m. on September 11, 2021. Police went to the shooting and located a man lying on the sidewalk. According to them, 33-year-old Kendall K. Jones had been shot multiple times and was later pronounced dead at an area hospital. Officers investigated the shooting and based on the investigation, secured arrest warrants for Johnathon Brumfield and Brian Ferrell for the murder of Jones. The bond amount for each warrant was set at $1 million.

 

 

(Washington-jm) – Bulk product exports helped make last year a record agricultural export year. Gary Crawford reports…