(Springfield-jm) – Governor J-B Pritzker has suggested that changes to the state's controversial SAFE-T Act could be needed to better inform the public. Among other things, the SAFE-T Act eliminates cash bail in Illinois. Supporters say it will keep many criminals in jail, while those opposed say it will let most people out. Pritzker said the SAFE-T Act could undergo some changes, mainly to help Illinois citizens better understand what the measure does.
(Rantoul–jc) A ground breaking ceremony is set for the village of Rantoul tomorrow morning. The event is set on the former Days Inn-Knights Inn Property on the village’s west side near the Rantoul Sports Complex and Super-Waltmart. Redevelopment in the area has been anticipated. WPXN news will update this story as more official news becomes available.
(Springfield-jm) – Comptroller Susana Mendoza is pushing legislation to help the families of fallen law enforcement officers. The bill ensures that enough money is available to pay out benefits to the families of officers killed in the line of duty. Currently, that fund sometimes runs out, leaving loved ones to wait until more money is appropriated by the legislature. Comptroller Mendoza says families shouldn’t have to deal with delays while they are grieving…
State Comptroller Susana Mendoza. Mendoza is hoping to get the bill passed during the fall veto session.
(Urbana-jm) – University of Illinois Police are investigating after a student was sexually assaulted on campus over the weekend. Police said the assault happened at a university dorm hall at 2:45 a.m. on Saturday. A campus safety notice sent to students, faculty and staff Monday afternoon said the offender is someone the victim met through a dating app. The offender is described as being a White man about 20 years old and approximately 5′ 10″ in height. Police said he went by the name Austin and had bleach-blonde hair. Anyone who has formation about this crime is asked to call University Police at 217-333-1216.
(Springfield-jm) – Corn and soybean harvesting is underway in Illinois, but remains behind last year’s pace. Pretty much the whole week was suitable for fieldwork, and 10 percent of soybeans have now been harvested. That compares to 26 percent at this time normally. Crop Statistician Mark Schleusener looks at the corn crop…
State Crop Statistician Mark Schleusener. 4 percent of winter wheat has now been planted and average statewide topsoil moisture declined to 11 percent very short, 38 percent short and 51 percent adequate.
(Normal-jm) – The campus community of Illinois State University is mourning the loss of an administrator who died after colliding with a bicycle. Adam Peck was a pedestrian when he was struck by a bicyclist in a sidewalk area near campus last week. Peck worked at ISU as an assistant vice president for student affairs. The accident was the third serious incident involving a pedestrian in Normal this month.
(Paxton–jc) – Today’s WPXN Business of the Day is the Paxton Park District. Formed in the 1960s around the idea of a city pool, the local park district now has a plethora of programs and activities. Paxton Park District Director Cody Evans says fall programs range from soccer to dance…
Evans says volleyball is coming soon…
Paxton Park District Director Cody Evans.
You can hear more about the Paxton Park District on later newscasts today. We also have a full interview with Cody Evans during our noon news block today.
(Springfield-jm) – Illinois political leaders are assessing the tone this election cycle and encouraging civility. Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch last week told the City Club of Chicago that Illinois has diverse voices that must work together for the common good. But, he said, politics is growing more divisive. Former Republican Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar agreed that in the ebb and flow of political discourse, things have “definitely ebbed.” Discourse this election cycle around public safety has heated up with debate over the no-cash bail and other provisions in the SAFE-T Act that takes effect in the new year.
(Springfield-jm) – Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs is hi-liting a state savings account program for people with disabilities and their families. The “Achieving a Better Life Experience” or “ABLE” program helps families save and invest for expenses without risking federal disability benefits. The money can be used for several things, says Treasurer Frerichs…
State Treasurer Mike Frerichs. Frerichs recently announced a reduction in fees for account owners. More information about Illinois ABLE is available online at: illinois treasurer dot gov.
(Champaign-jm) – The Champaign Police Department announced on Monday that a teenager has been charged in connection to a shooting on Friday that left a man hurt. Qwonn Walls, 19 of Champaign, is charged with a single count of aggravated discharge of a firearm. He was arrested by Champaign Police the day after the shooting and was arraigned on Monday. The charge accuses Walls of shooting a 22-year-old man in the leg during an argument they were having just before 2 p.m. on Friday. The victim was taken to the hospital, treated and released.
(Springfield-jm) – Corn and soybean harvesting is underway in Illinois, but remains behind last year’s pace. 63 percent of corn acres are mature and 13 percent has been harvested. Usually at this time, 29 percent of corn is out of the ground, says Crop Statistician Mark Schleusener…
State Crop Statistician Mark Schleusener. Average statewide topsoil moisture dropped to 11 percent very short, 38 percent short and 51 percent adequate. 4 percent of winter wheat has been planted.
(Champaign-jm) – The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign announced a new project on Monday. The Speech accessibility project is aimed at making voice recognition technology more useful for people with a range of diverse speech patterns and disabilities. Illinois is teaming up with Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft in hopes of broadening speech recognition. Researchers will recruit volunteers to record voice samples in order to train machines to better understand a variety of speech patterns.
