(Paxton-jm) - Paxton city leaders approved an emergency declaration during a meeting last night. It comes after nearly a foot of rain fell on the city last week. The move could bring in state and federal disaster assistance. Members of Paxton's Emergency Response Services will be going door to door today doing damage assessment. For those not home when the assessments are being done, they will leave a piece of paper with instructions of what to do.
(Dewey-jm) – The Champaign County Coroner has identified the teen found dead after his car left the roadway Saturday. Laurie Brauer identified the victim as 17 year old Elias Smith of Rantoul. An autopsy has been scheduled. The Champaign County Sheriff’s Office says they received a 9-1-1 call from Smith stating his car had left the roadway on County Road 1000 East at approximately 2850 North and the vehicle was filling up with water. Searchers found the vehicle Sunday and then found Smith's body yesterday.
(The Center Square) – The Federal Trade Commission says it has begun sending 640,038 payments totaling more than $23.8 million to Grubhub drivers and diners harmed by the Chicago-based food delivery platform’s misleading claims and unlawful conduct. Following a settlement reached in December 2024, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said a multi-year investigation revealed that Grubhub’s deceptive business practices were negatively affecting participants in nearly every aspect of the company’s transactions.
(Paxton–jc) – Yesterday was the first day of school for the Paxton Buckley Loda School system. School leaders continue to upgrade technology and the use of things like Chrome Books. Paxton Buckley Loda School Superintendent Eric Bohm talks about the start of the year with District Technology Director Justin Benda…
Paxton Buckley Loda School Superintendent Eric Bohm
(Urbana-jm) – It’s Move In Day for the University of Illinois. Students start returning to the Urbana Champaign campus for the upcoming academic year. Classes start on Monday.
(Mahomet-jm) – Champaign County Crimestoppers are looking for help in finding the person responsible for an act of criminal damage in Mahomet earlier this month. On the night of August 2nd or the morning of August 3rd someone intentionally punctured all four tires of a Jeep located at Lake of the Woods apartments. There is no description of the suspect.
WATSEKA, Ill. — Iroquois Memorial Hospice is receiving exceptional marks from the patients and families it serves, ranking among the top Eight percent nationally in a recent patient satisfaction report. The results come from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Hospice Survey, administered by Strategic Healthcare Programs . Iroquois Memorial Hospice ranked in the 92nd percentile nationally based on its overall composite score. The report includes 45 completed surveys from April 2025 through March 2026 and compares Iroquois Memorial Hospice's results with state and national benchmarks.
Paxton–jc) The Paxton Park District is hosting a Lucky Ducky Pool Fundraising event on Saturday at the community pool. The time for the event is 10am until 2pm. The local district is selling ducks for 50 dollars and the day will be filled with games, activities, food, music and fun. Paxton Park District Director Gillian Littleton says the event will help fund pool projects needed for next year…
Paxton Park District Director Gillian Littleton
CHAMPAIGN – 52nd District State Senator Paul Faraci, Democrat from Champaign, says the Champaign D-M-V will begin offering in-person disability parking placard services to provide relief for parents and guardians who transport individuals who are unable to drive. This directly improves the accessibility of the program for East Central Illinoisans, ensuring parking placards can be issued without administrative delay or requiring a long drive out of the region.” The new walk-in option, made possible by a pilot program through the Illinois Secretary of State’s office, allows customers to apply for or renew permanent and meter-exempt disability parking placards, reducing processing times for applications that were previously handled exclusively by mail through the Springfield Flagship office. Expanded in-person services will now be available at 14 additional facilities across Illinois, including the Champaign DMV in the district Faraci represents.
(Undated-jm) – The average price for a gallon of gas rose last week, wiping out a week’s worth of decreases. GasBuddy says the average is $4.28 a gallon up from $4.21. The national average is $4.02 up from $3.94. The average price of diesel is $5.42, up 14 cents. Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy says the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries kept pressure on the markets.
(Paxton-jm) – City leaders in Paxton approved a disaster declaration following heavy rain and flooding last week caused many streets to be closed due to high water and residents left cleaning up the mess. The declaration allows for the possibility for state and federal disaster assistance. Members of Paxton Emergency Response Services will be going door to door today conducting damage assessments. For those not home when they come by, they will leave a paper with instructions on what to do.
(Rantoul–jc)-- The marketing of properties on the former Chanute Air Force Base continues in the village of Rantoul. Rantoul Village Administrator Scott Eisenhower says the properties have owners and businesses…
Rantoul Village Administrator Scott Eisenhower
(Paxton-jm) – There is a vacancy on the Paxton city council. Ward 3 alderman Matt Greenburg resigned. No reason was given for his resignation.
(Illinois–jc)A Florida man who previously resided in Illinois has pleaded not guilty to charges that he allegedly swindled people in a fraudulent investment scheme.
U.S. government attorneys said Makaio’ Kekoa, 39, formerly known as Lorenzo Hood, falsely informed victim investors that he had the ability to invest their money in short-term, high-yield investment opportunities.Kekoa then allegedly misappropriated the funds for his personal use. Prosecutors said Kekoa caused the victim investors to incur cumulative losses of at least $180,000.
(Washington–dm)-Record level U.S. corn harvests of the past two years continue to find their way to markets via exports, per USDA's August outlook. USDA’s Rod Bain has the story
(Undated-jm) — A mental health lifeline for Illinois farm families is getting a new and easier to remember name. The Farm Family Resource Initiative will now be called Farm SOS. According to the state, the lifeline is a partnership between SIU Medicine and state agencies that offers confidential 24/7 support for farmers facing financial stress, family strain or a personal crisis.
(Springfield-jm) — One year after Megan Moroney broke the Illinois State Fair grandstand attendance record, Lainey Wilson broke the record this year. 15,533 fans showed up for the country concert Saturday night. She broke the record by one fan.
(Paxton–dm)- A new school year means lots of new faces and new job positions. Linsdey Muchmore has been at PBL school district for a while, but this year Lindsey has a new position as the Athletic Director for the school district. Lindsey tells us about some of the duties of the Athletic Director.
PBL Athletic Director Lindsey Muchmore.
(Springfield–jc) –The Illinois Farm Bureau has announced the winners of the 2026 Illinois State Fair Master Showmanship contest. Toby Behrends of Sheffield was named Grand Champion Overall Master Showman in the competition for 4-H members aged 14 to 18. The beef division winner was Wyatt DeAth of Indianola, the swine division winner was Austin Komnick of Auburn, and the sheep division winner was J.W. Simms-Reisner of Ellery.
WPXN News notes…
The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive Thursday, August 20th from 11-5:30 at the 1st Presbyterian Church in Gibson City.
The Elliott Amvets will hold their Rocky Mountain Oyster Fry on Saturday, August 22nd from noon-2pm. Cost is $15.
The Rantoul-Paxton VFW will host live music with West End Boogie on Saturday, August 22nd from 6-9 pm.
The 2026 Watseka Family Fest will take place on Friday, August 28th and Saturday, August 29th. Performing Friday night is Kentucky Headhunters with Confederate Railroad. Performing Saturday night is Rodney Atkins with Montgomery Gentry.
The Gathering in Gilman will hold their Junk in the Trunk outdoor flea market on Saturday, August 29th from 9-2.
The Community Service Center of Northern Champaign County will hold a special food distribution sponsored by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Gifford on Saturday, August 29th from 9-10:30 am.
