(Illinois–jc)  – Former Illinois football player Dana Howard is facing more legal issues.   Howard and his East St Louis business partner., Richard Myers, are part of a  21-page indictment charging them with several counts of wire fraud, bankruptcy fraud, making false statements and failure to pay taxes.

(Paxton–jc)  –  Several new property agreements with the TIF district were approved by Paxton City leaders this month. PaxtonMayor Bill Ingold says three additional projects were approved in downtown Paxton...

Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold

( Chicago–dm)Former Chicago Alderman and cooperating witness Daniel Solis returned to testify at the bribery and racketeering trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Solis said he complied with Madigan's requests to introduce him to real estate developers in order to curry political favor with Madigan. Prosecutors introduced a video, secretly recorded by Solis, of Madigan meeting with a Chinese developer about a land parcel in Chicago's Chinatown neighborhood.

(Gibson City–jc)  Shops in Gibson City are ready for the holidays. The city held its 30th annual lighted Christmas parade this past Saturday. Gibson City Chamber of Commerce Spokesperson Angela Rodrick says the chamber is active in spotlighting various businesses about their holiday shopping plans...

Gibson City Area Chamber of Commerce Spokesperson Angela Rodrick

(Danville–dm)-Cooking a Thanksgiving feast for your friends and family will cost less than last year but will still be more expensive than before the pandemic. The American Farm Bureau Federation's 39th annual Thanksgiving dinner survey provides a snapshot of the national average cost of this year's classic holiday feast for 10, which is $58.08 or about $5.80 per person. This is a 5% decrease from 2023, which was 4.5% lower than 2022. Two years of declines don't erase dramatic increases that led to a record high cost of $64.06 in 2022. Despite the encouraging momentum, a Thanksgiving meal is still 19% higher than it was in 2019, which highlights the impact inflation has had on food prices – and farmers' costs – since the pan-demic.

(Springfield–dm) An economic indicator shows that growth in Illinois decreased in October.The Chicago Fed National Activity Index decreased to .40 in October from .27 in September. Three of the four broad categories of indicators used to construct the index decreased from September, and all four categories made negative contributions in October, including production-related indicators and employment-related indicators.. 

(USDA–dm)-A Turkish bath is fine, but not a Turkey Bath.  Gary Crawford has more.

(Champaign–dm)-CHAMPAIGN – In order to complete window maintenance at 100 W. University Avenue, Bacon & Van Buskirk Glass will close one westbound lane of University Avenue between Randolph Street and Neil Street. During the closure, westbound traffic will be reduced to one lane. The closure will occur on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m

(Paxton–dm)- The Paxton Christmas tree  is set downtown.  Paxton Service Club Spokesperson Judy Ondercho tells how this year's tree was chosen.

Paxton Service Club Spokesperson Judy Ondercho

SPRINGFIELD – Hydrilla, a highly invasive aquatic plant, has been discovered in DuPage County, marking the first known occurrence in that county and only the second known report in Illinois. Hydrilla is considered one of the world's worst aquatic weeds. It can grow up to an inch per day and form dense mats of vegetation with negative impacts on boating, fishing, swimming, native aquatic wildlife, and property values. Control and eradication efforts can cost millions of dollars over many years. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), along with other state and local agencies, are working to track the spread of this aggressive invasive plant in waterways and determine the most appropriate containment and eradication strategies.

(Watseka–jc)  Clove Alliance is celebrating an anniversary with its Iroquois County location. WPXN's Joel Cluver has the story...

(Champaign–jc)   City of Champaign police continue to investigate a "shots fired" incident from around 8pm Sunday night. Authorities say shots were fired in the 11-hundred block of NorthThird Street.  Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Champaign County Crime Stoppers at  217-373-8477.

(Onarga–jc)  –  One Iroquois County town is set for its Christmas Tree Lane event. Those with the Onarga American Legion and Auxiliary are set for the event December 12th through the 21st.  Bingo is set for the 12th, live music from 5pm to 8pm on the 13th. Other events include a fish fry on the 20th and pancakes with Santa on the 21st. The tree lane will also be open during the events. Officials with the Onarga Christmas Tree Lane event say to vote for your favorite tree and all money raised goes to Girls State sponsored by the Onarga Legion. 

(Washington–jc)  – What are the latest key numbers from the USDA Cattle on Feed report. U-S-D-A Livestock Analyst Michael McConnell has the numbers...

U-S-D-A Livestock Analyst Michael McConnell.

(Paxton-dm)-Christmas shopping is moving into high gear.  Paxton Christmas Parade Chairperson Dawn Glad tells us about local merchant's having open houses during this Christmas season.

Paxton Christmas Parade Chairperson Dawn Glad