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Unemployment claims in Illinois declined last week
Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Illinois dropped last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday. New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 8,428 in the week ending July 20, down from 9,574 the week before, the Labor Department said. U.S. unemployment...
Illinois Women Warned About Vicious New Banking & Romance Scams
Obviously no scam is good, but I would argue the worst are the ones that prey on emotions to rob a person blind or worse. That's why there are urgent warnings for Illinois women to be aware there are current ploys that use text messages to lure victims into romance and banking problems.
Illinois quick hits: Congress members file MINES Act; conservation police applications sought
Congressmembers file MINES Act A bipartisan proposal has been brought forth by some Illinois members of Congress to unveil the federal government’s efforts toward preventing coal mine collapses. The Monitoring, Investigating, Navigating and Explaining Subsidence Act was brought forth by U.S. Reps. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, and Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro. It would require the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement to provide a report to...
Springfield man charged in relation to child’s drowning
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The Sangamon County State’s Attorney has announced criminal charges in relation to a seven-year-old’s drowning in Springfield earlier this year. State’s Attorney John Milhiser said David Yankee was indicted by a grand jury Wednesday on four counts of endangering the life or health of a child. The charges come following an […]
UPDATE: Coroner identifies Springfield shooting victim, suspect facing murder charges
Update at 4 p.m. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The Sangamon County Coroner has identified the 47-year-old man who was killed in a shooting on Thursday. In a press release, Coroner Jim Allmon identified the victim as Sammie Tyrone McClinton. The investigation into McClinton’s death is ongoing. One person is under arrest and facing murder charges […]
Miller Park Zoo set to open historic animal building for first time since 2020
BLOOMINGTON (25News Now) - For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bloomington’s Miller Park Zoo is reopening the historic Katthoefer Animal Building to the public. The building was closed to visitors in March 2020 because the big cats, primates, and members of the weasel family...
Historic Lexington 'castle' hits the auction block
A historic home in Lexington will be sold by auction after sitting on the market for nearly a year. The 1898 Victorian mansion at 10 N. Spencer St., known as "The Castle," was originally built for David Hyatt Van Dolah, an aristocrat best known as a broker of French horses.
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...
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,...
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