(Gibson City-jm) – Sean Morrow is out of custody following a detention hearing on Tuesday. Our partners at the Ford County Chronicle reported that Morrow made an initial appearance in court the same day he was arrested. Andrew Killian, the Ford County State’s Attorney, said he did not seek detention of Morrow because his offenses did not qualify as being detainable under the SAFE-T Act. In addition to the charges Morrow is facing in this new case, he is also accused of violating probation stemming from a 2024 DUI case, in which Morrow pleaded guilty.

 

(Iroquois County–jc)- A new Solar farm is in the works for Iroquois County. Louis Creek Solar is a new solar and energy storage project being developed by Allium Renewable Energy. This state-of-the-art facility, thoughtfully designed and located in Iroquois County, will create enough energy to power thousands of homes and contribute to the local economy — creating jobs and economic benefits well into the future. The project set for the Buckley area is in the design phase and construction on the project is anticipated for 2026 with completion in 2027. The project comes with over 100 new jobs for the area and the ability to power over 8 thousand homes, once completed

 

(Springfield–jc)  Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson made a trip to Springfield earlier this week to talk about retrieving some tax dollars for his city.  Reaction continues to come from down state lawmakers. Local 51st District State Senator Chapin Rose of Mahomet says “no thanks” to providing even more dollars to Chicago to bail them out…

                 

 

51st District State Senator Chapin Rose, Republican from Mahomet

 

(Springfield-jm) – A bill to require insurance companies to cover anesthesia during surgery no matter how long passed unanimously out of the Illinois Senate insurance committee. Insurance companies have enacted anesthesia time limits in Missouri, Connecticut and New York, where patients can be forced to front the medical bill. These companies set time limits by finding the average time a surgery can last. However, oftentimes surgery can last longer based on equipment difficulties or surgery complications. State Rep. William Hauter said this hasn't happened in Illinois, but his bill could stop insurance companies from potentially doing it in the future.

 

(Chatham-jm) – Illinois State Police said the woman who drove through a group of children leaving four dead and six others hurt in Chatham on Monday may have suffered a medical emergency before the crash. Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said Thursday that toxicology results came back negative for alcohol and controlled substances. ISP previously identified the driver of the crash as 44-year-old Marianne Akers of Chatham. Kelly said Akers provided blood and urine immediately afterwards at a hospital. Akers was a former office assistant with ISP for nearly 12 years. She left the agency in 2018.

 

(Loda–dm)-The Loda Sportsman Club is sponsoring their annual fishing derby on Saturday May 10th. The fishing derby is open to any youth under the age of 16.  The derby is scheduled to start at 10am and end at 2pm.  Loda sportsman club President Chad Riggleman has more.

 

Loda Sportsman Club President Chad Riggleman

 

(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois House Restorative Justice & Public Safety Committee unanimously approved a bill Thursday to ensure youth who commit nonviolent crimes are given a second chance. This plan could require the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice to provide employment opportunities, educational resources, and parental mentorship training for youth who committed nonviolent crimes. Trauma-informed behavioral health services and assistance applying for public health programs would also be offered starting July 1, 2026.

 

(Mahomet-jm) – Mahomet Police Chief Michael Metzler has announced his retirement after fourteen years with the Village of Mahomet Police Department effective September 30. Metzler has served the Mahomet Police Department since September 26, 2011, and has been a law enforcement officer for 46 years. The village has already begun searching for a new police chief using recruiting services provided by Arndt Municipal Support Inc. and hopes to have someone on board by September 1 to ensure a smooth transition.

 

(Springfield-jm) – State lawmakers hope to pass a bill in the final month of session to create an evidence-based funding model for Illinois public colleges and universities. The idea has been met with intense criticism from the University of Illinois and some Senate Democratic leaders. Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford and Rep. Carol Ammons are leading the effort to shake up the funding process for the state's 12 public universities, as they argue funding should be based on the needs of each college rather than a flat method of distribution. Advocates suggested investing at least $135 million in public universities over the next decade could help shift the burden of college costs away from students and families. Some argue an evidence-based funding model could also lead to 15,000 more college graduates each year. The proposed formula would account for the size of institutions, academic programs they offer, and the socioeconomic, racial, and geographic diversity of each university. Leaders from the University of Illinois system strongly oppose the idea at this time.

 

(Paxton–jc)  The Paxton Park District informed the public through a facebook post that there is a delay or cancellation coming for the local pool this Spring and Summer. The reason is a main pump failure at the pool. A new pump has been ordered, but state inspections and procedures to place the new unit in the pool need to be followed and that could take 10 to 12 weeks to complete. Paxton Park District officials say there will be a Paxton Pirates Swim team this year. Sign up for the local swim team is on-going. WPXN News will continue to update this story as it warrants. 

 

(Chatham–jc)  Illinois State Police are reporting that initial toxicology tests are negative for alcohol and controlled substances for the woman who drove into a school building, killing four children in Chatham. On April 28, 44-year-old Marianne Akers drove through a field before slamming into the building just south of Springfield. Of the six additional children injured in the crash, two have been released from the hospital. Police said the investigation is ongoing and no charges have been filed.

 

 

(Rantoul–dm)-The Village of Rantoul is having their clean-up day Saturday May 10th located at Galaxy Dr.  Rantoul Community Development Specialist Brian Hunt says some items are not on the list...

 

Rantoul Community Development Specialist Brian Hunt.  Only Rantoul utility customers who Pay for garbage services through the village of Rantoul may take advantage of this one day event.

 

(Undated-jm) – The National Weather Service in Lincoln said two tornadoes touched down in central Illinois on Wednesday. One tornado touched down roughly two miles north of Janesville in Coles County. The tornado was about 30 yards wide and on the ground for roughly a half-mile. It touched down shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday. The other touched down approximately three miles northeast of Effingham. NWS said the tornado was on the ground for 1.5 miles and was 30 yards wide.  The weather service said there was no reported damage from either tornado. There were also no reports of injuries.

 

(Chicago–jc)  Over two dozen Illinois hospitals received a top safety grade in a new report from a watchdog group.Nearly 3,000 hospitals across the country are evaluated twice a year by the group Leapfrog and given a letter grade based on their ability to protect patients from everything from medical errors to infections. In Illinois, 25 hospitals earned “A” grades .

 

(Champaign–jc)--  Several groups of volunteers will be going through several Champaign neighborhoods handing out smoke alarms on Saturday. The event is the Christian Sheehan Smoke Alarm Blitz 20-25. Sheehan died in a fire in Champaign in 20-16. Joy Sheehan, Christian’s mother, talks about the effort to get smoke alarms into peoples homes…

Christian Sheehan Smoke Alarm Blitz 20-25 Spokesperson Joy Sheehan

The event starts at 8am on Saturday along Harris Avenue in Champaign. Champaign city leaders, fire department personnel and volunteers will be passing out free smoke alarms to residents.

 

(Vermilion County-jm) – A Tilton man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 13. Alexander Sims pleaded guilty to predatory sexual assault of a child. He will have to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence. He will also register as a sex offender for life. Evidence was presented that on August 18, 2023, Tilton police were called that a minor had been raped by Sims between the dates of November 2021 and July 2023 while the victim was under the age of 13. Police said Sims confessed to the crimes when questioned.

 

(Paxton–jc)  Today’s WPXN Business of the Day is the Paxton MainStreet. The local non-for-profit is hosting its first free spring and Summer concert in downtown Paxton,  tonight. Paxton Mainstreet Executive Director Donna Pepper says this is the second year of the “free” concert series……

 

            

She says  tonight's band is Crozier and Company…

 

          

 

Paxton Mainstreet Executive Director Donna Pepper

Performance starts at 7pm. Concession Stand opens at 6pm

 

 

WPXN News Notes

 

Cissna Park village garage sales take place today and tomorrow

 

Fisher Village garage sales take place today and tomorrow

 

Kirby Foods in Paxton will hold their cookout fundraiser benefiting the PBL Youth Football on Saturday from 10-2.

 

Eric Gordon will perform at the Melvin Community Hall on Saturday at 7 pm. Food will be available starting at 5:30 pm.