(Undated–jc)  The Consolidated elections are complete from Tuesday. In area races, The Rantoul Mayoral race is close as Samuel Hall the Third has a 6 vote lead over incumbent Charles Smith. Vote totals are 579 for Hall and 573 for Smith. Gibson City Mayor Dan Dickey defeated challenger Sarah Sarantakos 475 to 137. The leading vote getters in Ford County for the Paxton Buckley Loda School board 

Craig Loshen 656, Jason Rust 565, Christine Johnson 535, and Dawn Bachtold 50s. Jason Dirks received 454 votes. Dwain Sanders won the Patton Township Highway Commissioner over Jason Miles 442-260. Fred Magers won the Patton Button Assessors race over Delbert Bruens Junior 448 votes to 283. In Fisher, elected to the village board are Debra Estes, Tucker Baylor and Daniel Spaulding. John Brown was also re elected as Mayor of Savoy.  Elected to the St Joseph village board were Matthew Walsh, Teri Cummings and Steven Peters. Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold was re elected and was running, unopposed. 

 

(Urbana-jm) – ICE arrested two immigrants at the Champaign County Courthouse on Tuesday. Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Heuerman confirmed the arrests with WCIA Tuesday afternoon. Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz said no county official can either assist or obstruct federal immigration authorities with administrative warrants under Illinois’ TRUST Act. Champaign County Public Defender Elisabeth Pollock identified the two arrested as Fernando Lorenzo-Raymundo and Carlos Gomez. Both were in court Tuesday. Lorenzo-Raymundo has been charged with failure to report a crash that led to a death last month. Gomez was charged on two counts of Aggravated DUI with a revoked or suspended license late last year. Officials stress ICE did not perform random checks on Tuesday.

 

(Springfield–jc)  Some legislators in Springfield sent the I-H-S-A a letter on their concerns of potentially allowing biological males to participate in female sports at high schools in Illinois. Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie responds to the

I-H-S-A…

   

Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie

 

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics and College of Applied Health Sciences will celebrate 100 years of historic George Huff Hall during the upcoming  academic year. Originally named New Gymnasium when it was opened in 1925, Huff has hosted hundreds of sporting and campus events that included hundreds of thousands of students, fans, and families over the decades. A complete list of events surrounding the Huff Hall celebration will be announced as they become final but are expected to include special programming around a number of Illini sporting events and reunions in the fall.

 

(Urbana–jc)  – As a kid, you were probably told to take your shoes off before coming inside. Was mom right? One OSF HealthCare doctor says yes, sort of. Tim Ditman has the story…

 

(Springfield–jc)  –The Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security announced $20 million in available grant funding for the second round of the Illinois Not-for-Profit Security Grant Program.The taxpayer funds will help eligible organizations that are deemed at high-risk of a threat, attack or acts of terrorism implement enhanced safety measures. Officials said the funds must be used for target-hardening activities, which can be accomplished through the purchase or installation of security equipment.

 

(The Center Square) – Illinois Retail Merchants Association CEO Rob Karr isn’t surprised by the findings of a new study that concludes that local consumers now overwhelmingly prefer online shopping as a way of steering clear of the still rising retail theft crime scene.With data showing shoplifting crimes across Chicago jumped by nearly 50% over a recent nine-month period, the new Flock Safety and Zencity survey finds consumers by a better than 2-1 margin now prefer shopping online.In addition, at 49%, researchers found more residents now also view retail crime as a serious issue, compared to the national average of 30%.

 

(Urbana-jm) – Stanley Ikenberry, the longest-tenured leader of the University of Illinois System, has died. U of I spokeswoman Robin Kaler confirmed the former system president died on Tuesday at the age of 90. Ikenberry led the University of Illinois System for 16 years — from 1979 to 1995 — and again as interim President for the first six months of 2010.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Homeschooling could become further regulated in Illinois. A proposal making its way through the General Assembly would add further regulations to those that homeschool their kids. 53rd District State Senator Chris Balkema says he hopes the proposal doesn’t make it through…

   

53rd District State Senator Chris Balkema.

 

(Iroquois County-jm) – The Iroquois County Sheriff's Office is warning the public about a dramatic increase in a variety of scams recently. Most of them take place over the phone or via social media. Some of the scams include phone calls reporting that a loved one is in jail, that you have missed a court date, or forgot to pay a fine. Others are text messages reporting failure to pay missed tolls and E-mails or pop-ups reporting that your computer has a virus.

 

(Urbana–jc)   The renovations on the Scott M. Bennett Administrative Center, formerly the County Plaza,  is near completion and County offices and departments are preparing to move into the new facility.  The Champaign County’s Executive’s Office will move into the new facility this month. The Champaign County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management Agency will make the move in May, with other offices to follow in June and July.  The County purchased the building in 2022 and began renovations in 2023

 

(Undated–jc)  The Ford-Iroquois 4-H Foundation has announced the availability of 2025 High School 4-H Senior Scholarships, offering up to $1,000 each, thanks to the support from their annual auction.  Ford Iroquois 4-H Foundation President Nita Duble says its time to apply…

   

Ford Iroquois 4-H Foundation President Nita Duble. Applications are due by April 18

 

(Champaign–jc)  – The Champaign Police Department is partnering with the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois State Police, and more than 200 local law enforcement agencies to step up enforcement efforts across the state in recognition of Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Throughout the month of April, motorists can expect increased patrols looking for signs of driver distraction, as well as other traffic violations. In Illinois, using your phone in anything other than hands-free mode is not only dangerous, but also illegal. Additionally, while distracted driving is frequently tied to the use of phones, it can stem from any activity that diverts the attention of drivers from the road. This includes the use of in-car navigation, eating, applying makeup, and even distraction from vehicle passengers. During the distracted driving enforcement campaign, officers will promote visible enforcement of Illinois law in an effort to encourage driver attentiveness. Those found to be distracted behind the wheel or violating other rules of the road will be issued citations and written warnings.

 

(Paxton–jc)  Today’s WPXN Business of the Day is Mom and Pops Kettle Korn Stop downtown Paxton. Co Owner Marsha Meyer says it all started as a fundraiser for a local wrestling program…

 

She says they have several new flavors, 

 

Mom and Pops Kettle Korn Stop downtown Paxton co-Owner Marsha Meyer

Mom and Pops opens at 4-30 Tuesdays through Fridays in downtown Paxton and at 10am on Saturday.s Mom and Pops Kettle Korn Stop downtown Paxton is the WPXN Business of the Day, today.