(Springfield-jm) – Before they left for summer break last month, Illinois state legislators approved more than 500 bills. The House filed more than 4,100 bills so far for the 103rd Illinois General Assembly. The Senate filed nearly 2,600. Of those, 346 House bills passed and 220 Senate bills passed both chambers for a total of 566 bills set to be sent to Governor J.B. Pritzker’s desk.
(Washington-jm) – Both Illinois U.S. senators, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, were in favor of the debt ceiling deal that advanced out of Congress. It was a mixed bag for the House vote. All Illinois Republican congressmen opposed the bill, but Democrats were split. All but three Democrats supported the bill. Representatives Chuy Garcia, Jan Schakowsky and Delia Ramirez voted no.
(Springfield-jm) – Legislation awaiting the Governor’s signature requires health insurers to cover hearing aids. The bill expands coverage of the devices to include all adults. Right now, only hearing aids for children are paid for. Representative Sharon Chung of Bloomington responded to concerns that this is too costly for healthcare companies…
State Representative Sharon Chung of Bloomington. About 20 other states already have a similar law.
(Undated-jm) – Emergency crews around the county were busy over the weekend. Elliott firefighters were called to a two vehicle accident on the Ford/Champaign County line Friday evening. Saturday morning Gibson City firefighters were called to a two vehicle accident. Saturday afternoon, Roberts and Melvin firefighters were called to a corn bale on fire. Sunday morning, Roberts, Melvin, Gibson City and Elliott firefighters were called to a fire in Melvin.
(Paxton–jc) City of Paxton leaders continue to work on proper zoning for some houses in Paxton, This project to get the housing lots and homes up to date, has been proceeding for several years. Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold says the process includes notices and more…
Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold
(Gibson City-jm) – A popular restaurant is bouncing back with a new look. Three weeks ago, a customer eating breakfast at the Blue Star Cafe called 9-1-1 after noticing smoke coming from the building above them. A massive fire broke out, displacing families from nearby apartments and the restaurant. But, the cafe found a new location – 526 S Sangamon Avenue. They plan to reopen Monday, June 5.
(Champaign-jm) – The investigation into a shooting that happened in Champaign in May has pinpointed a suspect. Crime Stoppers is now asking the public for help in identifying him. The shooting happened on May 5 in the area of Springfield Avenue and Kenwood Road. Police officials said that an argument in that area around 11:45 p.m. escalated into shots being fired, and an uninvolved woman was grazed in the hand by a bullet. She was treated at the scene by EMS and did not have to go to the hospital. The person police suspect of having a role in this shooting was recorded on security cameras. He is described as being a Black male approximately 30 to 40 years old with short hair and a goatee. He was last seen wearing a white shirt, white pants and red and white shoes.
(Washington-jm) – How will FY2023 agricultural exports compare to agricultural imports? Gary Crawford reports…
(Springfield-jm) – The state of Illinois has settled a case alleging a pharmaceutical company deployed monopolistic tactics. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced the $102.5 million settlement with 41 other states and Indivior Inc., the maker of the opioid addiction treatment drug Suboxone. The state of Illinois is expected to get $2.9 million from the case.
(Springfield-jm) – The most common crimes Illinois victims endured were theft and assault. Neighborhood Scout compiled data for 2021 and found 51,100 violent crimes in Illinois and 188,000 property crimes for a total of 238,100 crimes. For violent crime, the data shows nearly 4 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, nearly 15 property crimes per 1,000 and nearly 19 overall crimes per 1,000.
(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois Department of Transportation is rebooting the “It’s not a Game” safe driving campaign for 2023. This is the second year for the campaign which plays on old school video games and the notion that on the road, there aren't any extra lives says IDOT Spokesperson Paul Wappel…
IDOT Spokesperson Paul Wappel. There’s also a website: its not a game illinois dot com with more safety tips, videos and an online quiz. So far this year in Illinois, there have been more than 430 traffic fatalities.
(Rantoul-jm) – Rantoul firefighters continue to investigate the cause of a fire that damaged two apartments and a shed last week. Crews responded to the fire Wednesday morning on St. Andrews Circle. The fire started in an exterior storage shed which was destroyed and damaged the exterior of two apartments and one apartment sustained water damage.
(Champaign-jm) – A 34-year-old Champaign man is dead Sunday following a stabbing. The Champaign Police Department reported that officers were dispatched at 6:08 a.m. Sunday morning to the 600-block of West Bradley Avenue after the 34-year-old man arrived at an area hospital with a life-threatening stab wound where he later died. Champaign Police were sent to the man’s address, where they located a crime scene. There, the initial investigation indicates that the victim and 43-year-old Taneshia Brooks of Champaign were involved in a domestic dispute when the victim was stabbed. Champaign Police arrested Brooks for her involvement in this incident. She remains in the custody of the Champaign County Correctional Center, awaiting charges.
(Springfield-jm) – 53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City is recapping the state budget. Senator Bennett voted against the budget…
53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City.
(Urbana-jm) – An Urbana man is under arrest after University of Illinois Police officials said he was caught near campus with a loaded gun and drugs. An officer conducting a patrol spotted a suspicious car with its trunk open and two men carrying a TV away from an apartment complex. The car the officer observed, officials said, belonged to Brandon Turk of Urbana. When the officer stopped to inquire about the situation, officials said he smelled marijuana and alcohol coming from Turk’s car. They also said the officer spotted an open bottle of liquor in the car while the TV was being loaded. This, officers told Turk, gave them legal justification to search the car. Officials said that Turk then locked the car and tried to leave, without success. Upon searching the car, police found a loaded handgun under the driver’s seat, along with illegally packaged cannabis and psilocybin mushrooms. Turk was arrested on charges of armed violence, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, possession of a controlled substance and illegal possession of marijuana. A judge set bond at $50,000.
(Champaign-jm) – The State Farm Center announced the addition of “Thursday Night Live” to its lineup of fall shows. The comedy event will feature Saturday Night Live head writer and “Weekend Update” co-host Colin Jost, along with very special guests, SNL cast members Andrew Dismukes and Marcello Hernandez. The trio will make their Champaign appearance on Thursday, September 7 at 7:30 p.m. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, June 9 at Noon.
(Washington-jm) – The latest U.S. Drought Monitor reveals signs of flash drought in some corn and soybean production areas in the Midwest. Rod Bain reports…
