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August 16, 2023 Today’s headlines:  Thomas Paine Elementary School is opening its doors for the first day of school today with its newly renovated and expanded facilities. Federal student loan borrowers will have to resume repayment this fall, after getting a break during COVID. Three former staff members of Northwestern University’s baseball team filed suit against…

August 15, 2023 Today’s headlines: Garden Hills Academy in Champaign re-opened as a pre-K-through-eight school — adding early childhood and middle school grades to the former elementary school. Governor JB Pritzker’s administration and the labor union AFSCME agreed last month to raise state employee wages by almost 18% over four years. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker says he’s…

August 14, 2023 Today’s headlines: Today is the first day of school for many children in central Illinois — and some are walking into new classrooms.  Democratic state officials are applauding the Illinois supreme court for its ruling on Friday upholding the state’s ban on semi-automatic firearms. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin says the latest revelations about…

Friday, August 11, 2023 Today’s headlines:  Following the deaths of two young Black men in police-involved shootings this year, Rantoul Police are engaging in community discussions with residents. The Illinois State Fair in Springfield is officially underway. Federal prosecutors are using a south suburban state lawmaker in their perjury case against an aide to former…

Thursday, August 10, 2023 Today’s headlines:  A new state law allowing certain non-citizens to become police officers is being criticized by Republicans and the public. Ameren is planning a grid transformation project for much of Central Illinois. The 2023 Illinois State Fair has begun, and to ring in the festivities, officials unveiled an 800-pound cow…

August 9, 2023 Today’s headlines: More than two dozen local agencies gathered at the Rantoul Family Sports Complex Tuesday evening for a Family Resource Fair. Hospitals in Illinois will be required to screen uninsured patients to see if they qualify for financial aid under a new state law. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has signed a law…

August 8, 2023 Today’s headlines: Republican state representative Mike Marron is hosting an event for Rantoul residents to find out more about the resources within their community. More than 47,000 Illinois residents have been kicked off their Medicaid plans as of August 1 with more expected to be dropped in the coming months. Lawyers for people…

August 7, 2023 Today’s headlines: Abortion rights advocates in Illinois are slamming a federal judge’s ruling in a case over crisis pregnancy centers. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has signed three measures to support Native Americans. Using electronic cigarettes in public spaces is now prohibited in Illinois under a new law. The criminal trial of a…

August 4, 2023 Today’s headlines: Construction is underway on a new community to give dozens of people experiencing homelessness a place to live in Urbana. A former Northwestern football player says he faced intense racial harassment and sexual and physical trauma while on the team. Illinois will soon start tracking trauma in school-aged kids, in…

August 3, 2023 Today’s headlines: Governor JB Pritzker joined local leaders in Decatur on Wednesday to announce plans to expand the state’s electric vehicle ecosystem. Decatur’s Dennis Lab students will likely start school after Labor Day, on September 5. More Illinois high schoolers are using e-cigarettes than were smoking cigarettes a decade ago. In today’s…

August 1, 2023 Today’s headlines: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited central Illinois to highlight President Biden’s 2021 Infrastructure and Jobs Act. An Illinois lawmaker wants to regulate the way auto insurance companies are setting their rates. State Representative Mike Marron says he will not seek a fourth term in the Illinois House. Farmers have been benefiting from high…

July 31, 2023 Today’s headlines: People in Rantoul protested the police-involved shootings of two Black men earlier this year. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law a bill aimed at reintegrating formerly incarcerated people. A new audit is showing massive fraud tied to unemployment benefits paid out by Illinois during the pandemic. The new president of…

Friday, July 28, 2023 Today’s headlines:  This month could be the hottest to date globally. And researchers find the effects of climate change go beyond the physical. President Biden signed a proclamation this week creating a national monument honoring Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till Mobley. Chicago-based law firm The Thomas More Society has…

Thursday, July 27, 2023 Today’s headlines: Illinois’ largest state workers’ union has ratified a new contract that includes an 18 percent pay raise over the next four years. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin has tested positive for Covid One local theater group is combining a Shakespearean tragedy and “My Little Pony” in their upcoming show.  In…