Listeners Club

Forgot Password

Not a Member? Sign up here!

WPXN Blog

The 103rd General Assembly was sworn in Wednesday, with plenty of new faces and pledges to work together

(Springfield-jm) – The 103rd General Assembly was sworn in Wednesday, with plenty of new faces and pledges to work together. Don Harmon has been elected Senate President for a third term and spoke about the need for lawmakers to maintain the highest ethical standards. He quoted a former Chicago Police Superintendent who issued this warning to new officers…

 

 

Senate President Don Harmon. A new Republican leader was selected, Senator John Curran…

 

 

Senate Republican Leader John Curran. House Speaker Chris Welch was elected to another term and the House GOP Leader is now Tony McCombie.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Local lawmakers were also among those sworn in Wednesday. Mike Marron is entering his 4th term in the Illinois House and spoke about the 103rd General Assembly…

 

 

State Representative Mike Marron of Fithian. Tom Bennett is taking on a new role in Illinois politics. Bennett, the former 106th District State Representative, took his oath, becoming the newest 53rd District State Senator following the retirement of Jason Barickman…

 

 

New 53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City. Paul Faraci was sworn in as the new 52nd District State Senator replacing the late Scott Bennett.

 

(Urbana-jm) – University of Illinois Police said an automated license plate reader helped them arrest a woman accused of taking part in an armed road rage incident earlier this week. University Police officials said a witness called them on Tuesday to report that someone displayed a gun during the incident, which happened on Kirby Avenue between Neil and Fourth Streets. Using information from a license plate reader unit, police were able to locate the offender’s car within minutes. The car was pulled over in Urbana on Lincoln Avenue and the driver, 37-year-old Sashay Pirant of Rantoul, was arrested. She was booked into the Champaign County Jail on charges of unlawful use of a weapon, disorderly conduct and aggravated assault.

 

(Watseka-jm) – Many counties in Illinois have no plans to enforce the newly enacted assault weapons ban, according to letters released Wednesday. The Protect Illinois Communities Act was passed through the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor J-B Pritzker Tuesday. It halts the sale of assault weapons in the state of Illinois and requires owners of such weapons to register them with local law enforcement before the end of 2023. The first central Illinois sheriff to announce they will not enforce the ban is Iroquois County Sheriff Clint Perzee, in a letter to residents. Other central Illinois counties that have confirmed will not enforce the ban include Logan County, Piatt County, McLean County and DeWitt County. Governor Pritzker said in his bill-signing news conference that all Illinoisans will be required to follow the law and that there will be no option for non-compliance.

 

(Washington-jm) – The Agriculture Secretary recently shared his thoughts on a new Farm Bill and what he hopes it is able to accomplish. Rod Bain reports…

 

 

(Champaign-jm) – A Champaign man with prior convictions has been sentenced to 9 years in prison for having a gun and resisting arrest. Linnez Blount received the sentence in Champaign County court after pleading guilty in two separate cases. In the first case, Bloun admitted to having a loaded pistol on him when he was arrested for shoplifting at the Urbana Walmart. He received 8 years for that case. In the other case, he resisted arrest after he was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by police. He was wanted for failure to appear on charges of armed violence and forgery. He received a year for that case.

 

(Champaign-jm) – C-U at Home’s annual community awareness and fundraising event combines familiar activities with fresh experiences this year. One Winter Night 2023 will take place Friday, February 3 at The Venue CU in downtown Champaign, on the University of Illinois campus, and remotely at area churches. The Venue CU at 51 E. Main in Champaign will serve as the primary community location where people can participate in the homeless simulation/fundraising experience by staying outside from 6 pm to midnight in tents, makeshift shelters, or cars. There will also be a program inside from 7-9 pm for both simulation participants and anyone in the community who is interested in just attending the program.

 

(Springfield-jm) – The 103rd General Assembly was sworn in Wednesday, with plenty of new faces and pledges to work together. House Speaker Chris Welch has been re-elected to lead the chamber…

 

 

House Speaker Chris Welch. Representative Tony McCombie is the new GOP leader in the House…

 

 

House GOP Leader Tony McCombie. In the Senate,  Don Harmon will continue as President and the Minority Leader is John Curran.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Local lawmakers were also among those sworn in Wednesday. State Representative Chris Miller of Oakland is returning for his 3rd term and prior to the ceremony said House Republicans need to keep pushing back against the Democrat agenda…

 

 

State Representative Chris Miller of Oakland. Representative Miller’s new 110th legislative district goes as far south as Lawrenceville and as far north as Hoopeston, encompassing Representative Mike Marron’s 104th District. State Representative Dan Caulkins of Decatur is also entering his 3rd term in the House. He talks about the 103rd General Assembly…

 

 

State Representative Dan Caulkins of Decatur. Paul Faraci was sworn in as the new 52nd District State Senator replacing the late Scott Bennett.

 

(Ford County-jm) – A new crime-fighting tool is on the way to Ford County, but not one that you may think. This one will have four legs and a tail. Chad Johnson, the Ford County Sheriff, is establishing a K9 program. He says the dog will help alleviate drug use. Johnson said Ford County has never had a K9 program before. He used to be a K9 officer in Paxton.

 

(Gibson City-jm) – Hustedt Jewelers recently gave an update to the Gibson City community on its store after it and several surrounding buildings were damaged by  fire in July. The jewelry store shared on Facebook that cleaning up the interior of the building has been an “extremely lengthy and stressful process” due to the extensive damage. They said they are still working with insurance companies and other similar people about all of their options.

 

(Washington-jm) – The U.S. is seeing export sales increases for more than just bulk agricultural commodities. Gary Crawford reports…

 

 

(Champaign-jm) – Modern problems require modern solutions, so the city of Champaign wants to bring police recruitment into the 21st century. The City Council decided to work with a private firm to design a digital marketing campaign that will attract new officers. The money was set aside for that purpose years ago, but the project was put on the back-burner once the pandemic hit. Since then, the department has become more strained by a staffing shortage. Although they’ve been rebounding, city officials say there’s still work left to do. After facing a significant staffing shortage, the department hired 22 officers last year. They were especially successful in hiring experienced officers, but there are still 17 vacancies – and they’re hoping for a diverse candidate pool to choose from.


(Watseka-jm) – - Iroquois Memorial Hospital will be holding their “Know Your Numbers” Lab Fair Monday, January 16th through Saturday, January 21st from 7:00 am to 10:00 am, along with a free community health fair in the main lobby each morning.

 

Get our App

Facebook

On Air Now

Regular Programming
12:00am - 6:00am
Regular Programming

Listen on Alexa

Weather

Share This Website