Chapin
LATEST NEWS
Family Fun At The 2024 Findlay Walleye Festival
The 2024 Findlay Walleye Festival is underway now through Saturday July 27th, starting off a weekend full of fun for the family with plenty of food, vendors, live music, and more. This marks the 36th year of the Findlay Walleye Festival with the goal of bringing family and friends together to enjoy their small community.
The Gilman Star’s last edition to be published July 31
GILMAN — The Gilman Star, a weekly newspaper covering western Iroquois County since 1869, is publishing its final edition on Wednesday, July 31. The Star’s closure represents the third of 2024 for a weekly newspaper in Illinois, which saw six weeklies close in 2023 and 15 in 2022, according to the Illinois Press Association’s Cindy Bedolli, citing data for only its member papers, with mergers not included. With this latest closure, there are now 374 Illinois Press Association member publications statewide — 330 weeklies to go with 44 dailies, defined as newspapers that produce a print or electronic edition more than three days a week.
Former Decatur City Council candidate sues mayor, city
DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — A former Decatur City Council candidate is taking the city to court, alleging that his civil rights were violated when the city removed his campaign signs during the last municipal election cycle. Marty Watkins filed the lawsuit against the city in federal court on Monday, naming former City Manager Scot Wrighton, […]
Teenager arrested in connection to Champaign armed robbery
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — A teenager is under arrest after Champaign Police said he is believed to have robbed a man at gunpoint late Friday morning. The robbery happened at a gas station at Mattis Avenue and John Street. Lieutenant Aaron Lack said the victim was outside at 11:47 a.m. when two people, described as […]
‘It’s my heart’: Take a tour of the fiber arts store drawing people to Forsyth from across the country
FORSYTH, Ill. (WCIA) — It can be fun to get your creative juices flowing, starting a one-of-a-kind art project. In Our Town Forsyth, The Fabric Cobbler is filled with all the fabrics and other supplies you need to make anything your heart desires. Scarlett Wells, the owner, started her business 12 years ago with only […]
Felines and frappes: Cat cafe coming to downtown Champaign
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — In Champaign, a redevelopment and incentive program is bringing a new business to downtown. It’ll include felines and frappes. The Scratching Post is a future cat cafe that will open on University Avenue. It’ll fill a building that has sat vacant since 2019 and used to be home to the Record […]
Irish Fest returns to Allerton next week
Allerton Park’s Irish Fest is back on Friday, August 2nd, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the Gatehouse Lawn. The event features traditional Irish music by Turas at 6 p.m. and On the Lash at 7:30 p.m., offering new takes on classic songs. Food trucks Daro Coffee Co.,...
GROSS! Illinois Will Experience A “Bug Boom” This Summer
With warmer-than-average weather sweeping across Illinois, residents are noticing a surge in bug and insect activity. The unseasonable temperatures have created an ideal environment for these critters to thrive, leading to an unexpected influx in homes and gardens. In Illinois, in addition, to the warmer temperatures, we've also experienced more...
Important News for Illinois Low Income Families Receiving TANF Payments
Illinois has set a precedent now that all child support payments collected for families receiving or having received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) will now be directly passed on to them without state deductions. Child Support Changes in Illinois Now in Effect. This landmark policy was effective as of...
Festival To Celebrate Famous Illinois Movie Is Back
Illinois cinema fans are excited to celebrate one of the most famous movies ever filmed in our state. One of my favorite movies of all time was filmed right here in Illinois. It's the "Blues Brothers." My dad introduced it to me when I was younger and we watched it all the time. So much so, that my mom recorded over a copy we had on a VHS tape.
Climate bill rebates for electric appliances and upgrades coming to Illinois in 2025
They are some of the juiciest consumer incentives in President Joe Biden’s 2022 climate bill: rebates of up to $8,000 for a heat-pump air conditioner and heater, up to $4,000 for an electrical panel, up to $2,500 for electrical wiring, and up to $1,750 for an electric heat pump water heater. And they’re coming to Illinois. The state plans to roll out its home energy rebates in the first ...
Illinois Duo Sentenced for Multi-Million Dollar Bank Fraud Scheme and Money Laundering
Two Illinois men, Erik Richard Jones and Mitchell Allen Melega, were sentenced to prison after being convicted of bank fraud and money laundering. They were also ordered to pay nearly $4.84 million in restitution for defrauding First Midwest Bank and misappropriating loaned funds. The sentences were handed down in Rock Island, following their guilty pleas to multiple charges. On July 23, 2024, Erik Jones, of Colona, was sentenced to 54 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Mitchell Melega, formerly of Orion, was sentenced to 75 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. They were both ordered to pay $4,840,944.63 in restitution.
Illinois quick hits: More layoffs announced; suspects sentenced for stealing mail
More layoffs announced Manufacturers Caterpillar and John Deere are laying off workers. Moline-based John Deere laid off 170 employees this week, following hundreds more layoffs in the Quad Cities area the past few months. Caterpillar officials confirmed that the company implemented a one-week layoff for employees in East Peoria. According to Industrial Technology Research, U.S....
Most Illinois jails restrain people in chairs. This county ‘violently shocked’ them, too.
CHARLESTON, Ill. – Brice Fritz was naked, strapped down to a chair in a jail cell when a staff member monitoring her via video delivered 80,000 volts of electricity through the stun cuff on her leg. “I felt like I was being electrocuted,” Fritz told the Illinois Answers Project,...
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.