(Springfield-jm) – Governor J-B Pritzker signed 90 bills into law Friday. Here’s a look at a few of them. The laws range from requiring large music venues to have narcan on hand in case someone overdoses, to eliminating any mention of the death penalty in state statutes. One, from Representative Amy Elik of Alton, makes September 17th Constitution Day at school…
State Representative Amy Elik of Alton. Another new law requires schools to notify parents within 24 hours of learning about a bullying incident. And go ahead and hang those fuzzy dice from your rearview mirror, because that’s now legal under a bill the Governor signed.
Senator Mike Simmons of Chicago sponsored legislation that replaces pronouns like “his” and “hers” with “the child” and replaces “mother” with “person who gave birth” in several state statutes that deal with children…
State Senator Mike Simmons of Chicago. There’s also a new law prohibiting utilities from shutting off a customer’s electricity or gas because of overdue bills if the temperature is over 90 degrees or there is a heat watch or advisory.
(Springfield-jm) – Illinois is one of the worst states for postal workers being accosted by dogs. According to a report by the United States Postal Service, Illinois ranked sixth in the country for states where the most postal workers were bitten by dogs while delivering mail on their routes last year. Among the largest metro areas, Chicago ranked sixth for the highest amount of dog attacks. USPS officials said dog owners have a responsibility to ensure they don’t attack mail carriers.
(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois Liquor Control Commission is taking action to help make sure consumers don’t grab the wrong drink at the store. The Commission has filed an emergency rule to address concerns over co-branding, where alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages carry the same or similar brand name and logo, says Executive Director Lisa Gardner…
Illinois Liquor Control Commission Executive Director Lisa Gardner. Under the rule, large retailers can’t display alcoholic drinks right next to soda, fruit juices, water or certain snack foods. Smaller stores must either do the same thing or post signage indicating the product contains booze.
(Champaign-jm) – The McDonalds by Marketplace Mall is closing today for several months. The owners of the location say the existing building will be torn down and a new $3 million one built in its place. It is expected to take 3-4 months to complete and will include a double drive thru and playland. The owners of that location also own 9 other area McDonalds and say the Rantoul and Urbana location will receive smaller upgrades later this year.
(Rantoul-jm) – A Champaign man charged in connection to the officer involved shooting in Rantoul last week must prove the source of bail if he wants to be released before his trial. A Champaign County judge ruled Jheremia McKown will have to prove the bond money is coming from a legitimate and lawful source after prosecutors allege a recorded conversation he had with someone has raised concerns the money may not be from a lawful source. McKown was in a vehicle that had two handguns and several bags of cannabis for sale. Jordan Richardson was shot by a Rantoul police officer after a chase and Richardson allegedly pointing a gun towards pursuing officers.
(Paxton–jc) One local military group continues to grow and help veterans and their families. The Ford County Veterans Assistance Center has opened in the state street mall along route 45 in the city of Paxton. The center is operated by local resident Rebecca Rutledge. One volunteer is local businessperson Pat Milchuck. Milchuck talks about how the money given to the local center is used to help local veterans…
Ford County Veterans Assistance Center volunteer Pat Milchuck.
(Rantoul-jm) – A Rantoul man is behind bars on $1 million bond. Patrick Brewster was arrested after police were called after Brewster allegedly threatened the mother of his children with a gun. Police located 21 grams of cocaine, 226 painkiller pills and a loaded pistol. Brewster is charged with being an armed habitual offender, armed violence, possession with intent to deliver cocaine, possession of a stolen vehicle and domestic battery.
(Kankakee County-jm) – Three bats tested positive for rabies recently in Kankakee County. The positive bats were located in the areas of Grant Park, Kankakee, and St. Anne. Thirteen bats have tested positive for rabies in Illinois so far this year, and a total of 61 bats tested positive for rabies throughout the whole state of Illinois in 2022.
(Melvin–jc) – The Ford County Fair starts on Saturday June 25th. Entries for all categories are due. WPXN’s Joel Cluver has the details…
(Undated-jm) – The Illinois Milk Producers Association recently donated nearly 10,000 pounds of milk, including lactose-free, between two local food banks. The group donated about 2,000 half-gallon containers of milk, and nearly 400 half-gallon containers of lactose-free milk. The donation is made in partnership with Prairie Farms, Illinois Corn Growers Association and Illinois Soybean Association. Prairie Farms delivered the donations to the Central Illinois Foodbank in Springfield and the Eastern Illinois Food Bank in Urbana this week.
(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois State Board of Education continues to seek applications for 75 million dollars in preschool grant funding. The funding is part of the Governor’s Smart Start initiative and will go to new or existing programs that plan to expand. The idea is to make sure all three and four year olds have access to quality preschool, says State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders…
State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders. The grants are geared toward areas with “preschool deserts,” where there just aren’t any preschools or there are no spots open in current programs. More details are available online at: isbe dot net.
(Champaign-jm) – Two men have been arrested following an investigation into an early morning fight and stabbing on S. Neil Street. Champaign Police were dispatched at 1:26 a.m. on Sunday, to the 100-block of S. Neil Street for a report of a shooting with injury. On scene, officers found a 21-year-old female victim from Champaign with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the arm and a 21-year-old male victim from Champaign with a potentially life-threatening stab wound to the back. The investigation indicated that this incident started as an argument inside the premises of a nearby business before spilling into the street, where a large fight erupted. During the altercation, 23-year-old Sergio Sosa of Rantoul, Illinois, is alleged to have produced a knife and stabbed the male victim. Sosa was arrested on June 11 on pending charges including Aggravated Battery. Additionally, 22-year-old Junior Molinero of Arthur, Illinois, has been identified as an aggressor in the fight and arrested pending charges for Mob Action.
(Champaign-jm) – Champaign Police were dispatched at 3:35 a.m. Sunday morning to the 1000 block of N. Sixth Street for a report of a shooting with injuries and multiple traffic collisions. Upon arrival, officers found several victims with gunshot wounds and began to render medical aid until an ambulance could arrive. At the same time, additional victims arrived at an area hospital. In all, four individuals were struck by gunfire and two were struck by vehicles related to this incident. On scene, officers learned that a large crowd had formed for an impromptu gathering when an unknown subject opened fire. Police do not believe this incident and the stabbing and shooting above were related.
(Rantoul–jc) Baseball and softball are in full swing with games at the local Rantoul Sports Complex. One group at the diamonds this past weekend was Batman Baseball Bash. Softball games were also on the diamonds this past weekend. Rantoul Sports Complex Director of Sports Operations Ryan Reid says additional sports are planned for June and July…
Rantoul Sports Complex Director of Sports Operations Ryan Reid.
(Rantoul-jm) – On Friday at approximately 11:41am, Rantoul Police were dispatched to the Falcon Drive Apartments for an armed subject. The reporting person stated there was a black male dressed in all black clothing wearing a ski mask outside waving a handgun in the air. The reporting person further stated this person was making threats and chasing a subject with the gun. Officers arrived on scene and located a subject matching this description crossing Maplewood Dr from Falcon Dr approaching Mahoning Trailer Park. A second subject was also walking with this subject. As officers began exiting their squads, the two subjects fled on foot. Officers observed the two subjects run into 9 Mahoning Dr. Multiple people were observed inside the trailer, but they continued to disregard commands to exit the residence. Over the course of the next hour, officers continued to make commands for the subjects inside to exit. Eventually seven subjects exited the residence and were detained as officers continued to investigate.
(Watseka-jm) – A 26-year-old Watseka man was sentenced on two felony charges in Livingston County. Ryan Peters pled guilty to the felony charge of Unlawful Delivery of Cocaine and for Traveling to Meet a Minor, a class three felony. He was sentenced to four years in prison. He gets credit for serving 279 days in the Livingston County Jail. Peters will have to serve 50 percent of the sentence and register as a sex offender for 10 years. The Fairbury Police Department arrested Peters last September. A child porn possession and indecent solicitation of a child charge were dropped. Investigators say Peters is also facing similar charges in two other counties.
