(Chicago-jm) –  The second probable case of monkeypox in Illinois has been detected in Chicago, health officials announced Friday. The patient was a close contact of the first case, who had recently traveled to Europe. The state reported the first case Thursday. Both haven’t been hospitalized. Health officials said the risk to the general public remains low, though residents are advised to exercise caution. No monkeypox-related deaths have yet been reported. As of Friday, the U.S. had identified at least 20 cases in 11 states.

 

(Undated-jm) – Summer is officially here and with no COVID-19 regulations, people will be out and about this summer. This time of year is what AAA is calling the next one hundred days the deadliest for teens. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, officials are recommending safe driving practices with expectations for this summer to be the busiest. Each year in the U.S., 2,063 teen drivers are involved in fatal crashes. In Illinois, an average of 33 teen drivers are in fatal crashes every year

 

(Springfield-jm) – Governor JB Pritzker signed several measures looking to combat the national opioid crisis. Senate Bill 2535, which takes effect on January 1, 2023, says pharmacists and those who prescribe opioids will be required to tell patients about the addictive nature of the drugs and inform them that they can receive an opioid antagonist if they want. House Bill 4408 takes effect January 1, 2024, and stops insurers and Medicaid from charging a copay for Naloxone, which can be expensive and inaccessible.  Senate Bill 2565 takes effect immediately and allows circuit courts to implement drug court treatment programs. House Bill 4556 takes effect immediately and expands access for pharmacists and other health care professionals to distribute fentanyl testing strips to help reduce opioid overdoses.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Governor J-B Pritzker and the Illinois State Police say for the first time in decades, there is no longer a backlog of forensic kits waiting to be tested. This is a result of adding more resources to the State Police’s Forensics Department and is a historic achievement for survivors of sexual assault and other crimes says the Governor…

 

 

Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. Current processing times are 180 days or less, a benchmark set by state law. The Illinois State Police webpage has a tracking system for survivors to follow the progress of evidence from their case.

 

(Urbana-jm) – The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are voicing concern after a report of "serious animal welfare violations" at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. PETA says a new report by the USDA shows violations in the laboratories at the school. The report details an incident where a lamb bled to death during the teaching of a veterinary class. The incident took place in November of last year.

 

(Rantoul-jm) – A Rantoul man will spend the next 7 years in prison for possessing a gun. Darius Ervy received the sentence in Champaign County court of pleading guilty to possession of a weapon by a felon following his December 1, 2020 arrest. Charges of aggravated discharge of a firearm and battery were dismissed.

 

(Champaign-jm) – A new report out from Orkin has two Illinois cities ranked as the top 50 rattiest places in the nation. The report shows that Champaign came in number 37 on the list. If you think that New York City is the number one spot, guess again. Chicago took home that prize this year. The report and rankings are based on the number of new treatments that Orkin performed from September 2020 to September 2021.

 

(Washington-jm) – The U.S. and Japan Friday signed an agreement that would revise the beef safeguard mechanism under the bi-lateral trade agreement between both countries, yet what could this potentially mean for U.S. beef exports to Japan? Rod Bain reports…

 

 

(Champaign-jm) – The Champaign County State's Attorney said that the rise in accessibility of guns for young people has continued to be an issue. Gun crime has continued to be an issue and the Champaign Police have shared new data on the number of young people involved. In May, of those 18 and younger, 14 gun charges were filed against them. A total of 59 have been filed so far in 2022. This compares to 33 charges in 2020, which made up a quarter of the city's 120 gun charges filed. The numbers did drop off in 2021 with 20 gun charges being filed of the 150 total charges.

 

(Undated-jm) – Illinois has the fifth highest gas price average based on AAA website coming in at $5.31 as of Friday. That’s higher than the $3.28 price average this time last year. Josh Sharp with the Illinois Fuel and Retail Association) said gas prices are rising due to more families hitting the road this summer and covid-19 restrictions being lowered.

 

(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois Department of Human Services has announced a $250 million investment to combat gun violence in the state. The investment will go towards reimagining public safety over the next three years.

 

(Edwardsville-jm) – Several United States Representatives are now saying Amazon is not complying with the investigation following the Edwardsville tornado. The House Oversight Committee is investigating if the company's labor practices during December's storm led to the deaths of six amazon workers at the Edwardsville facility. According to committee members, Amazon has not produced information for the investigation weeks after the March 31 deadline.

 

(Springfield-jm) – May weather closed out spring and brought a taste of summer to Illinois. After a cold and dreary April, last month ended up as the 29th warmest May on record. State Climatologist Trent Ford says the second week of May was especially hot, with temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above normal in many areas. As for rainfall…

 

 

State Climatologist Trent Ford. Ford says the long term outlook is calling for cooler than normal temperatures this month but warmer conditions in July and August.

 

(Urbana-jm) – Hundreds showed up for Tim Johnson Saturday. The Illinois lawmaker and Champaign County native died last month at 75. His friends and family gathered in Urbana’s Lincoln Square Mall, a beloved destination of his daily strolls through his hometown, to say their final goodbyes. Johnson spent 12 years serving the 15th U.S. congressional district. For 24 years before that, he was an Illinois House representative.

 

(Sibley-jm) – Sibley firefighters had a busy Saturday. Firefighters were first called to a vehicle fire just before noon. Then later that evening, crews were called to a person that had been struck by a vehicle.

 

(Champaign-jm) – Carle Hospital and Christie Clinic have announced they are dropping COVID testing requirements before surgery. Both facilities had the requirement in place since the pandemic began.

 

(Washington-jm) – USDA is currently surveying thousands of farmers for one of the most anticipated USDA reports of the year. Gary Crawford reports…

 

 

(Rantoul-jm) – A Rantoul man has been sentenced to 3 and a half years in prison for an August 2021 shooting that injured a child. The shooting happened on August 8th. Cody Brown pleaded guilty to reckless discharge of a firearm and possession of a weapon without a FOID card.