(Paxton-jm) – A blown transformer in Paxton knocked out power in several areas Sunday evening. Reports of power outages were reported in Buckley, Loda, Ludlow and parts of Paxton.
(Ford County–jm) – Emergency responders in Ford County were busy Friday evening with multiple accidents. Paxton firefighters responded to a two vehicle accident at Route 9 and 115. At the same time Sibley firefighters were called to a single vehicle rollover accident while Kempton Cabery also had a rollover accident.
(Springfield-jm) – We are a week, plus, away from the general election on November 3rd. One of the biggest races in the state is for Governor. Republican Darren Bailey is trying for the second time to unseat incumbent Democrat Governor J-B Pritzker. Bailey recently received an endorsement from President Donald Trump. Bailey sat down with Capitol News Illinois to talk about the election and shares his thoughts on the endorsement…
Republican Gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey. The mid term election is set for Tuesday November 3rd.
(Thomasboro-jm) – Thomasboro firefighters responded to a field fire Sunday afternoon. It happened near 2800 North and 1200 East. Rantoul and Sangamon Valley Fire from Fisher responded. About 2 acres of standing corn and 10 acres of corn stubble caught fire.
(Paxton–jc) – One business that serves Ford Iroquois and Kankakee Counties will host a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house in downtown Paxton later this week. Clove Alliance is a non-profit that helps survivors of sexual assault and their families . Clove Alliance Executive Director Tracy Noe Slach says the event is set for Tuesday morning in downtown Paxton…
Clove Alliance Executive Director Tracy Noe Slach
(The Center Square) - An Illinois lawmaker charged in a federal alleged kickback scheme is asking a judge to dismiss the case against her. Attorneys for State Representative Carol Ammons of Champaign, filed a motion Friday contending the indictment either fails to allege a crime or doesn't clearly explain what laws she is accused of violating. On the wire fraud counts, related to both an alleged kickback scheme in which state taxpayer dollars were funneled to nonprofits employing the lawmaker’s daughter, and for the misuse of campaign funds, Ammons argued prosecutors failed to include all the facts necessary to support the charges. In a second argument, Ammons' attorneys contend federal prosecutors are improperly trying to enforce state ethics rules, which they say are matters for Illinois to regulate based on years of legal precedent. As for the false statement charge, which stems from the representative telling federal investigators that she was unaware of any conflict of interest, her lawyers said that she couldn’t have made a false statement because a conflict of interest doesn’t exist under state law.
(Washington–dm)-The significance of bats to agriculture and pest control are among the reason awareness is promoted annually the week before Halloween.
Rod Bain has the story
(The Center Square) – The unemployment rate in Illinois over September was 4.6%, down 0.1% from August, according to recently released Illinois Department of Employment Security data, meaning less Illinois residents were without a job last month. The unemployment rate in the state has fallen over the past three months, but is still up 0.1% from the same time last year. Illinois’ rate of unemployment is higher than the national average over September, which was 4.2%, but the national rate actually grew 0.1% between August and September.
(Lake Iroquois-jm) – Three juveniles were injured following a golf cart accident in Lake Iroquois Friday night. It happened around 9pm on Arapaho Lane according to the Iroquois County Sheriff’s Office. Seven juveniles were on the cart at the time of the accident. Three juveniles were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The Iroquois County Sheriff’s Office says the golf cart tipped over due to excessive speed and lack of driving knowledge. No other information has been released.
(Paxton-jc) Paxton firefighters were called to a residential fire late Sunday night in the city. The fire occurred at 15 Allison Drive in Paxton just after 10pm on Sunday. Paxton Firemen were on scene along with Buckley and Loda firefighters. No damage estimates were provided.
(The Center Square) – The Illinois Board of Higher Education announced Friday as a part of its yearly first look fall semester enrollment report that enrollment in public universities in Illinois reached a decade high. The total number of undergraduate students enrolled was up over 2,400 year-over-year, a 0.15% increase. The number of full-time first year freshmen for the fall 2026 semester reached 27,500 students. A 14.2% decline in the total number of international students enrolled in Illinois was attributed to changes made by the Trump administration to how international student visas are processed. Gov. J.B. Pritzker still celebrated the overall results as a win in the face of the “disruption” of higher education by the federal government.
(Champaign—dm)-The dry weather has helped farmers with getting the crops out of the fields. Champaign County Farm Bureau Manager Kirk Builta gives us an update on the soybean harvest progress.
Champaign County Farm Bureau Manager Kirk Builta
(Paxton-jm) – Paxton first responders responded to a single vehicle accident Saturday evening. It happened around 730 pm at 200 north 1800 east. There were no serious injuries.
(Paxton–jc) – The city of Paxton is getting an upgrade on the emergency weather sirens in the city. Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold says the cost of the upgrades is around 9 thousand dollars…
Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold
(Undated-jm) – Two area banks are warning people to be on the lookout for scams. Fisher National Bank and Federated Bank both posted on social media warning customers about phone calls from individuals claiming to represent their banks. The banks say they will never call you to ask for information like your full bank account number, social security number or banking login information. They say you should not give out the information and instead hang up and call the bank directly and report suspicious calls to local authorities.
(Rantoul–dm)-The Rantoul Rec Department will be hosting their annual Halloween Party on Monday October 27th. Recreation Specialist for the Village of Rantoul Phoenix LaComb has all the information you need
Recreation Specialist for the Village of Rantoul Phoenix LaComb
(Urbana–jc) Firefighters were called to a building fire on the University of Illinois campus Friday afternoon. Firefighters from the University of Illinois along with those in the twin cities were called to Townsend hall around 1pm. Townsend Hall is a residence hall for students at the University. The fire was contained in about 30 minutes, No damage estimates were given
(Paxton–jc) Today’s WPXN Business of the Day is Paxton Hardware and Rental in downtown Paxton. Paxton Hardware and Rental Store Owner Scott Allen says they have been busy this fall with rentals for the yard and home and have something new and fun for this Christmas season…
He says they try to provide the goods and services the customers in the area need each day. That includes Keys for a wide variety of uses…
Paxton Hardware and Rental Store Owner Scott Allen
Paxton Hardware and Rental invites the Trick or Treaters to the Store this Saturday too.
Paxton Hardware and Rental is the WPXN Business of the Day today
WPXN News notes…
The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive today from 9-3 at the Iroquois West High School.
The Hoopeston Jaycees will host their downtown Spooktacular today from 5:30-7 pm.
The Rantoul Recreation Department will hold a Halloween Party today from 6-7:30 pm at the Rantoul Family Sports Complex. Activities include hot dogs, treats, games and inflatables.
The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office will be at the Moyer District Library in Gibson City on Tuesday, October 27th from 2-5 pm for their I-Cash unclaimed cash and property program.
The Ford County Public Health Department will hold a walk in flu clinic on Wednesday, October 28th from 8:30-11 am at the Kempton American Legion in Kempton.
Jeremiah 33:6 will hold a free produce pantry and health fair on Wednesday, October 28th from 3-5 pm at the Roberts Gym.
