(Undated-jm) – More than 463,000 vote-by-mail ballots could be in the mix for Illinois’ November 8 election, with the bulk coming from Cook County and Chicago, delaying election outcomes by up to two weeks. State elections board data shows that in 2018, about 9% of total votes cast, or around 427,500, using absentee, or mailed-in ballots. In 2020, when vote-by-mail was expanded for concerns of spreading COVID-19, 33% of total votes cast were mailed in, or around 2 million.  The election in Illinois features not only county, statehouse and congressional elections, voters will also choose who will be the next U.S. senator, governor, attorney general, comptroller, secretary of state and treasurers. There’s also a statewide constitutional amendment where voters will decide whether to codify collective bargaining in the Illinois Constitution.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office is receiving a nearly 400 thousand dollar federal grant to set up hate crime training. The training will be for law enforcement and prosecutors, to help them better understand hate crimes and create a safe environment for victims, says Attorney General Raoul…

 

 

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. The attorney general’s office will develop the program over the next year. 

 

(Undated-jm) – With winter approaching, there is a good chance Illinoisans will be paying more to heat their homes. The problem is sharply higher costs for natural gas, used to heat a majority of homes in the state. Nicor, the utility serving a large portion of Illinois, estimated its average residential customer will pay almost $450 more for natural gas supplies this winter, almost double the cost of a year ago. Peoples Gas said it does not have an estimate yet, but the utility acknowledged bills will jump sharply. 

 

(Champaign-jm) – Harvest is underway across the area. Farmers have been taking advantage of the dry weather to get in the fields. Champaign County Farm Bureau Manager Brad Uken talks about the crop yields in his county…

 

 

Champaign County Farm Bureau Manager Brad Uken.

 

 

(Champaign-jm) – The Illinois Department of Transportation will be closing an off-ramp at the interchange of Interstates 57 and 74 this week as construction crews continue a reconstruction project under the Rebuild Illinois capital program. 

The ramp leading from westbound I-74 to southbound I-57 is set to close for two days, today and tomorrow while crews construct a temporary ramp to be used during the rest of the reconstruction project. Drivers are encouraged to avoid the area if possible and use an alternate route; if not, they are encouraged to allow for extra time to travel to their destination. A detour will be posted for drivers wanting to get from westbound I-74 to southbound I-57. This detour involves getting off I-74 and onto northbound I-57, traveling north to Market Street and using the ramps there to turn around. The ramp will reopen on Thursday.

 

(Springfield-jm) – The high cost of inflation is being felt all across the state and some lawmakers are trying to find ways to provide relief. 53rd District State Senator Jason Barickman of Bloomington says the high costs of products and services could have an impact on the November election…

 

 

53rd District State Senator Jason Barickman of Bloomington. Some Republican lawmakers have called for a special session to address high gas and grocery prices. One of those is Representative Dan Caulkins of Decatur who wants to eliminate the state's gas and grocery tax.

 

(Rantoul-jm) – Champaign County Crime Stoppers is asking for the public’s help in tracking down a potential suspect in a shots-fired incident that happened last month. Officials said Rantoul Police were called to the area of Saint Andrews Circle and Willow Pond Road just after noon on September 16 for a report of shots being fired. When they arrived, they found evidence that shots had indeed been fired and discovered a home had been hit. Officers found nearby security camera footage that depicted a potential suspect. The person was wearing a dark-colored jacket, dark-colored athletic pants with a white stripe along the leg and white shoes.

 

(Springfield-jm) – The state’s annual GDP has reached $1 trillion dollars. In a new report published by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Labor and Employment Relations, Illinois joins California, New York, Texas and Florida as the fifth state to have an economy producing $1 trillion in Gross Domestic Product. On the other hand, Illinois has slowed down on economic growth, ranking 34th in the country for economic growth between Q1 2010 and Q2 2022. Economic prosperity is also not evenly spread throughout the state. The report found that while 66 percent of all residents live in the Chicago area, the Chicago area accounts for 75 percent of the GDP. The state’s three largest industries include manufacturing, real estate, and finance. Illinois is also estimated to reach a $2 trillion GDP in the next 25 years due to compound interest. 

 

(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources says squirrel hunting is a great way to get into hunting for the first time. Squirrels are plentiful in Illinois and provide a good introduction to hunting for beginners young and old, says DNR Wildlife Chief Mike Wefer (wee-fer)...

 

 

Illinois Department of Natural Resource Wildlife Chief Mike Wefer. Wefer says squirrel hunting is relatively inexpensive. All you need is camouflage, a bag and either a small caliber rifle or shotgun. 

 

(Undated-jm) – October through April marks prescribed burn season in Illinois. Prescribed burns are controlled applications of fire to the landscape by a team of experts under specific weather conditions. Officials said fire continues to be an important part of prairie and forest ecosystems to keep them healthy by recycling nutrients back in the soils more quickly and lessening the severity of wildfires.

 

(Paxton-jm) – The state of Illinois announced they were paying membership fees for students to participate in FFA this year. Paxton-Buckley–Loda FFA Advisor Kirsten Wyatt talks about why that is so important and how that is helping members…

 

 

Paxton Buckley Loda FFA Advisor Kirsten Wyatt. The WPXN FFA Ag Auction, sponsored by the Illinois Pork Producers Association, Illinois Soybean Association and Culvers in Champaign Urbana and Danville, will take place on Saturday, October 22nd from 8 to noon. 

 

(Urbana-jm) – A new U of I supercomputer is making it possible for research on campus to be done from anywhere. The Delta Computer is said to be 10 times more powerful than its predecessor. Along with the processing power, experts said the computer is a huge source of artificial intelligence for people around the globe to use.

 

(Rantoul–jc) Redevelopment has started on a property on Rantoul’s west side that was home to a Days Inn Hotel and then a Knights Inn Hotel. Core Acquisitions has purchased the property near the Rantoul Sports Complex, the Rantoul Super Walmart and Shields Auto Center in the village. The group has plans for a 6 business complex that includes a Starbucks and a Jersey Mikes store. Core Acquisitions Spokesperson Adam Bell says 5 of the 6 spots are already sold as the group looks for a business to take over the final position on the property…

 

 

Core Acquisitions Spokesperson Adam Bell

 

(Champaign-jm) – Champaign Police Chief Timothy T. Tyler is pleased to announce the appointment of two long-serving members of the Champaign Police Department to serve as Deputy Police Chiefs. Geoffrey Coon has been appointed as Deputy Police Chief of Operational Support. Coon has served in the role in an interim capacity since December 2021. He oversees the Department’s Investigations Division and specialized units including the multijurisdictional Street Crimes Task Force, Evidence Division, High Tech Crimes, Crime Analysis, and Crime Scene Units. Kevin Olmstead has been appointed as Deputy Police Chief of Operations. Olmstead has served in the role in an interim capacity since November 2021. He oversees the Department’s Uniform Patrol Division and specialized units including the Crisis Intervention Team, SWAT, Field Training, Explosive Ordinance Disposal, and K-9 Units.