(Illinois–jc)  Towns, villages and Municipalities are invited to participate in a 250th birthday celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The celebration is set for July 4th. 53rd District State Senator Chris Balkema, Republican from Channanon, says a time capsule project is underway…

   

53rd District State Senator Chris Balkema, Republican from Channahon.

 

(Rankin-jm) – A man from Rankin convicted of a child sex crime is receiving a harsher sentence after violating the terms of his probation. 29-year-old Wyatt Morris has been resentenced to four years in state prison after violating probation. Morris was originally charged with indecent solicitation of a child, a Class 3 felony, in March 2023 after sending sexually explicit images to a 16-year-old victim via social media and soliciting the teen to engage in sexual acts. He then pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 months of sex offender probation in March 2024. A petition to revoke Morris’ probation was filed in October 2024 after Morris failed to complete court-ordered sex offender treatment. Morris’ prison term will be followed by one year of mandatory supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release.

 

(Rantoul–jc)  The downtown streetscape project continues in the village of Rantoul as we start the new year. Rantoul Mayor Sam Hall the Third says the entertainment structure in downtown Rantoul, new streets, signage and more are reasons that new business and activities are coming to downtown Rantoul in 20-26…

   

Rantoul Mayor Sam Hall the Third

 

(Urbana-jm) – Champaign County is putting their former administrative center on the market. The county has listed the Brookens Administrative Center for sale for $3.5 million. The property will be maintained by the county until a sale is finalized and the county no longer owns the facility.

 

(Undated–jc)  Illinois U S Senate Candidates differ on Affordable Tax Credits. WPXN’s Joel Cluver has the story…

   

(Paxton–dm-)The Ford County Sheriff’s Committee will meet Wednesday January 7th at the Sheriff's Boardroom at 9am.  Items to be discussed include action on law enforcement service contracts with the villages of Piper City and Sibley.  Also to be discussed is the adoption of the Ford County Emergency Management Agency Donation Policy.

 

(Paxton–dm)-It was a January  cold and sad day as this year’s Paxton Christmas tree was taken down on Monday.   Many thanks to Paxton Pride, the Paxton Chamber of Commerce and the City of Paxton for helping with the community project. . Also thanks to the Adam Johnson family of Paxton for donating the tree this year. More thanks to workers from E I E C in placing the tree in the downtown area of the city.  The tradition will continue in 20-26 and anyone in Paxton that would like to donate the tree for the 20-26 holiday is asked to called a member of the Paxton Service Club or Paxton City Hall.

 

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – U.S. Department of Agriculture  released further details  on the commodity-by-commodity national payment rates for the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, allocating $44.36 per corn acre to growers nationwide. By comparison, under the previous Emergency Commodity Assistance Program authorized by Congress, corn had a payment rate of $42.91 per acre. Farmers who qualify for the bridge assistance can expect payments to be made by the end of February 2026.Illinois Corn Growers Association President Mark Bunselmeyer says that the Association appreciates U-S-D-A’s work to implement the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program and recognize this effort as an important step in helping farmers manage ongoing economic challenges.

 

(Chicago–dm)-Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says 2025 was one of the safest years the city has had in decades. Through Dec. 30, Chicago recorded 416 homicides, fewer than any year since 1965. The city also reported fewer shootings, robberies and vehicular hijackings. The mayor’s office credited the combined work of Chicago Police, Community Violence Intervention partners, community-based organizations and the Johnson administration’s “strategic investments.”  President Donald Trump said Sunday that federal law enforcement helped bring down crime in Chicago.

 

(Paxton–jc)  Now that the city of Paxton has been approved for their Mitigation Procedure with governing officials, now can be a time to look for some financing to fund approved projects. Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold says the city has several potential projects that need this type of funding

 

 

Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold

(Champaign-jm) – Champaign County Crime Stoppers is asking for help from the public in solving a pair of retail thefts from Champaign’s Target that resulted in $6,500 worth of loss for the store. Officials said the thefts happened September 14 and November 22. In the first theft, two male subjects entered the store and filled a cart full of clothing, Shark vacuums and a Ninja slushie machine. They left without paying, stealing just under $1,200 worth of merchandise. The suspects were described as being Black and 25 to 40 years old. In the second theft, two more male subjects selected electronic items that included “numerous” Xbox consoles and digital cameras. They concealed the items in bookbags and suitcases, then left without paying. They stole over $5,300 worth of merchandise. The suspects were also Black, but were described as being younger than the suspects in the first theft — about 18 to 25 years old.

 

(Paxton–dm)-If you like line dancing, the Cadillac in Paxton will be hosting a night of country line dancing this Friday January 9th.  Cadillac owner Alan Meyer has more information.

 

 

Cadillac owner Alan Meyer.  Tickets for line dancing are $5 in advance or $10 at the door,

 

(Ford County–dm)-The Ford County Sheriff’s office released their activity report for the month of December.  Included are 12 traffic accidents, 15 warning citations,

20 traffic citations, serving 26 court summons and 14 warrants.

 

WATSEKA, Ill. — Iroquois Memorial Hospital announced that its laboratory has successfully passed a rigorous Joint Commission accreditation survey, earning continued accreditation for the next two years and reaffirming its commitment to the highest standards of quality, safety and accuracy in diagnostic testing.

Laboratory services are accredited separately from hospital-wide accreditation and are evaluated against highly specialized standards. The Joint Commission is a nationally recognized, independent organization that evaluates and accredits healthcare organizations based on evidence-based performance standards. Accreditation is granted only after an extensive, unannounced on-site survey that closely examines laboratory practices and performance.

 

 

WPXN News notes…

The St Joseph-Swearingen Library announces its Winter Used Book Sale. The book sale will end Wednesday, January 28th.  All items are for sale by donation. Books, DVDs, music CDs and audio books will be available.

 

The American Red Cross blood drive will be held from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. today, January 6th, at the First United Methodist Church, 210 W. Center St., Paxton. For an appointment to donate blood that day, people can call 800-733-2767 or visit redcrossblood.org and use sponsor code “Paxton Community.”

 

The Thawville American Legion will hold their all you can eat fish fry on Friday, January 9th from 4:30-7pm. Cost is $15.

 

The Elliott Amvets will hold their spaghetti dinner on Friday, January 9th from 5-7 pm. Cost is $10.