(Springfield-jm) – In less than two weeks, Illinoisans found in possession of banned semi-automatic firearms without registering with Illinois State Police could face criminal penalties. A federal judge has yet to release a ruling on whether to delay Illinois’ gun ban registry. Southern District of Illinois federal Judge Stephen McGlynn heard oral arguments in the case Tuesday. He said he’s inclined to not issue an injunction delaying the Jan. 1 registration deadline, but hadn’t made up his mind. Before adjourning, he said he would issue a ruling promptly. He did not issue a ruling by Friday evening. Earlier in the day Friday, plaintiffs replied to the state’s motion to dismiss the case. Plaintiffs are seeking a delay in the Jan. 1 deadline while the case plays out on the merits. They argued the rules are too confusing and won’t be finalized until after the registration deadline.

 

(Washington-jm) – How much income did family farms bring in in 2022, per USDA's latest "America's Farms and Ranches at a Glance" report? Rod Bain reports…

 

 

(Rantoul-jm) – Rantoul police are investigating a shooting Sunday morning that left a man injured. At 1:00 a.m., a gunshot detection system alerted Rantoul Police to shots fired in the area of Marcia Drive and Gates Drive. Soon after, several 911 calls came in, including one caller who said they could hear someone yelling that they had been shot. Upon arrival at the scene, officers found a 25-year-old man with non-life-threatening injuries. One suspect was described as a man with a slim build who was wearing a dark-colored hoodie and dark-colored pants at the time of the crime. No other suspect information was provided. Separately, a 47-year-old man interfered with and threatened first responders during the shooting investigation, resulting in his arrest. He was charged with obstructing police and firefighters and then transported to the Champaign County Jail. Rantoul Police also continue to investigate 3 shootings that happened Thursday.

 

(Undated-jm) – People gathered at cemeteries around the country Saturday to put wreaths on the graves of fallen soldiers. It’s part of Wreaths Across America. Ceremonies were held in Buckley and Onarga locally as well as over at the National Cemetery in Danville. 

 

(Paxton–jc)  –  There is only one spot in Ford County that helps Veterans and their families. The Ford County Veterans Service Center is located in the State Street Mall in Paxton. Ford County Veterans Assistance Center Director Rebecca Rutledge says they are there to help with a wide variety of services…

 

 

Ford County Veterans Assistance Center Director Rebecca Rutledge

 

(Iroquois County-jm) – In updating our story from last week, Iroquois County Coroner Bill Cheatum has identified the victim of a crash near L’Erable Wednesday.  73-year-old Simon Ramirez of Onarga was pronounced dead at the scene. He was ejected from an SUV he was riding in with his sons. The two other men were treated for injuries at Riverside Hospital in Kankakee. Authorities say the SUV was northbound on 1500 E Road, failed to stop at a stop intersection and drove into the path of a westbound semi on Route 52.  The truck driver was also treated for injuries.

 

(Urbana-jm) – Students at the University of Illinois are researching the recent tornado outbreak in Tennessee. So far, they have collected data on wind speeds and looping features from the leftover debris from the storms. Wind speeds are then estimated based on those loops from photos. Once they have collected their data, the findings will be published in an academic journal.

 

(Paxton–jc)-- In our morning news  Fantastic  Local Finds for Christmas..Here is an idea…Simply Pat’s Hats in the State Street Mall in Paxton. Simply Pat’s Hats Owner Pat Milchuck says most know she makes hats for the Kentucky Derby to the Holidays, but she also makes Men’s Hats and has a full accessory line of other items…

Simply Pat’s Hats of Paxton Owner Pat Milchuck

WPXN news  will feature gift shopping ideas and Fantastic Finds from the local area each weekday morning  on the news this holiday season.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) – The national unemployment rate has edged down to 3.7% from 3.9% in October. Exactly how Illinois has fared will not be clear until the state breakdown numbers are released this week. In October, the Illinois unemployment rate was 4.6%, an increase of 0.2% over September’s numbers. That means Illinois’ unemployment was 0.7% higher than the national unemployment rate in October. Josh Bandoch of the Illinois Policy Institute said taxes and restrictive regulations consistently keep Illinois near the bottom of the 50 states when it comes to unemployment numbers. 

 

(Washington-jm) – A breakdown of size of farms with what commodities they produced is among the topics in USDA's latest edition of its "America's Farms and Ranches at a Glance" report. Rod Bain reports…

 

 

(Bayles Lake-jm) – A Bayles Lake man has died after his vehicle went into the lake mid morning Saturday. Our partners at The Ford County Chronicle report 68 year old Stevie Chapman died after his vehicle went off the road on 200 north and went into Bayles Lake. A good samaritan on vacation from California jumped into the water to try and rescue Chapman before crews from Loda and Buckley arrived on scene. After about 20 minutes underwater, Chapman was rushed to Gibson Area Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

 

(Champaign County-jm) – As the year cools down, the race for Champaign County Coroner is heating up. So far, three candidates have put their names on the ballot for next year’s election: Republican and current Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Thuney and two Democrats – Laurie Brauer and Sean Williams. Thuney took over for Duane Northrup, who resigned on November 30.

 

(Champaign–jc)  There is one doctor that sings to patients for health reasons. O-S-F’s Tim Ditman has the story…

 

 

(Paxton-jm) – In updating our story from Friday, the driver of a vehicle accident on I-57 near Paxton has died. Illinois State Police say a northbound semi was hit in the rear by a passenger vehicle. That passenger vehicle stalled in the right lane of the interstate with no lights activated.  A second truck tractor semi-trailer struck the stalled passenger vehicle. The car crossed the median and came to rest in the southbound lanes. Champaign County Interim Coroner Steve Thuney identified the victim as 27 year old Justice Isom of Collinsville. An autopsy is scheduled for today.

 

(Vermilion County-jm) – A hearing conducted by the Vermilion County Wind and Solar Committee on a proposed new commercial solar farm attracted a crowd to the Cannon Office Building.  Mural Energy, LLC is proposing a solar farm on 1,443 acres of land in Jamaica Township, in the southwestern part of the county. If the project wins approval to proceed, the panels would not start going up until 2026. The project would create 100 to 150 construction jobs which would increase traffic on roads in the area.  The company expects about 17,000 deliveries of supplies during the erection of the panels.  The company says it would be a union project, which would create three or four full time jobs and estimates it would provide $1.4 million dollars annually in new tax revenues for the county – including new revenues for schools in that area.