(Chicago-jm) – The stunning downward spiral of Michael Madigan’s political career ended Friday with a 7 1/2-year prison sentence and a $2.5 million fine for the former Illinois House speaker and the longest-serving legislative leader in U.S. history after he was convicted of trading legislation for the enrichment of his friends and allies. U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey sentenced the 83-year-old in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Nicknamed the “Velvet Hammer” for his quiet but hard-nosed style, Madigan was convicted in February on 10 of 23 counts in a remarkable corruption trial that lasted four months. The case churned through 60 witnesses and mountains of documents, photographs and taped conversations.

 

(Springfield–dm)-Illinois State Police did not comply with the requirements of the Firearm Owner’s Identification Card Act, according to an Illinois Auditor General report for the two years ending June 30, 2024. Alongside not depositing FOID funds into the right accounts, of FOID cards tested, 5% of FOID card holders were not notified within 180 days of their card expiring, a repeat finding. The report also said ISP didn’t maintain adequate controls over reporting and monitoring state property.

 

(Rantoul–jc)  With a lot of play on the fields, officials at the Rantoul Sports Complex continue to upgrade the local facilities. Rantoul Sports Complex Director of Operations Ryan Reid says some of the turf has been upgraded and the fields remain in “top” condition…

   

Rantoul Sports Complex Director of Operations Ryan Ried. This past weekend the Game-Day group hosted its Silver Series 3 games at the Rantoul Sports Complex. More baseball, soccer and softball tournaments are set for June and beyond. 

 

(Iroquois County-jm) – Outdoor warning sirens in four Iroquois County towns are going to sound again this week due to a need to test them again. Scott Anderson, Coordinator of the Iroquois County Emergency Management Agency, said in a news release that the sirens in Buckley, Iroquois, Milford and Wellington will sound between 10 a.m. and noon today. This comes after the EMA had to test nearly all sirens in the county on Monday, June 9, because all except Watseka did not sound during the original test date.

 

(Thomasboro-jm) – A car fire on I-57 near Thomasboro Sunday reduced northbound traffic for a period of time. It happened just before noon. Illinois State Police say the vehicle was fully involved when firefighters arrived.

 

CHAMPAIGN – A Household Hazardous Waste  Collection Event has been scheduled to take place in Champaign County on Saturday, August 9th. This drop-off event is sponsored by the Illinois E-P-A and is open to all Illinois residents. Residents must pre-register for this event  select a time to bring items

The online registration opens on Monday This event will take place at the State Farm Center, 1800 S. First St., Champaign 

 

(Washington–jc)  The Environmental Protection Agency Friday announced proposed renewable volume obligations as part of Renewable Fuel Standards in 2026 and 2027. Rod Bain reports…

   

(Springfield-jm) – When the fiscal year 2026 budget passed a couple of weeks ago, so did an increased tax on sports gambling in the state of Illinois. The tax is on sportsbooks that operate in the state. The two biggest ones are DraftKings and FanDuel. In the new budget, each sports bet placed through each sportsbook will be taxed $0.25 for the first 20 million wagers at each book. After that, the tax increases to $0.50. DraftKings and FanDuel will likely surpass 20 million bets in the state over the course of a calendar year. Although the companies will be responsible for paying the tab, the cost will be passed onto the individual bettor. FanDuel's parent company Flutter announced it would charge a $0.50 'transaction fee' on all bets made in Illinois starting September 1, just before the start of football season.

 

(Springfield–dm)-The leading Republican in the Illinois Senate says Gov. J.B. Pritzker refused to answer basic accounting questions about the taxpayer impact of subsidies for non-citizens in Illinois. Senate Minority Leader John Curran urged for passage of a statehouse measure to require honest reporting on spending for non-citizens and the true price tag for Illinois taxpayers.

 

(Paxton–dm)-Fathers Day was yesterday, and if you haven’t done your shopping yet, Paxton Hardware and Rental owner Scott Allen has some ideas.

 

 

Paxton Hardware and Rental owner Scott Allen.  You can hear more from Scott Saturday Mornings at 7:30 on Scott’s Tips for Success.

 

(Hoopeston-jm) – A juvenile was hospitalized on Friday after being hit by a car in Hoopeston. It happened near the intersection of south 2nd Avenue and west Maple Street around 6:30 p.m. The Hoopeston Police Department said a juvenile was crossing the street after visiting an ice cream truck. As they were crossing the roadway, police said a driver hit the juvenile, who was then brought to Carle Hospital to be treated for injuries. The driver was cited for driving too fast for conditions and released from the scene.

 

(Sheldon-jm) – An Iroquois County man has been arrested and is charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse. According to the Iroquois County Sheriff, police responded to South 4th Street in Sheldon for the “report of a disturbance” on June 12. When deputies arrived, they conducted an investigation, and arrested 70-year-old Rodney Schultz of Sheldon. Schultz was taken to the Iroquois County Jail and has been charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse. A criminal case against Schultz was opened on Friday, June 13. Schultz will appear in court again today.

 

(Mahomet–jc)  –The Mahomet-Seymour Board of Education will hold a Budget Hearing on Monday night at 6:45. The June Business meeting will immediately follow the conclusion of the hearing. The meetings will be held in the Board Conference Room at Middletown Prairie Elementary.  The meeting will air on  Bulldog Television on Monday night.

 

(Washington–jc)  Two new programs will connect local ag programs. Agricultural Marketing Service spokesperson Tricia Kovacs, explains…

 

Agriculture Marketing Service Spokesperson Tricia Kovacs

 

WPXN News notes..

The Eastern Illinois Foodbank will hold a foodmobile on Thursday, June 19th from 9-930 at Edge Insurance in Buckley, 10-10:30 at Durham Park in Onarga, 11-11:30 at the Crescent City community center, 12:30-1 at the Watseka Trinity Church and 1:30-2 at the Milford post office.

 

The Eastern Illinois Foodbank will hold a foodmobile on Friday, June 20th from 9-930 across from the Piper City Community Center, 10-10:30 at the corner of Main and Melvin Streets in Thawville, 11-11:30 across from Melvin Convenient, 12:15-12:45 at the Gibson City city hall, 1-1:30 at the Elliott village hall and 2-2:30 at the north side of the Paxton fire station.

 

The Champaign County Master Gardeners will hold their annual Garden Walk on Saturday, June 21st from 9-4. This year's event, themed "Designing Our Gardens”. Attendees can enjoy a self-guided tour of six private home gardens and two public gardens throughout Champaign County. Tickets are $10 a piece.

 

Kirby Foods in Paxton will hold their cookout fundraiser benefiting the Bayles Lake Auxiliary on Saturday June 21st from 10-2.

 

The Paxton Park District Picnic in the Park Food Truck Edition will take place Saturday, June 21st from 11-3 at Coady Park in Paxton. The event is free to attend.

 

The 2025 Ford County Fair will take place June 22-28 at the fairgrounds in Melvin. On the 22nd it's the Jackpot Breeding Gilt Show at 5pm. On the 23rd rides open at 6 with the Queen Pageant at 7. On the 24th, the Little Mister and Miss pageant begins at 5:30 with family night $15 armbands at 6. On the 25th and 26th it's the Illiana Truck and Tractor Pulls. On the 27th, Nashville Country Music Recording artist and recent winner of the Masked Singer, Gretchen Wilson will perform at 7:30. On the 28th, it's the Demolition Derby at 6:30.