(Springfield-jm) – Governor J-B Pritzker issued a state disaster proclamation following weeks of severe weather resulting in flooding, straight line winds and over 200 tornadoes. Among the counties included are Ford, Champaign, Vermilion and McLean.

 

(Paxton–jc)  City leaders in Paxton have started the process of declaring an emergency due to massive flooding in the city over the past week. Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold provides some information…

 

Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold. Paxton E R S Coordinator Andrew Turner and his volunteers have been busy. Turner says agencies have been contacted and they are going house to house in paxton…

 

Paxton E R S Coordinator Andrew Turner. Crews will be going back out again today. 

 

(Paxton-jm) – Drivers can expect delays on parts of I-57 in southern Ford County as construction is scheduled to begin this week. IDOT says construction on the bridges carrying I-57 over the Big Four Ditch south of Paxton will begin Friday. The initial work will include constructing crossovers for traffic at both ends of the existing bridges. That work is expected to be completed by the end of October. Then starting in the spring, both bridges will be replaced and will take most of 2027 to complete. The project is estimated to cost nearly $20 million.

 

(Rantoul–jc)  Baseball and softball have continued this month at the Rantoul Sports Complex on the village's west side near Interstate 57.  Rantoul Mayor Sam Hall the Third says Brandon Denton and team continue to bring a wide variety of sports to Rantoul, all year long…

 

Rantoul Mayor Sam Hall the Third

 

(The Center Square) – Democrat Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has contributed $65 million to his gubernatorial campaign fund. Since his first run for governor in 2018, Pritzker has spent more than $400 million on campaigns for himself and other Democratic Party candidates.

 

(Watseka–jc)— Iroquois Memorial Hospital recognized Dr. Philip Zumwalt this summer, , honoring his 20 years of dedicated service as a member of the hospital’s Board of Trustees. Doctor. Zumwalt was presented with a commemorative plaque in appreciation of his leadership, commitment and lasting impact on Iroquois Memorial Hospital and the communities it serves. Dr. Zumwalt’s connection to Iroquois Memorial Hospital began the day he was born there. It continued when he returned home in 1979 as a young physician and ultimately extended into decades of leadership helping shape the hospital’s future.

 

(Springfield–jc)   — As a new academic year begins across Illinois, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Revenue  are highlighting valuable state tax credits available to parents, guardians, and educators to offset the cost of school expenses. Both families and educators can secure vital financial relief on their upcoming state tax returns by claiming deductions on qualified purchases like classroom materials, tuition, and required school fees.

 

(Springfield–jc)  Two more days of harness racing are scheduled at the Illinois State Fair. Post time is set for 11 a.m. both today and Thursday.Two days of dirt-track auto racing are on tap this weekend.

The USAC Bettenhausen 100 is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday. On Sunday, the green flag is scheduled to drop for Sportsman Nationals at 11:45 a.m. and the ARCA Allen Crowe Memorial 100 follows at 1:09 p.m.

 

(Undated-jm) – Mother Nature has made it a tough summer for farmers. High winds, heavy rain, hail, tornadoes and flooding have impacted corn and soybean crops. June started out dry which led to some soybean plants being short and ears of corn not filling out. July and August have seen some crops ruined by pools of water.

 

(Danville–jc)  –  Synergy Midwest Generation, owner of the closed Vermilion Power Station north of Oakwood, disclosed recently that riverbank erosion next to its coal ash along the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River has reached a point of requiring reinforcement to prevent the collapse of the ash waste impoundment.

104th district State Representative Brandon Schweitzer says they are working with the Illinois E P A…

 

 

104th district State Representative Brandon Schweitzer, Republican from Danville

The former power plant’s 3.3 million cubic yards of coal ash remain in the floodplain of the river, awaiting Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval for removal. But the state agency has been reviewing the removal plan for over four years without action.

 

(Urbana-jm) — A University of Illinois grad student has been arrested for allegedly vandalizing two license plate reader cameras on campus. 26 year old Mitchell Bryant is charged with a single count of criminal damage to government supported property. A camera in the area of Green and Gregory and another at Wright and Springfield were discovered to have been covered in yellow spray paint. Bryant was allegedly caught in the act using a pole and cord from security cameras and a camera on an MTD bus.

 

(Paxton–jc)  The Paxton Buckley Loda School system is looking good in the fiscal sense. Paxton Buckley Loda School Superintendent Eric Bohm commended the board at the recent meeting…

 

Paxton Buckley Loda School Superintendent Eric Bohm

 

(Paxton–jc)  –  Ford County Public Health and Gibson's R-O-S-C are partnering together for a free training. Be Prepared to Save a Life will be presented Thursday, August 27 from 1:00 - 2:30 PM at MoyerLibrary in Gibson City. This free community training will teach the basics of harm reduction and how to use naloxone in an overdose emergency. Everyone is welcome

 

(Paxton–jc)  The Paxton Chamber of Commerce is leading the way in the city to help property owners affected by the recent days of flooding. WPXN’s Joel Cluver has the story…

 

(Urbana–jc)  – The University of Illinois System will link the architects of the rapidly developing quantum technology hub in Chicago with one of Mexico’s leading quantum computing researchers during a virtual event on August 20th

Quantum Computing and Microelectronics Technology is the focus of the event on Thursday The event is free and open to researchers, faculty, students, industry professionals and policymakers.

 

(The Center Square) – The Anti-Defamation League is sounding an alarm over the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America’s questionnaire for city council candidates. ADL Midwest Senior Regional Director Rebecca Weininger says the DSA questionnaire’s first two long-form questions are devoted to Israel instead of how candidates would help Chicago.The questions asked candidates whether they are anti-Zionist and whether they support municipal-level boycott, divestment and sanctions.Jay Tcath, executive vice president of the Jewish United Fund in Chicago, said the questionnaire is troubling.

 

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 Elliott Amvets will hold their porkchop sandwich supper on Friday, August 28th from 5–7 pm. Cost is $8. 

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.