(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois Department of Insurance’s Life Policy Locator has helped consumers collect nearly 8 million dollars so far this year. Insurance companies are supposed to track down the beneficiaries of deceased policyholders, but that doesn’t always happen, says Director Dana Popish Severinghaus. That’s where the Agency’s Life Policy Locator comes in. It can help you find policies that may have belonged to a loved one. It’s available online…
Illinois Department of Insurance Director Dana Popish Severinghaus. To get started, visit the State Department of Insurance’s website at: insurance dot illinois dot gov and click on consumers.
(Springfield-jm) – A new room for nursing mothers opened at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The room is set aside solely for nursing mothers to feed their babies and pump milk. The room is available for both staff and guests.
(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois Department of Transportation is launching a new website to keep the public informed about the reconstruction of Interstate 80 in Will County. The one point two billion dollar multi-year project is being done in several phases. This website, I 80 Will dot org, will make sure the public has the latest information about the area, says IDOT Spokesperson Maria Castaneda…
IDOT Spokesperson Maria Castaneda. There’s also photos and video of construction progress as well as detours and traffic alerts. Again the website address is: I 80 Will dot org.
(Champaign-jm) – As part of the City’s 2022 Concrete Street Improvements Project, the pavement on Western Avenue from Kirby Avenue to Chevy Chase Drive will be reconstructed. A and R Services will resume work on the City of Champaign’s project, weather permitting, on Tuesday, October 4, 2022. At that time, the southbound lane of Western Avenue will be closed between Chevy Chase Drive and Normandy Drive. This section of Western Avenue will temporarily become one lane, one-way northbound traffic only. This work is scheduled to be completed by November 13, 2022.
(Paxton–jc) Just like with the recent Paxton Swine and Dine, those coming to the city of Paxton will be able to enjoy some new streets, see some new businesses and shop at new businesses with the annual Paxton Area Chamber of Commerce’s Wine and Chocolate walk on Saturday. Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold says those attending will see a new look for the downtown area…
Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold.
(Danville-jm) – A Danville veteran got to take the trip of a lifetime earlier this week. Vietnam veteran Kenneth Hunter II was selected to go on an honor flight from Springfield to Washington D.C. courtesy of Land of Lincoln Honor Flight. His son got to make the trip with him.
(Paxton–jc) – Today’s WPXN Business of the Day is Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative. The month of October is Coop month. E I E C Communications Specialist Melinda Garrelts says E I E C is owned by the members they serve…
When it comes to delivering electricity, the local coop has a rate of 99 point 49 percent. E I E C Communications Specialist Melinda Garrelts says they take the delivery of safe electricity seriously…
E I E C Communications Specialist Melinda Garrelts
You can learn more about E I E C with our interview with Garrelts in the Noon newsblock today
(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois Department of Public Health is gearing up for a new pilot project testing school wastewater for COVID-19. This is in partnership with the University of Illinois and an expansion of the current wastewater surveillance system. State Public Health Spokesperson Mike Claffey says they will be selecting 20 schools from across Illinois for the 25 week pilot program…
State Public Health Spokesperson Mike Claffey. Under the federally funded project, samples will be collected from sewers or catch basins at each school twice a week and then be analyzed by the U of I.
(Springfield-jm) – U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, along with Governor Pritzker, announced on Thursday that Illinois is receiving almost $22 million for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations along Illinois highways. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The law sets aside almost $150 million for the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, of which $22 million is going to Illinois. The expansion of the Illinois EV charging network is planned to take place over the next five years. It’s also a part of Governor Pritzker’s plan to have 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2030.
(Springfield-jm) – A horticulture expert at the University of Illinois Extension says mums don’t have to be just an annual plant. You can get your mums through the winter, says the Extension’s Ken Johnson. It’s best to plant them in the ground in the spring, but if you haven’t done that, get them in as soon as possible. He notes mums have a shallow root system which can lead to heaving…
U of I Extension Horticulturist Ken Johnson. Johnson says mums need full sun and are also more prone to drying out, so they need plenty of water in the fall. They should be planted in an area where the soil drains well so the roots don’t get soggy.
(Champaign-jm) – A Champaign man was sentenced to three years in prison for possession of a weapon. The Champaign Police Department says that on May 5, 2021, officers saw a hand-to-hand exchange that they suspected to be drug related.
The participants in the exchange were detained and a search turned up cannabis, a handgun with an extended magazine, and a large amount of cash. That's when police arrested Keishawn H. Britt.
(Springfield-jm) – Lawmakers won’t return to the state capital until November for the fall veto session. 106th District State Representative Tom Bennett of Gibson City says it will be after the election…
106th District State Representative Tom Bennett of Gibson City.
(Urbana-jm) – A new study from the University of Illinois finds that toddlers who spend more than 60 minutes looking at screens have lower executive function than those that did not. Naiman Khan, a kinesiology and community health professor, led the study along with food science and human nutrition professor Sharon Donovan and graduate student Arden McMath. The study includes 365 toddlers who were participants in the STRONG KIDS 2 cohort study at the university. The study looked at dietary habits and weight trajectories of children from birth to five years old, and focused on screen time with children younger than two. Researchers said it collected data from children eight times over a five-year period. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children spend less than 60 minutes looking at screens each day, engage in physical activity, consume five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day and cut down the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.
The Paxton Area Chamber of Commerce’s Wine and Chocolate Walk will take place Saturday starting at 11 am.
Paxton IGA will hold their cookout benefiting the St. Peter's Lutheran Church on Saturday from 10-2.
The Philo 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.
