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Legislation banning the use of single-use styrofoam food containers is advancing in the Illinois House

(Urbana–jc) WPXN news has learned that the Urbana School district building caught fire early this morning. Police say that fire started in a reception area of the building around 2 this morning. Details are sketchy. More information is found on line with WCIA news. 

 

(Springfield-jm) – Illinois has blocked the construction of new nuclear plants since 1987, but that could change this spring. A bipartisan group of state lawmakers wants to remove the moratorium on building nuclear generators and take advantage of new carbon-free technology. Democrats and Republicans on the House Public Utilities Committee said that the state should consider bringing more nuclear plants online to replace coal and natural gas facilities closing due to requirements in the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act passed in 2021.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) – Comptroller Susana Mendoza says the state’s rainy day fund is getting another boost. The stash is vital in times of emergency and just received a deposit of 320 million dollars. That brings the long-neglected fund up to more than 751 million, which is a big improvement says Comptroller Mendoza…

 

 

State Comptroller Susana Mendoza. Mendoza says ultimately, she would like to see the rainy day fund be seven and a half percent of the state’s current budget. That would be about three and a quarter billion dollars.

 

(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois National Guard says they have “open arms” for the 313, or about 2%, of the state’s service members who were barred from attending drills for not complying with President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate now that the mandate has been rescinded. A spokesman for the guard says only one member was discharged for refusal during the six month period. How many medical and religious exemption requests were filed, accepted or denied wasn’t immediately available.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Legislation banning the use of single-use styrofoam food containers is advancing in the Illinois House. The main goal of prohibiting polystyrene food ware is to reduce pollution, says Glenview Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz…

 

 

State Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz of Glenview. The bill would be phased in, taking effect in January of 2024 for most restaurants and in 2025 for food pantries, soup kitchens and restaurants with less than half a million dollars in sales. It passed a House committee and now faces a vote on the House floor.

 

(Champaign-jm) – A Champaign man was arrested in connection to an October 2021 shooting on North Prospect. Derrick Humphery, Jr., 32, was arrested following an investigation into a shooting that occurred on North Prospect on October, 24, 2021. Champaign Police responded to the area of Town Center Boulevard and North Prospect Avenue for a reported shooting with injuries. When they arrived, officers located a 24-year-old man inside a vehicle with a life-threatening gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to a hospital, where he received treatment. The victim continues to recover from his injuries.

 

(Urbana-jm) – The Urbana Police Department is asking for help in identifying a pair of thieves who stole from a store in the area. The two suspects were captured on the store’s security cameras as they were leaving. Both appeared to be White; one was wearing a black Reebok hoodie and khaki pants with holes in the knees and thighs, along with a face mask and baseball cap. The other was not masked, displaying a mustache, and was wearing a brown jacket, blue jeans and a black stocking cap.

 

(Champaign-jm) – A Pesotum man is facing up to 30 years in prison for arson. Brandon Schultz was charged with aggravated arson after admitting he set a fire at an apartment complex in Champaign to raise awareness about homelessness in the community.

 

(Washington-jm) – What does USDA see for dairy production, supply and prices for this year? Rod Bain reports…

 

 

(Springfield-jm) – Attorney General Kwame Raoul highlighted changes to the Military Veterans Assistance Act that improve oversight of county veterans assistance commissions and allow the Attorney General’s office to enforce the act. The Military Veterans Assistance Act was amended and passed by the Illinois General Assembly in May 2022 and established minimum funding requirements for county veterans assistance commissions  that are located throughout Illinois.

 

(Chicago-jm) – A major rehabilitation project on the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago kicks off March 20th. The estimated 150 million dollar project includes fixing 36 bridge structures, installing new signage and LED lights and pavement repair. Illinois Department of Transportation Spokesperson Maria Castaneda says this will be done over three construction seasons…

 

 

IDOT Spokesperson Maria Castaneda. I-DOT says commuters can expect travel delays and are urged to take public transportation if possible or alter their schedule to avoid peak hours.

 

(Undated-jm) – After above average temperatures for Illinois on Wednesday, a blast of winter will affect parts of the state on Friday. The National Weather Service reports the system will arrive tonight in the form of rain. During the day Friday, the rain will change over to snow for areas west of the Illinois River and north, affecting Chicago. Some areas may receive several inches of wet, heavy snow. 

 

(Springfield-jm) – Governor J-B Pritzker is announcing nearly 60 million dollars in grants for local park and recreation projects in Illinois. The money will help fund 118 projects, such as extending a hiking trail and replacing an outdoor public pool in Peoria and building a new park in Benld (ben-eld) , says Governor Pritzker. He notes that 25 percent of grants are going to distressed communities…

 

 

Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. Funds are available through the OSLAD, or Open Land Space and Acquisition Development Program, and this is the largest round of grants in the program’s 36 year history.

 

(Paxton-jm) – A traffic violation in Ford County led to the discovery of 12.5 pounds of cocaine.  39-year-old Jose De Jesus Belendez is jailed in Paxton.  Ford County Sheriff's Police report a K-9 sniffed out the cocaine inside a duffle bag inside the car.  The contraband had a street value estimated at $150,000.

 

(Urbana-jm) – The Urbana Park District is asking for a million dollars in COVID relief funding from Champaign County. The park district wants to use the money for a new health and wellness center. Current ideas include indoor and outdoor recreational features, like baseball diamonds and basketball courts. The district says they’ll still be collecting feedback from the community about the project.

 

(Champaign-jm) – The 14th annual Prom Benefit for the Eastern Illinois Foodbank will be held on Saturday, March 4 at the Hilton Garden Inn from 7 – 11pm. This year’s goal is to raise 375,000 meals for food-insecure individuals and families in the Foodbank’s 18-county service territory. At any given time, more than 100,000 people in eastern Illinois, including 1 in 6 children, do not have access to enough nutritious food to support a healthy lifestyle.

 

(Washington-jm) – The U.S. beef cattle herd is already smaller than it was a year ago and one expert says it will get even smaller as the year wears on. Gary Crawford reports…

 

 

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