(Springfield-jm) – An Illinois grant program set up to help child care providers faced intense scrutiny following an unusual implementation process. Gov. JB Pritzker has championed the Smart Start Illinois program as a way to make Illinois the best state for young families. A major component? Increasing funding for child care providers to raise wages and quality. The Smart Start grant program was created to help day care providers recruit and retain workers without burdening families by raising tuition or co-pays. However, the Illinois Department of Human Services implemented the grant program without a top committee of state lawmakers approving the rules.

(Washington-jm) – There's some good news for food shoppers in the latest Consumer Price Index report. Gary Crawford reports...

(Iroquois County-jm) – Traffic was rerouted on I-57 southbound in Iroquois County after a crash happened Wednesday afternoon. According to State Police, the accident happened near milepost 285 north of Gilman. Traffic was rerouted onto Illinois Route 116. Illinois State Police are investigating. 

(Springfield-jm) – The state is looking to address the needs of seniors in Illinois. 53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City talks about the initiative...

53rd District State Senator Tom Bennett of Gibson City.

(Hoopeston-jm) – Two people were arrested for allegedly stealing from the Hoopeston Dollar General. Police were called to the Dollar General in reference to a report of retail theft occurring. Officers arrested Victor Hutton and Caitlyn Jones.

(Paxton–jc) The 12 annual Paxton Swine and Dine is set for Saturday September 21st in the downtown area of the city. Paxton Mainstreet Executive Director Donna Pepper says the event has grown from a backyard barbeque to an event that sees thousands of visitors to Paxton...

Paxton Mainstreet Executive Director Donna Pepper

(Danville-jm) – The Vermilion County Health Department will hold an electronics collection event from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 in the north parking lot of Danville Area Community College, 2000 East Main Street in Danville for all county residents.  The event is free but donations to Keep Vermilion County Beautiful are greatly appreciated. Residents are encouraged to bring their broken, obsolete or unwanted televisions, monitors and other electronic items to the collection events so they can be recycled.

(Springfield-jm) – Pharmacy benefit managers have been in the spotlight of late and that attention continued Wednesday during an Illinois House Health Care Committee hearing. A recent Federal Trade Commission report found that Pharmacy benefit managers or PBMs, which act as middlemen in the industry, inflate costs and pressure independently owned pharmacies.  "The FTC's interim report lays out how dominant pharmacy benefit managers can hike the cost of drugs – including overcharging patients for cancer drugs," FTC Chair Lina Khan said in a statement. "The report also details how PBMs can squeeze independent pharmacies that many Americans – especially those in rural communities – depend on for essential care." In 2023, the median annual price for a new drug was $300,000, up 35% which PBMs say is set by the drug manufacturers not them.

(Washington-jm) – What will it take to pass a new farm bill? Gary Crawford reports...

(Urbana-jm) – A looming strike on the University of Illinois campus may be averted this week pending a union vote on a new contract. SEIU Local 73, representing food and building service workers, said that it reached a tentative agreement with the university on Wednesday. Union members will be voting through the end of the week on whether to ratify the new contract. If the latest contract proposal is also voted down, a strike could begin as early as September 15.

(Paxton–jc)  The city of Paxton has honored two eagle scout projects during Tuesday nights meeting. Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold talks about the scouts and their projects...

Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold

(Urbana-jm) – A record 97,772 students enrolled across the University of Illinois System for the fall semester, reflecting continued demand for the quality education offered at the three system universities. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has welcomed a record-breaking class for the fall 2024 semester. With a freshman enrollment of 9,008, the new class brings record total student enrollment at 59,238, including on-campus and online students. This total includes 37,140 undergraduates and also a record number of 20,765 graduate students.

(Danville–dm)-If you are unable to appear in person to register to vote in Vermillion County, WPXN's Dan Mushrush tells us how you can still register.

(Champaign-jm) – A Champaign teenager has been arrested following an unfounded 9-1-1 call reporting an active threat at Centennial High School on September 9. Police say a 9-1-1 call was placed indicating a potential armed subject at Centennial High School. As the details of the call developed, the caller's story was found to have several inconsistencies. Multiple officers and the assigned School Resource Officer quickly swept the school to search for any signs of a threat to the safety of students or the facility. Nothing was located in the search that indicated any such threat existed. After the buildings were cleared, an investigation was conducted by an assigned School Resource Officer who learned that a fourteen-year-old from Champaign had made the call and provided false information to dispatchers. Following an interview with the student and a parent, on September 10, the teenager was placed under arrest and transported to the Juvenile Detention Center.