The Center Square) – All four Republican gubernatorial candidates are scheduled to participate in a forum in East Dundee today. Darren Bailey, Ted Dabrowski, Rick Heidner and James Mendrick are competing in the March 17 primary election for the chance to challenge Gov. J.B. Pritzker in November. The event is scheduled from 5-8:30 p.m. and will be streamed online by Blue Room Stream.  The full slate of Republican candidates will be in Ford County in Paxton on Saturday.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is warning Illinoisans to lookout for text message scams claiming to be from the “Illinois State Department of Motor Vehicles.” The messages threaten to suspend vehicle registration and driving privileges. The Illinois Secretary of State’s office never sends text messages requesting personal or financial information. 

 

(The Center Square) – Illinois Senate Republicans say Gov. J.B. Pritzker is wrong to blame President Donald Trump for high electric bills. Pritzker spoke Wednesday at the ribbon cutting for an electric vehicle charging site in Pontiac and said  Trump administration policies have raised electricity prices. State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, spoke during a press conference Wednesday at the Illinois Capitol and said it was Pritzker who signed energy legislation that increases rates and lifts price caps.

   

State Senator Chapin Rose R-Mahomet

 

(Urbana-jm) —  A Champaign County Sheriff’s K9 officer was involved in a crash Friday night in Urbana. Police say the crash happened just before 9pm along University Avenue. Investigators say a marked sheriff’s K9 squad vehicle was traveling westbound when a black Mini Cooper, traveling eastbound, suddenly made a left turn northbound in front of the squad car. The driver and front-seat passenger of the Mini Cooper were taken to a hospital for treatment. The driver of the Mini Cooper was identified as 29-year-old Gretchen Raila of Champaign. She was cited for aggravated driving under the influence, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, and failure to yield while making a left turn. The officer and K9 were not injured.

 

(Mahomet-jm) – A Champaign County man is accused of multiple child sex crimes after he allegedly used a social media app to communicate with at least 58 minors, in which detectives said he both sent nude photos and solicited them. The investigation started in October 2025, according to the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office. That month, the office’s Criminal Investigations Division received multiple CyberTip reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, submitted by Snapchat. Detectives identified 33-year-old Matthew Morin of Mahomet as the suspect. Morin is facing charges of Sexual exploitation of a child, Possession of child pornography and Grooming.

 

(Gordyville–dm)-The 31st annual Midwest Ag Expo is running this Wednesday and Thursday January 21st and 22nd at Gordyville.  Besides the return of the pancake breakfast on Wednesday morning, they have a new virtual tractor you can try out.  Show Manager Jami Applegate tells us more. 

   

Show Manager Jamie Applegate

 

(Champaign-jm) – The family of a former University of Illinois basketball player George Shapland is donating $1 million in support of U of I Athletics. In recognition of the donation and the family's impact, State Farm Center's east circle will be named "George Shapland Family Drive."

 

(Springfield–jc)  The 2026 Miss Illinois State Fair Queen is from Effingham County. She is Krista Phillips.  74 young ladies competed in the pageant over the weekend in Springfield. Riley McDermott of Monroe County was runner up.  Bella Evans of Morgan County,  Ruby Mulvaney of Ogle County and Laney Yor of White County were in the top five.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Unemployment rates are up in a majority of metro areas for November. Locally, Champaign Counties rose from 3.5 percent to 4.2 percent. Ford Counties rose from 3.4 percent to 4.1 percent. Vermilion Counties rose from 5.6 percent to 5.8 percent. Iroquois Counties rose from 4 percent to 4.9 percent.

 

(Illinois–jc)  –Justice Elizabeth M. Rochford and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the appointment of Julia Ann Yetter as a circuit judge in Kane County.Yetter has served as an associate judge in the 16th circuit since 2018. She was also chairperson for the Kane County SAFE-T Act Task Force. Yetter was appointed to replace Judge Kevin T. Busch, who is retiring this month.

 

(Springfield–jc)  More reaction on the new energy bill passed by the Democrats majority in Springfield. Illinois Governor J B Pritzker signed the measure into law last week. 58th District State Senator Terri Bryant, Republican from Murphysboro says the new law is not an energy plan that will save money for households in Illinois…

 

58th District State Senator Terri Bryant, Republican from Murphysboro.

 

(Rantoul-jm) – A Rantoul man was sentenced to four decades behind bars for predatory criminal sexual assault. 39 year old Joshua Nibbe was sentenced on two counts of this crime. He was convicted in July following a two-day trial. The investigation showed thatNibbe sexually abused a child starting when they were 10 years old in late 2021 and early 2022  in Rantoul. Nibbe is required to serve 85 percent of the sentence. Nibbe will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

 

(USDA–dm)-: The numbers are in for final production tallies of various crops from last year - several with record or near record numbers in categories. Rod Bain has the story

 

 

(Champaign-jm) – The Champaign City Council is taking a closer look at the city’s housing shortage. The city partnered with RDG Planning and Design to better understand what’s driving housing demand and what may need to change. The study found Champaign’s housing market is extremely tight. RDG estimates the city will need to build more than 7,000 housing units by 2035 just to keep up with demand, with most of that need focused on non-student housing. The report also highlighted a growing need for affordable and supportive housing.

 

(Melvin–jc)  The Ford County Fair Board is set for 2026. WPXN’s Joel Cluver has the story…

WPXN News notes…

 

Euchre will be held at the former Federated Church in Paxton every Thursday from 1-3 pm.

 

The Champaign County Farm Bureau will host a series called Farm Sheets. Session 1: Marketing Beyond the Scale Ticket will take place on Tuesday, January 20th starting at 6:30 pm in the farm bureau auditorium. Dinner will be provided.

 

The 2026 Midwest Ag Expo will take place Wednesday, January 21st and Thursday, January 22nd at Gordyville USA. Over 175 vendors will be present. Free admission and free parking. Hours 8:30-4 on the 21st and 8:30-3 on the 22nd.

 

The Elliott Amvets will hold their porkchop sandwich supper on Friday, January 23rd from 5–7 pm. Cost is $8. They will also host their Rocky Mountain Oyster Fry on Saturday, January 24th from noon–2 pm. Cost is $15.

 

The Gibson Area Food Pantry at the Hospital will hold a food distribution on Saturday, January 24th from 8 to noon.