News

Pritzker activates National Guard as FBI warns of state capitol protests

Published by admin on Fri, 01/15/2021 - 1:51pm

SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker has activated 250 members of the Illinois National Guard amid FBI warnings of potential armed protests at the 50 U.S. state capitols in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Crews could also be seen Friday placing plywood over the windows of the Illinois State Capitol building in Springfield.

UPDATED: Criminal justice reform package will head to governor

Published by admin on Wed, 01/13/2021 - 2:30pm

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate passed a criminal justice omnibus bill early Wednesday morning after a grueling 20 hours of politicking during Tuesday’s lame duck session. The House followed suit Wednesday morning, clearing the way for the bill to head to the governor.

Black Caucus passes criminal justice omnibus bill through Senate

Published by admin on Wed, 01/13/2021 - 9:28am

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate passed a criminal justice omnibus bill early Wednesday morning after a grueling 20 hours of politicking during Tuesday’s lame duck session.
The legislation is made up of several provisions that touch all facets of the criminal justice system. The Pretrial Fairness Act, a longtime passion project to end cash bail in Illinois by Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, and a complete overhaul of police certification crafted by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul were both absorbed into the omnibus package.

Kinzinger: 'I will vote for impeachment'

Published by admin on Tue, 01/12/2021 - 6:31pm

Washington, DC – Congressman Adam Kinzinger (IL-16) released the following statement ahead of the House votes on impeachment:

“Throughout my time in Congress, I’ve sought to do the right thing for the good of the people I represent and for the country as a whole. We are in unchartered waters here, and in a moment in history we have not experienced in modern times.

Permanent vote-by-mail expansion moves to House floor

Published by admin on Tue, 01/12/2021 - 5:12pm

SPRINGFIELD — The House Executive Committee advanced an election bill that would make permanent some of the expansions to mail-in voting that were passed for the 2020 general election.
The bill would require election authorities to accept mail-in ballots that were submitted without sufficient postage and allow election authorities to set up collection sites or drop-boxes that accept ballots without postage.

Unit 1 seats new board member

Published by admin on Tue, 01/12/2021 - 4:32pm

Dan Engelhardt has been appointed as the newest member of the Unit 1 Board of Education.
Engelhardt, of Diamond, was seated by the board on Jan. 6 to fill the the vacancy left by long-term member Jeff Emerson, who resigned November 2020.
Emerson recommended that his replacement be selected from those seeking a position in the April 6 election.
On the advice of Emerson, the Board extended an invitation to each person who had obtained a candidate petition to be interviewed for the appointment.

Coal City signs on to new crime fighting unit

Published by admin on Tue, 01/12/2021 - 4:31pm

In just under six weeks, Grundy County will implement its Pro Act Unit, a group focused on combating crime throughout the county.
The Pro Act Unit, led by the Grundy County Sheriff’s Department, will comprise six police units from across Grundy County with assistance from the state’s attorney’s office.
The unit was conceived by Sheriff Ken Briley to combat the multi-jurisdictional trafficking of illegal narcotics, controlled substances, dangerous drugs, guns, illegal street gang activity and other crimes.

Unit 1 stakeholders outline traits sought in next superintendent

Published by admin on Tue, 01/12/2021 - 4:30pm

Over 400 individuals completed an on-line survey seeking community input to aid the Unit 1 Board of Education in its search for a new superintendent.
The Illinois Association of School Boards [IASB] administrated the survey that provided the Board of Education with a community and staff perspective of the qualities they want to see in the district’s next leader.

Majority of students are back in class

Published by admin on Tue, 01/12/2021 - 4:29pm

Unit 1 School District students began the second semester with in-person learning last week with over 80% in attendance.
In his weekly COVID-19 report to parents and guardians issued Jan. 8, Unit 1 Superintendent Dr. Kent Bugg reported a majority of student had returned to the classroom following the two-week winter break.
“Prior to the winter break, we experienced a rapid increase in the number of students registered for full remote learning. But when we started school again this week, we saw those numbers decrease rapidly,” Bugg said.

Unit 1 making a plan for full day instruction

Published by admin on Tue, 01/12/2021 - 4:28pm

By the end of the month, the Unit 1 School District will have a plan in place for the return to full day instruction. But the exact date as to when the district will transition from the current half day schedule to full is still unknown.
The transition is being developed for inclusion in the district’s Return to School Plan and will outline the steps necessary to move back to full day instruction when the time comes.