(Champaign-jm) – Champaign Police have released new information about a shooting that left two people hurt Thursday afternoon. Public Information Officer Joe Lamberson said the two victims are a 76-year-old man and a 75-year-old woman. The preliminary investigation revealed that the victims were pulling into a driveway when an unidentified male subject approached their car and opened fire. Lamberson added that several other houses and another car were hit by gunfire. The suspect fled the area in an unknown direction. Lamberson says the female victim’s injuries are now potentially life threatening. Both victims are listed in stable condition.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Many Illinois residents could soon see checks in the mail or extra money from a new income and property tax rebate starting Monday. Under Governor JB Pritzker's Illinois Family Relief Plan, one-time individual income and property tax rebates will be issued to those who meet the criteria outlined in the plan. According to the Office of the Comptroller, the income tax rebate calls for a single person to receive $50. For those who file taxes as a couple, you can receive a total of $100. Residents with children will receive up to $300 with $100 per dependent, with a maximum of three. For property taxes, owners can receive a rebate equal to the property tax credit on their 2021 return up to $300.

 

(Chicago-jm) – Governor J-B Pritzker says the busing of migrants from Texas is disgusting and needs to stop. Migrants have been arriving in Chicago by the busload, and Governor Pritzker says they will be taken care of…

 

 

Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. The Governor says his staff has been in contact with Texas staff but calls them “wholly uncooperative.” States along the border have been dealing with an open border policy that has seen several million illegal crossings into the United States.

 

(Georgetown-jm) – A teenager from Indiana has been federally charged for sexual abuse of a child from Georgetown. Dylan Clark, 19 of Franklin, Indiana, is accused of luring the 11-year-old victim out of her home, picking her up and taking her back to Franklin. The girl was reported missing by her father on Aug. 27. She claimed she was going to her friend’s home, but her father discovered she had never gone to her friend’s house. Deputies in Johnson County found the girl inside Clark’s home and arrested him for kidnapping. Johnson admitted to deputies and his parents that he had picked up a girl he met online and that he “should never have gone to do it.

 

(Undated-jm) – There’s been an emphasis lately on school shooting response training and preparation. Champaign and Ford County law enforcement agencies and school districts Thursday instead focused on ways to prevent the trigger from ever being pulled. Members of the U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center spent three hours training county and city officials on decades of research that resulted in a plan to address concerning behavior before it’s too late. Illinois school districts must have a documented threat assessment protocol and update it every year. That’s been state law since the School Safety Drill Act was amended in 2019.

 

(Loda–jc)  The annual Huntington’s Disease walk, golf outing, and silent auction is set for Saturday at Lakeview Country Club in Loda. Event Spokesperson Samantha Cox says the golf is full, but you can still walk the golf course on Saturday morning and enjoy a kids zone, auction and dinner…

 

 

Huntington’s Disease Loda Event Spokesperson Samantha Cox.

 

(Watseka-jm) – Iroquois Memorial Hospital is bringing back their Know Your Numbers Fair later this month. The fair will run from September 19th  through the 24th.

 

(Champaign-jm) – Area high school students and their parents can explore a wide variety of higher education options at the 2022 Illinois Regional College Fair on Wednesday, September 14 from 6-8 p.m. in Parkland College's Donald C. Dodds Jr. Athletic Center.

 

(Champaign-jm) – This summer brought changes to the Visit Champaign county Office. They’re in downtown Champaign on Taylor Street between Walnut and Neil Streets. The organization added a retail space to the front end of its building. There’s a little bit of everything from clothing and handmade soap to jewelry and tote bags. It’s all made in Champaign County. All of the designs on the clothing and bags come from artists with the 40 North art group. The goal is to shed light on the unknown gems of the community.

 

(Washington-jm) – Another huge month for U.S. Ag. exports is helping take those sales to a record high level for the year. Gary Crawford reports…

 

 

(Piper City-jm) – The Ford County Public Health Department announced on Thursday that a mosquito batch in the county has tested positive for West Nile Virus. Officials said the batch was collected on Sept. 2 in Piper City and represents the first positive test result in the county. No human cases have been reported yet, but the FCPHD is urging people to be aware of West Nile Virus activity in their area and take steps to protect themselves and their family.

 

(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois Department of Labor and community partners across the state recognized September 8th as Mom’s Equal Pay Day, a day that shines a light on the pay inequality between moms and dads by marking how far into the year moms must work to earn what dads did in the previous year. The American Association of University Women has found that moms are paid 50 cents for every dollar paid to dads. This wage gap has a disproportionate impact on moms of color as a recent survey conducted by Equal Rights Advocates shows over 50% of Black and Latina women struggle with increased caregiving responsibilities and debt, particularly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This “motherhood penalty” can mean that moms have lower lifetime earnings.

 

(Springfield-jm) – The state is relaunching the “Opening Doors” home buyer program. Opening doors is designed for lower-income borrowers and households of color, offering a 30 year mortgage with a fixed interest rate and a six thousand dollar down payment. Many won’t have to pay that back says Illinois Housing Development Authority Spokesperson Andrew Field…

 

 

Illinois Housing Development Authority Spokesperson Andrew Field. Those interested can find more information about the program and participating lenders online at: ihda mortgage dot org.

 

(Champaign-jm) – A Champaign woman was arrested after police said she threatened a postal worker and attempted to escape from them during a follow-up interview. Champaign Police officials said  they were informed on Tuesday that a woman had pointed a gun at a postal worker on Harvard Street near Willis Street. The following day, officers were called to the post office at 600 North Neil Street when the same woman arrived there. Officers spoke with the woman, identified as 29-year-old Kanesha Thaggard, and found a BB gun in her possession. The gun matched the description of the weapon used to threaten the postal worker the previous day. Officers said Thaggard was initially ticketed for disorderly conduct and assault, but she then attempted to flee from the officers in her car. Officers eventually caught up to her and arrested her. She’s been charged with resisting a peace officer, fleeing a peace officer and driving on a suspended license.

 

(Urbana-jm) – The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is investing $50 million to hire new faculty members. Colleges will have opportunities to request additional hires that advance the university’s mission. The hiring initiative will continue for several years or until the $50 million is allocated. The initiative is expected to grow the number of faculty members by 150 to 200, an increase of about 10%.

 

(Paxton–jc)  –  The 10th annual Paxton Swine and Dine is set for Saturday September 17th in the downtown area of Paxton. The event starts in the early morning with a B-B-Q competition. Other events include a kids zone, bags tournament and lots of food vendors . Spokesperson Alan Meyer says music is also a part of the day and night…

 

 

Paxton Area Chamber of Commerce Spokesperson Alan Meyer.  National known Country Music Artist Tracy Lawrence will perform live in downtown Paxton for a free concert on Saturday night.

 

(Champaign-jm) – Champaign Police are searching for a missing woman. 25 year old Sierra Dittmar was reported missing on September 7, 2022. Her family and friends say they have not seen or heard from her since August 25, 2022. She's described as a white woman with brown/auburn red hair and brown eyes. She also wears glasses with clear, plastic frames.

 

(Vermilion County-jm) – Vermilion County residents who, due to a disability, are unable to appear in person to register to vote may contact the County Clerk’s Voter Registration Department at 217-554-1911 for assistance. The office can arrange for in-home registration services. Registration forms are also available by mail or may be printed from the County Clerk’s website www.vercounty.org. Paperless online voter registration is also available on the same website under “County Clerk,” “Voter Information,” “Online Voter Registration.” The last day for Vermilion County residents to register to vote or file changes of name or address prior to the November 8, 2022 General Election under traditional Illinois voter registration is Tuesday, October 11th. Grace Period registration and voting will be conducted in person at the County Clerk’s office from October 12th through November 8th.  Grace period registration requires two forms of identification, at least one of which includes a correct current address.

 

(Urbana-jm) – Some students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are frustrated with changes made to the university's COVID-19 protocol. Members of the Young Democratic Socialists of America posted the complaint on social media. The group believes the university has gotten careless with COVID-19 rules. The group says campus reduced their testing sites down to just one, at the Illini Union, and are not requiring masks, instead they are making masks optional. The campus positivity rate is nearly 17 percent compared to 0.73% last year.

 

(Washington-jm) – Some U.S. agricultural products are seeing some unusual gains in export sales. Gary Crawford reports…

 

 

 

The Paxton Police Department shooting range will be open to the public on Saturday from 10-noon. Cost is $10.

 

Paxton IGA will hold their cookout benefiting Paxton United Methodist Women on Saturday from 10-2.

 

Gibson City Harvest Fest will take place on Saturday with rock band Hinder performing.