(Chicago-jm) – Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said the attempted assassination of former President Trump demonstrates why the state's gun ban should remain in place. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that Illinois' ban is 'highly suspect because it broadly prohibits common semiautomatic firearms used for lawful purposes." In a discussion at the City Club of Chicago, Attorney General Raoul questioned whether the text of the Second Amendment protects AR-15s. The Supreme Court declined to hear cases challenging the Illinois ban until appeals courts give their final judgments. Raoul said his office will continue to defend the state's prohibition of semiautomatic rifles.

(Milwaukee-jm) – The Republican National Convention is in the books but Republicans from the state spoke at the convention. They included 15th district Congresswomen Mary Miller...

15th district Congresswomen Mary Miller. 

(Champaign-jm) – The Champaign Police Department is investigating a pair of weekend shootings that left a total of three people hurt, two of them seriously. The first happened in downtown Champaign near Main and Fremont Streets. Department officials said officers patrolling the area heard gunshots at 1:19 a.m. Saturday. On scene, officers found a 42-year-old woman from Rantoul in a vehicle; she had been shot in the leg. The second shooting happened almost 90 minutes later on Colleen Drive. Officials said two teenagers  a male, 16, from Champaign and a female, 18, from Dewey were driving westbound when an unknown subject walked up to them and opened fire, hitting both teens multiple times in their torsos.

(Paxton-jm) – Paxton first responders were called to a single vehicle accident on I-57 Saturday evening. It happened around 8:30 pm in the northbound lanes of I-57 near mile marker 258. No injuries were reported.

(Washington-jm) – At the moment U.S. dairy operators find themselves in a pretty favorable market situation. Gary Crawford reports...

(Rantoul-jm) – Big upgrades are on the way for the Rantoul Youth Center. Congresswoman Robin Kelly presented the center with a $540,000 check. The funding will help make critical upgrades to the kitchen and serving area. It will also finish work in the main dining room and update the offices and gym.

(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois Comptroller says she is confident that the condition of Illinois' pension system is headed in the right direction.  The Commission of Government Forecasting and Accountability reported that Illinois' pension system experienced growth in debt last year of about $2.5 billion. Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza recently made the first pension prepayment as allowed under a new law. She added that it is anticipated that pre-paying $422 million of the state's monthly pension contribution  will allow funds to remain invested for a few months longer, generating an additional $7 million. In his fiscal year 2025 budget proposal presentation, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said adding three additional years to the funding payment plan will get the state "on a path to 100% funded like peer states." 

(Milwaukee-jm) – The Republican National Convention is in the books but Republicans from the state spoke at the convention. U-S Representative Mike Bost of Murphysboro discusses accepting the results of the November election...

U-S Representative Mike Bost of Murphysboro. U-S Representative Darin LaHood says Donald Trump is a more focused candidate in 2024...

U-S Representative Darin LaHood.

(Danville-jm) – The search for a missing 12-year-old boy in the Vermilion River came to an end on Friday with the recovery of his body. Officials with the Danville Police Department said the boy was found at 12:20 p.m., a quarter mile downstream of where he went missing a week ago today. The boy's family was notified and an autopsy was scheduled for Saturday.

(Champaign-jm) – The man accused of killing a Champaign bar manager outside his workplace has been found not guilty by reason of insanity. Fidele Tshimanga was tried from the bench on Friday by Judge Matthew Lee on charges that included first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, burglary and armed robbery. In a trial that lasted less than an hour, Lee found that the prosecution had submitted evidence that would have found Tshimanga guilty of killing Brandon Hardway, the general manager of Pour Brothers Taproom, during a smoke break at his workplace. But expert opinions from two doctors indicated that Tshimanga suffered from mood disorders, paranoia and severe delusions. Lee found that Tshimanga did not appreciate the criminality of his actions and for that reason, he found Tshimanga not guilty by reason of insanity.

(Washington-jm) – There's still plenty of beef in the feedlot pipeline. Gary Crawford reports...

(Paxton-jm) – Paxton's new quarter-million-dollar playground was installed in April at Pells Park; and this fall, it'll be getting more attention than just the kids in town. The newly installed structure is being featured in a catalog for Little Tikes. The playground area was paid for through a state grant.

WPXN News Notes...

The 171st Champaign County Fair continues through the 27th at the fairgrounds in Urbana. It's kids day today with preschool rides in kiddie land from 10-noon, carnival opens at 5 with the Philo Country Band performing at 6.

The Eastern Illinois Foodbank will hold their foodmobile today from 10-10:30 at the Gifford State Bank in Potomac, 11-11:30 at Andi Mae's Ice Cream Shoppe in Bismarck, 12-12:45 at Christman Park in Rossville and 1:45-2:15 at Rankin Centennial Park.