(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is reminding parents and caregivers of the importance of always supervising children when they are in or near water to avoid the tragedy of accidental drowning deaths. In 2023, 20 Illinois children lost their lives to accidental drowning, including eight in pools, four in lakes and two in ponds. Thirteen of the children were ages 5 and younger; including six of the children who drowned in pools.

(Springfield-jm) – Collectible currency, coins, and jewelry are among the hundreds of unclaimed property items to be auctioned online from June 17 through June 21 through the Illinois Treasurer’s office. A total of 100 lots will be auctioned, with each lot consisting of a single item or multiple items.

(Washington-jm) – Crop growers have until mid-July to report acreage planted this year at their local Farm Service Agency office, but why is it important? Rod Bain reports…

(Chicago-jm) – The longtime chief of staff for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan reported to federal prison Tuesday. Last year, a jury found 69-year-old Tim Mapes guilty of lying to a federal grand jury when answering questions about an investigation into Madigan and others. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Madigan is scheduled to go on trial in October on bribery and racketeering charges.

(Springfield–jc) – Illinois House bill 50-0h-5 is now on its way to the Governor’s Desk. The measure is a tax incentive program for electric vehicle battery manufacturer Gotion and also quantum computing companies and Electric vehicle companies and semiconductor manufacturers. State Representative C-D Davidsmeyer, Republican of Murrayville says it's giving huge dollars being paid for by the small businesses of Illinois…

Illinois State Representative C-D Davidsmeyer- Republican of Murraysville

Illinois State Representative Democrat Dave Vella of Loves Park says the tax credits will create jobs…

Illinois State Representative Democrat Dave Vella of Loves Park. The governor is expected to sign the bill into law. 

(Paxton–jc)  Due to some vandalism concerns, Paxton city leaders have set new hours for city parks. City parks in Paxton will be open from 5am until 9pm each day. The new hours start today. 

(Champaign-jm) – The Champaign Fire Department responded to a fire in a school in the 2500 block of Galen Dr., Tuesday at 2:35 p.m.  Fire crews were able to quickly get the fire under control.  Firefighters responded to a report from an occupant of a fire initially believed to be contained to a bathroom vent fan.  Once on the scene, fire crews reported staff had safely evacuated all the students and went inside to investigate.  Firefighters found the fire had extended beyond the bathroom vent fan and deployed multiple hose lines to extinguish the fire. The cause of this fire was accidental and attributed to the failure of a bathroom vent fan.

(Paxton–jc) Paxton city leaders along with members with the Paxton Mainstreet Group and Paxton Area Chamber of Commerce continue to look at the economic development progress in the city to keep momentum going for its businesses. Paxton Mainstreet Group Executive Director Donna Pepper says Paxton is a destination for a great meal to great shopping..

Paxton Mainstreet Group Executive Director Donna Pepper. 

(Mahomet–jc)  – A Transformer caught fire in Mahomet on Tuesday. The location was near Tin Cup park. Fire crews were called to the scene and helped at the scene. No word on any extensive power outages was given. 

(Urbana-jm) – The Urbana Police Department and Champaign County Crime Stoppers are asking for help from the public in solving a shots fired incident that happened last month. The shooting happened the night of May 18 in the area of Florida Avenue and Lincolnwood Drive. Officials said that around 9:12 p.m., five people walking at that location saw a car slowly turn toward them. At least two people from the group pulled out guns and fired at the car, which fled the scene; the suspects also left the scene on foot. No injuries were reported.

(Rantoul–jc)  It started  at  6 this morning  and runs through 6 tonight. It is a fundraiser for the Rantoul Paxton V F W Post 67-50. Volunteers from the service organization will be at the corners of route 136 and Route 45 in Rantoul gathering donations for daily operation support. Rantoul Paxton V-F-W Post 67-50 spokesperson Joe Manka  

Rantoul Paxton V F W Post 67-50 Spokesperson Joe Manka

WPXN will be there with Becky Puetz this morning in the 8am and 9am hours.

(Paxton–jc)The Paxton Park District Pool is set to open today.  The first adult swim is set for Noon until 1pm and public swim begins at 1 this afternoon.

(Springfield-jm) – No student in Illinois would be able to receive physical punishment like slapping or paddling if the governor signs a bill on his desk. A bill amending Illinois’s School Code would ban all school personnel, including ones in non-public schools, from administering corporal punishment on students passed both chambers of the legislature last month. Corporal punishment is defined as “a discipline method in which a person deliberately inflicts pain upon a student in response to the student’s unacceptable behavior or inappropriate language, with an aim to halt an offense, prevent its recurrence, or set an example for others.” The bill received bipartisan support, as it passed the House 79-26 and the Senate 51-8.

(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois House failed to pass a plan to enhance the quality of public drinking water before session ended last month. This proposal could require the Illinois Department of Public Health to work with the Pollution Control Board to update drinking water standards to establish new limits on maximum levels of forever chemicals. Senate Bill 727 also calls for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to convene a group of environmental stakeholders within a year to identify any other water contaminants or chemicals that should be regulated by the state.

(Washington-jm) – There are at least a couple of positive signs in USDA's latest ag. trade update. Gary Crawford reports…

(Canada-jm) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivered the keynote address Tuesday at the US-Canada Summit in Toronto. Before the address, he held a public memorandum of understanding signing with Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Pritzker's office said the MOU focuses on collaborating to attract trade opportunities with a focus on manufacturing, energy, agriculture and automotive industries.

(Springfield-jm) – Governor J-B Pritzker signed the state’s budget last week. The budget is a new record for the state. 53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City talks about the budget…

Senator Bennett goes on to say the budget leaves several important groups of people behind while spending millions on the migrant crisis in Chicago and adding a billion dollars in new taxes…

53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City. The state of Illinois has a 53 and one half Billion dollar budget for the next year. The budget has nearly one billion dollars in new taxes. 

(Champaign–dm)- Driving, walking up stairs and pregnancy are normal parts of life. But they’re ones that can bring terrible pain in your sacroiliac (sack-row-ILL-ee-ack) joint, where your back and hip meet. Tim Ditman of OSF HealthCare has tips to back pain free.

Exercising and eating healthy are ways to prevent this type of pain. If stairs cause pain, take the elevator. If you drive often, avoid sudden braking, have a comfy seat and take breaks.

(Rantoul-jm) – A man from Rantoul will spend the next 21 years in federal prison after he was convicted of selling meth. Prosecutors said Artez Johnson was found guilty of possession of meth with intent to distribute by a jury last August. U.S. District Judge Collin Bruce sentenced Johnson to 21 years in prison and seven years of parole for the crime. Evidence presented during the trial showed that in February 2023, Johnson was pulled over in Rantoul and the officer noticed a small bag of suspected cocaine on the driver’s seat. A subsequent search of the car found three Ziploc bags of meth in the center console, weighing 330 grams or seven-tenths of a pound.