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COURT CASES FILED
Following is a list of cases filed recently in Ford County Circuit Court, as listed at www.judici.com:. • Adolfo Reyna Rodriguez, 28, of Rantoul, for driving with no valid driver’s license, operating a vehicle with no registration light and failure to wear a seat belt by a driver. •...
Ford County fair happening now through Saturday
Summer means it’s time for county fairs. This year’s Ford County Fair in Melvin, running now through Saturday, features some old favorites as well as some new events. The fair has been bringing entertainment to central Illinois since 1926. Tonight features the annual fair queen pageant at 7...
Gibson City woman credits WeatherCall for keeping her informed during severe storms
GIBSON CITY, Ill. (WCIA) – One week ago, intense thunderstorms with up to 100 mph winds and 5 tornadoes swept through McLean and Ford counties, leaving a trail of damage through the area. For Gibson City Resident Susan Riley, storms like this aren’t something she wants to mess with. She keeps up with the forecast […]
Ford County public health administrator candidates to be interviewed
PAXTON — Before interviewing three candidates for Ford County’s vacant public health administrator job on Monday, June 24, the board of health’s president, Mike Short, was hopeful — confident, actually — that at least one would make a good fit. The three finalists for the...
Board rejects proposals for use of farm both now, later
PAXTON — The Ford County Board remains at an impasse when it comes to the future use of a county-owned farm, as board members were unable to move forward on either of two proposals for the farmground during a special meeting Monday night. The first proposal called for the...
Storm topples trees, power lines in area
GIBSON CITY — The night of Thursday, June 13, was a wild one in Ford County as a severe storm with ferocious winds slammed the area, downing power lines and toppling trees in a path of destruction spanning from one end of the county to the other. Damage was...
2 vying for fair queen’s crown
MELVIN — Two young women are contestants in the 2024 Miss Ford County Fair Queen Pageant, scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, June 24, in the dance building on the fairgrounds in Melvin. Both contestants — Isabelle Kinder and Kate Wilson — are Paxton residents and 2023 graduates of Paxton...
Brown family was instrumental in Ford County Fair operation
MELVIN — For the late Lewis Brown Jr. and Corinne Brown of rural Paxton, the Ford County Fair was almost a way of life. Dad “was always there with Mom volunteering to mow or doing maintenance, whatever needed to be done,” said their son Lewis III of rural Cissna Park.
Community Spotlight: Monticello Freedom Fest
MONTICELLO, Ill. (WCIA) — The Monticello Freedom Fest is back for another year at Lodge Park to celebrate the Fourth of July. Organizer Christy Shafter came on WCIA 3 News at Noon to preview the event. This year, things are being done in memory of her mother, an organizer since 2009 who passed away in […]
Central Illinois Hit by Five Tornadoes, Surveys Confirm
Bloomington, IL – Five EF-1 tornadoes were confirmed in Central Illinois following last Thursday’s severe weather, according to the US National Weather Service Central Illinois. The tornadoes impacted areas in McLean County, with one moving into Ford County. The tornadoes were located east-northeast of Lexington, southeast of Chenoa,...
New survey information shows 5 tornadoes from last Thursday's storms
(WAND Weather) — New survey information from the National Weather Service in Lincoln has confirmed five tornadoes rather than three from Thursday night's storms across McLean and Ford counties. Last Friday, the NWS survey team found damage in east-central McLean county as well as southwest Ford county. An updated...
Special patrols approaching in 5-county area
PONTIAC — Troop 5 Illinois State Police will conduct Occupant Restraint Enforcement Patrols in Ford, Iroquois, Kankakee, Livingston and McLean counties on June 24, June 26 and June 30, focusing on compliance with the state’s safety belt and child safety seat laws. Troop 5 state police will also...
Illinois 115 closed for culvert replacement project
ROBERTS — A section of Illinois 115 in Ford County is closed for a culvert replacement project. The Illinois Department of Transportation said in a news release that the work zone is just north of East 1800 North Road between Piper City and Roberts. The work was to begin Monday, June 17.
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