(Springfield-jm) – A new Illinois law allows parents who don't use all the money in their Illinois 529 College Savings Accounts to roll over the funds into a Roth IRA. The option is possible because Congress approved a measure in December 2022 changing Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code to authorize tax- and penalty-free rollovers from college savings plans to Roth IRAs, with some limitations. To take effect in Illinois, however, lawmakers needed to change state law to allow the Roth IRA rollover option for Bright Start and Bright Directions 529 college savings account owners.

(Undated-jm) – The heat is expected to stick around another day in Illinois. High temperatures Monday reached the 90s for much of the state with heat indices surpassing 100 degrees. On Tuesday, some areas of southern Illinois will see temperatures approach 100 actual degrees. Temperatures are expected to moderate on Wednesday. You can hear the complete forecast at the end of this newscast.

(Springfield-jm) – A new law in Illinois is prompting changes for people who work as election judges and poll workers across the state. Capitol News Illinois reports as part of House Bill 44-88, which was signed into law in July, poll workers will no longer have their name, ward or township and precinct number on their identification badges. Instead, the badges will say they are an election judge that is authorized by their local court. Each badge also has a unique identification number for each judge. Tazewell County Clerk John Ackerman says this can de-escalate situations when upset voters confront judges...

Tazewell County Clerk John Ackerman. The Illinois State Board of Elections also provides emergency contact information that can be put on the back in case an incident does happen. Election authorities are working to add protections in and around polling places, as another layer of election security.

(Champaign-jm) – This week Champaign County Crime Stoppers is seeking assistance from the public regarding recent burglaries of motor vehicles. The University of Illinois Police Department is investigating a string of burglaries to motor vehicles that occurred in Campustown between July 5, and July 8, where vehicles were damaged, items were stolen, and stolen financial cards were used to make fraudulent purchases at area businesses. The suspect is described as a black male, 5'6" to 5'10" tall, medium build, with short black hair, a thin mustache, and a short goatee. The suspect was seen wearing a silver chain necklace with a cross pendant and had tattoos on both of his arms, shoulders, and on his chest. The suspect was seen traveling in a gray, 2020 Kia Soul, bearing Texas license plates.

(Cissna Park–dm) The annual Old Setlers Celebration takes place Thursday August15th thru Saturday August 17th.  Along with carnival rides, bands, and a parade on Saturday, you might have a chance to win a 2025 Chevy Blazer. Spokesperson Richard Swing tells us about the daily activities going on.

Old Settlers spokesperson Richard Swing.

(Undated-jm) – University and community college employees will receive their pay and benefits if a campus is closed due to a winter weather emergency. Senate Bill 331 requires the Board of Trustees of each public university and community college to pay employees their daily, regular rate of pay and benefits if a campus is closed due to a city, county or state declaration of a winter weather emergency. The law does not apply if the day is rescheduled and the employee would be paid their daily, regular rate of pay and benefits for the rescheduled day when services are rendered.

(Washington-jm) – Corn and soybeans are having the best growing season in four years. Gary Crawford reports...

(Springfield-jm) – There's a lot more to the newly enacted law eliminating Illinois' grocery tax in 2026. Local governments can now impose their own 1% tax, along with other sales tax increases. Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Monday he signed House Bill 3144, touting relief he said the measure will bring. In 2022, an election year, Pritzker proposed a 12-month reduction of the state's grocery tax from 1% to zero. Funds were increased in the budget for that period to assist local governments impacted by the lost revenue. The tax kicked back in for fiscal year 2024. Monday, Pritzker said taking the tax from 1% to 0% in conjunction with separate policies like a child tax credit "are not esoteric policy proposals but actually do lift burdens everyday Illinoisans face." But the elimination of the statewide grocery tax doesn't go into effect until Jan. 1, 2026. The measure does other things, like allowing local governments to impose a grocery tax and increase other sales taxes, not through voter referendum, but through ordinance. That takes effect immediately.

(Springfield-jm) – Changes to Illinois' strict Biometric Information Privacy Act, or BIPA, are now on the books. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 2979 into law that will drastically reduce the penalties companies could face for improperly collecting biometric data from workers and consumers. Effective immediately, the change expands the definition of written release to include electronic signatures and would make multiple violations of BIPA a single violation if committed against one individual. The changes to the law effectively overturn an Illinois Supreme Court ruling last year that said companies could be held liable for each time they misused a person's private information and not only the first time.

(Springfield-jm) – A new report shows Illinois lags behind most of the country in unemployment. 53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City discusses the new report...

53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City.

(Urbana-jm) – The University of Illinois has had a long-standing relationship with IDOT dating back to the 1940s, which has provided students with more opportunities for transportation. Chicago is considered the hub of transportation in America, and now as more electric vehicles join the fleet, researchers are looking to adapt the industry to minimize carbon emissions. IDOT has continued its partnership by signing a $48 million agreement, which is aimed at growing sustainability research. IDOT and the U of I have collaborated to complete almost 320 projects. Officials say 40 are scheduled to be in-progress this fall.

(Rantoul–dm)-If you want to watch football this weekend, Rantoul is the place to be. Rantoul Sports Complex Director Ryan Reed explains.

Rantoul Sports Complex Director Ryan Reed

(Danville-jm) – A president has been named for OSF Health Care's Sacred Heart Medical Center. The permanent president will be J.T. Barnhart. He has served as the interim president since last month.

(Champaign–dm)-Feeling tired all the time no matter what you do? Is it making it difficult to enjoy life? You might want to talk to your health care provider about chronic fatigue syndrome. Experts say it's a tough ailment to live with and a tough one for science to grasp, but there are ways to ease the symptoms. Tim Ditman of OSF HealthCare has more.

 There's no "one size fits all" for how long symptoms will last. So it's important to stay in contact with your provider

WPXN News Notes...

The Eastern Illinois Foodbank will hold their foodmobile today from 9-9:30 at the St. Joseph Library, 10-10:30 at the Ogden old high school ballpark, 11-11:30 at the Homer post office, 12:30-1 at the Sidney community building, 1:30-2 at the Philo village hall and 2:30-3 at The Oaks in Tolono