(Paxton-jm) – Illinois State Police say the man involved in an incident on I-57 near Paxton has been captured. Police had been looking for 27-year-old Sergio Huerta of Huntsville, Texas. Huerta is accused of fleeing from a traffic accident as well as getting into a physical altercation with an adult female.
(Springfield-jm) – Illinois residents can apply to receive financial help with their utility bills starting today. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program offers $300 million in support to help families pay their gas and electric bills. Illinois officials hope families experiencing hardships from inflation apply to the program. Households must earn less than two times the federal poverty line to receive LIHEAP benefits. The application period for the program starts September 1st and closes May 31, 2023. Funding for LIHEAP comes on a first-come, first serve basis.
(Springfield-jm) – The state of Illinois still owes $1.8 billion to the federal government. It comes after the state borrowed money during the COVID pandemic. The state paid part of what it owed but instead of paying the full amount which could have devastating impacts, says 106th District State Representative Tom Bennett of Gibson City…
106th District State Representative Tom Bennett of Gibson City.
(Champaign-jm) – Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey is talking about college admissions. If elected, he said he will have a plan to make sure 90% of U of I students are from Illinois. Bailey said the school’s priority should be educating people from the state. To do that, he wants to change state law, and gradually alter the proportion of admitted students to guarantee nine out of every 10 seats go to graduates of Illinois high schools.
(Paxton-jm) – The Paxton License, Permit, Zoning and Insurance committee will meet before the September city council meeting. The committee will be discussing changing ordinance language related to nuisance and vacant buildings. The committee meeting will take place Tuesday, September 13th at 6:30 pm with the city council meeting at 7.
(Washington-jm) – One expert says don't take USDA's new trade forecast for the upcoming fiscal year too seriously. There are too many unknowns. Gary Crawford reports…
(Springfield-jm) – Governor Pritzker announced new measures on Wednesday to address staffing shortages in Illinois agencies that provide essential health and safety services to Illinois’ most vulnerable residents. The State is working to fill vacancies and hire thousands of frontline workers in the Departments of Human Services, Corrections, and Veterans Affairs.
(Loda-jm) – The Team Hope Walk for Huntington’s Disease will take place Saturday, September 10th at Lakeview Country Club in Loda. Spokesperson Samantha Cox explains what Huntington’s Disease is…
Team Hope Walk for Huntington’s Disease Spokesperson Samantha Cox.
(Ford County-jm) – The Ford County Public Health Department is announcing a bird in the county has tested positive for West Nile Virus. West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. Common West Nile virus symptoms include fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches. Symptoms may last from a few days to a few weeks. However, four out of five people infected with West Nile virus will not show any
symptoms. In rare cases, severe illness including meningitis or encephalitis, or even death, can occur. People older than 50 are at higher risk for severe illness from West Nile virus.
(Urbana-jm) – The University of Illinois Police Department said they are noticing a rise in electric scooter and bike thefts to start the school year. Six were stolen in the first week of the semester. Officials said more students are using electric scooters, but they may not be using locks sturdy enough to prevent thieves from taking them. Those scooters also don’t have many places to put a lock on or around them.
(Washington-jm) – The USDA's Index of prices received by farmers dropped during July, but only slightly. Gary Crawford reports…
Parkland College’s Staerkel Planetarium Kaler Lecture Series will be held tonight with U of I Physics Professor Nicolas Yunes talking about The Science of Einstein’s Gravity Playlist starting at 7 pm. Cost is $2.
The 2022 Arthur Cheese Festival will take place Saturday through Monday.
Paxton IGA will hold their cookout benefiting Loda Lutheran Ladies on Saturday from 10-2.
The Bement Country Opry will perform at the Melvin Community Hall on Saturday at 7 pm. Cost is $10 for adults. Children 12 and under are free.
The National Sweetcorn Festival takes place through Monday at McFerren Park in Hoopeston.
The 74th annual Pontiac Threshermen's reunion takes place through Monday, 3 miles north of Pontiac.
