WILL-AM

News Local/State

The annual arts festival features hundreds of artists at more than 90 venues throughout Champaign County.

News Local/State

Utlity company Ameren has filed a request with the Illinois Commerce Commission for an electric delivery rate decrease.  If approved, it's not known how much the change will impact bills, but it wouldn't go into effect until January 2017.  Ameren gas customers are also expected to see a reduction now in their bills due to a drop in the cost of natural gas.

News Local/State

Illinois has more than $100 billion in pension debt. So far, attempts to fix it have been mostly illegal.

News Local/State

It's been nearly a week since Decatur's 5-cent a gallon motor fuel tax, for street repairs, took effect.  The city is also is charging a extra penny for diesel fuel.  Jay Billingsley, a third-generation gas station owner, calls it a "tough pill to swallow," but says he also has many loyal customers.  Public Works Director Rick Marley says the tax is needed for "hundreds" of projects.

News Local/State

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert is asking for probation in his hush-money case. His lawyers cite the former Illinois congressman's health and say in a new court filing that he's already paid a high price. They note Hastert's "fall from grace has been swift and devastating."  The Chicago Tribune Thursday cited unidentified law enforcement sources as saying at least four people have made "credible allegations of sexual abuse.'

News Local/State

High School social studies teacher Greg Stock was sworn in Tuesday night, after the Champaign City Council chose him from a field of ten applicants to take the District Four council seat left vacant by the departure of Marci Dodds.

News Local/State

Bees are essential to our lives, yet they are dying by the thousands. Experts say there's no one solution for protecting them.

News Local/State

A state Senate panel has approved a measure that would let undocumented students compete for financial help at Illinois’ 4-year universities.

News Local/State

Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed an executive order, creating a task force to look for waste, fraud and abuse in taxpayer-funded health care programs. The panel will also try to prevent waste in state and federally funded Medicaid and employee health insurance programs. Rauner says the cost of state-run health care programs increase when no one's acting as a watchdog.

News Local/State

One high school counselor says the budget uncertainty, particularly with the Monetary Award Program, or MAP grants, is pushing some students to attend college out of state.