Pleasant Plains Middle School Designated Special Olympics National Banner School, ESPN Honor Roll Award Winner
By Benjamin Cox on October 21, 2022 at 2:30pm
Pleasant Plains Middle School is being nationally honored for their unified sports programs. Laura Williams, Special Education Teacher and Unified Sports Coach at Pleasant Plains Middle School, says that the Special Olympics has designated the middle school as a National Banner Unified Champion School this year. Only 12 schools (Elementary through College in the state […]
Lannerd Named to Fourth District Appellate Court Vacancy
By Benjamin Cox on October 21, 2022 at 11:53am
An Adams County Judge has been named to fill a vacancy on the Fourth District Appellate Court of Illinois. Justice Lisa Holder White and the Supreme Court of Illinois announced yesterday that Eighth Circuit Court Judge Amy Lannerd has been assigned to fill the vacancy created by the decision of Justice John W. Turner of […]
Farley Named Chair of the Board of the Council of Independent Colleges
By Benjamin Cox on October 21, 2022 at 10:17am
Illinois College President Barbara Farley has been named as chair of the board of directors for the Council of Independent Colleges. The college made the announcement yesterday. Founded in 1956, the council brings together more than 700 non-profit independent colleges from across the country to support leaders and excellence in higher education. The Journal Courier […]
Washington Renovation Given July 25 Completion Date
By Benjamin Cox on October 21, 2022 at 10:02am
The Washington Elementary School renovation has been given a hard date to be completed. Vision 117 Coordinator Bob Roads says that one portion of the renovation is complete: “Where we are at right now is where I would say as a rule of thumb, the demolition portion of the building is over. Everything that needed […]
School Consolidation Talks Becoming More Common Due to Lagging Enrollments, Teacher Shortage
By Benjamin Cox on October 21, 2022 at 9:54am
School district consolidation is becoming a large topic across West Central Illinois. It’s been on Illinois lawmakers’ radar for the last two years. House Bill 7 in March 2021 called for the creation of a commission to study consolidation of school districts by studying efficiency and resource savings. The bill wouldn’t have been a forced […]
Motion Filed to Consolidate SAFE-T Act Suits in Kankakee County
By Benjamin Cox on October 21, 2022 at 9:32am
Nearly 60 lawsuits surrounding the constitutionality of the SAFE-T Act are under motion to consolidate in Kankakee County. The lawsuits filed by state’s attorneys from around Illinois including in Brown, Scott, Morgan, Greene, and Sangamon counties among others are all making identical claims that the Pretrial Fairness Act that is slated to end cash bail […]
Salvi Files FOIA Request in Schuyler County Over Incorrect Ballots
By Benjamin Cox on October 21, 2022 at 9:23am
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kathi Salvi is requesting information into the workers involved in the printing of erroneous ballots in Schuyler County. WCIA reports that Salvi filed a Freedom of Information Act request Thursday for he names, addresses and contact information of employees of the Schuyler County Clerk’s Office involved in printing ballots that incorrectly […]
Coalition Attempting to Stop Heartland Greenway Holds Info Session in Jacksonville
By Benjamin Cox on October 20, 2022 at 1:23pm
Approximately 40 people crammed into a classroom at Lincoln Land Community College-Jacksonville on Tuesday night to hear a presentation from a large coalition of people attempting to place a halt on the permit for the Heartland Greenway CO2 Sequestration Pipeline. The Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines gave a 2-hour presentation to the crowd about the […]
March of Dimes Report: Eight West Central Illinois Counties Designated As Maternity Care Deserts
By Benjamin Cox on October 20, 2022 at 1:07pm
The March of Dimes has classified a number of West Central Illinois counties as a maternity care desert. A county is classified as a maternity care desert if there were no hospitals providing obstetric care, no birth centers, no obstetrician/gynecologist and no certified nurse midwives. Calhoun, Pike, Scott, Brown, Cass, Menard, Schuyler, and Mason counties […]
Semi Hauling Motor Oil Burns on I-72
By Benjamin Cox on October 20, 2022 at 1:02pm
Sangamon County area fire departments were called out to a semi tractor trailer fire on Interstate 72 in western Sangamon County early this morning. According to an Illinois State Police report, at 12:24AM, troopers were dispatched to a semi engulfed in flames on Interstate 72 at milepost 87 about 5 miles east of New Berlin. […]