(Chicago-jm) – The Illinois Department of Public Health has announced the first human case of 2024 in Illinois of West Nile virus. The individual is in their 60s and lives in suburban Cook County. The onset of virus symptoms was in mid-June. IDPH has reported 33 Illinois counties this year with positive results. There were 119 human cases of the mosquito-borne illness reported in Illinois last year, up from 34 human cases in 2022. There were six human deaths attributed to West Nile virus in the state in 2023.
(Milwaukee-jm) – Illinois delegates to the Republican National Convention heard from their new state party chair for the first time Wednesday. Peter Hancock of Capitol News Illinois has that story...
(Undated-jm) – July 17 was deemed Speed Awareness Day in Illinois. For the occasion, the Illinois Department of Transportation collaborated with several agencies to remind drivers to drive slow and stay safe. IDOT said that speeding is the leading cause of car crashes. In Illinois, 1,241 people were killed in crashes just last year. More than half of those deaths were due to speeding.
(Crescent City–jc) When you go to a county fair, you have to think food and one stop at the Iroquois County fair now through Sunday at the fairgrounds north of Crescent City is pizza and the Pizza Palace building. Owner Eric Bull says its slices to freeze dried candy...
Pizza Palace Owner Eric Bull
(McLean County-jm) – The trial for seven people who were arrested at Illinois State University in May for protesting the war in Gaza will be delayed until July 31. During a pretrial hearing in McLean County, the attorney for the protestors asked for the delay. The seven people were arrested following a meeting with the president of ISU in which the defendants allegedly would not leave the premises after the building closed.
(Loda–jc) Win a golf cart and see some great fireworks. That is the formula for the town of Loda with Good ole Days activities, a truck and tractor pull and July fireworks. Loda events spokesperson John Zalaker says the funds to help with the events come from the local...
Loda Events spokesperson John Zalaker
(Crescent City–jc) 16 youth participated in the 20-24 Iroquois County Fair talent show. WPXN's Joel Cluver has the results
(Springfield-jm) – A new survey shows that nearly a third of Illinois small businesses couldn't pay their rent on time or in full in June, but conditions have improved. The small business network Alignable survey shows that nationwide, 46% of small business owners reported rent difficulties, the highest delinquency rate since March 2021. Only 28% of small businesses said they have fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. Researcher Chuck Casto said an interest rate cut by the Fed would be welcomed by small businesses. June broke a record for 2024 in terms of revenue loss impacting the greatest number of small businesses, indicating a significant economic backslide from March, when just 64% were making less monthly than they did before the pandemic. Labor costs are also taking a toll. The survey showed that 79% of small business owners said they're paying employees more now than last year. That is an increase of nine percentage points from May and up 18 percentage points from April. In 2019, Illinois lawmakers voted to gradually increase the minimum wage. At the time it was $8.25 per hour. In 2024, the minimum wage is $14 per hour and will increase to $15 in 2025. Conditions improved in Illinois as 30% of small business owners experienced rent troubles in June, down 10% from May.
(Springfield-jm) – A new report out shows the state's high taxes may be contributing to the record outmigration. 53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City discusses the report...
53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City.
(Kankakee-jm) – The Kankakee County Coroner's Office is investigating the drowning death of a six-year-old child in the Kankakee River. The child was with other children playing on a boat dock near the Kankakee Boat Club. Emergency officials say they responded when learning the child had gone into the river to retrieve a ball. Nearby adults were unable to reach the victim. Dive teams from MABAS Division 15 were able to retrieve the body, once it was located with a sonar system off the north river bank.
(Machesney Park–jc) One Illinois state representative at the Republican National Convention is Machesney Park's John Cabello. Cabello says a top of the ticket duo of Trump and Vance is key for success in down ballot races....
90th District State Representative and delegate to the Republican National Convention John Cabello of Machesney Park
(Urbana–jc) –: It's one of the most common back problems, but you may not know the science behind herniated discs and, more importantly, the best ways to turn back the hands of time. Tim Ditman of OSF HealthCare has more from a local expert...
(Ford County-jm) – Ford County tentatively has a new public health administrator. The Ford County Board of Health approved hiring a new public health administrator, Paul Abraham of Champaign. It still must be approved by the full county board.
(Crescent City–jc) Wednesday was the first full day of the 20-24 Iroquois County Fair near Crescent City and newly crowned queen Jahni Lavicka is still amazed and proud to be chosen as fair queen. She says its a cool dream, but real...
2024 Miss Iroquois County Fair Queen Jahni Lavicka
(Undated–jc) Now that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has approved Illinois' proposal for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, implementation is underway.
The approval enables the state to request access to funding for the BEAD program.
Devon Braunstein, director of the Illinois Office of Broadband, said Illinois will be receiving just over $1 billion for the broadband rollout.
According to a 2019 American Community Survey, 1.4 million Illinois households do not subscribe to a high-speed internet service, and over 1.1 million households lack a desktop or laptop computer.In June 2020, the Illinois General Assembly directed the Illinois Broadband Advisory Council to study various questions related to broadband access and affordability, including cost estimates for universal broadband access where existing broadband infrastructure is insufficient
(Chicago-jm) – Lawyers for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan are seeking to get some of the corruption counts against him tossed out. Madigan's lawyers are seeking dismissal of 14 of the 23 counts in light of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the bribery case of the former mayor of Portage, Indiana. The court narrowed the scope of federal public corruption law, finding that it is a criminal act to take bribes before an official act but not if the public official accepts "gratuities"
WPXN News Notes...
Tonight at the Iroquois County Fair its the demolition derby at 730.
The Eastern Illinois Foodbank will hold their foodmobile today from 9-9:30 at Edge Insurance Buckley, 10-10:30 at Durham Park in Onarga, 11-11:30 at the Crescent City community center, 12:30-1 at Runnings in Watseka and 1:30-2 at Milford Town and Country.
