Repair work planned Tuesday for Makanda railroad crossing

MAKANDA, Ill. (WJPF) — The railroad crossing on Makanda Road in Makanda will be closed Tuesday, July 13 for repair. Work is expected to start at 7:00 a.m. and finish no later than 7:00 p.m. No traffic

Man pleads guilty in 2019 fatal shooting of Illinois trooper

  EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) — A drug dealer pleaded guilty Friday to murder in the death of an Illinois state trooper who was shot in the head while preparing to remove steel bars from the

Illinois sues owner of plant where fire prompted evacuations

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois prosecutors on Friday sued the owner of a chemical plant where a fire last month sent dark smoke and ash into the air for days and prompted evacuations, saying the company should be held accountable

Illinois law to require Asian American history in schools

  SKOKIE, Ill. (AP) — Illinois public school students will be taught Asian American history under a law signed Friday by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. The topics will include the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II;

Last of four escapees from the Fulton County Jail captured

LEWISTOWN, Ill. (AP) — The last of four people who escaped from the Fulton County Jail in western Illinois last week has been captured, authorities said Sunday. The Fulton County sheriff’s office says Zachary Hart was caught

SIU researcher studying bobcat, coyote habitat in Illinois

  CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) — A Southern Illinois University researcher is tracking coyotes and bobcats to understand the habitats they seek and how they affect them. Nicole Gorman is a graduate zoology student and a research assistant

COVID-19 cases on the rise in Southern Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WJPF) — State public health officials are reporting 2,945 new cases of COVID-19 over the past week, including 53 additional deaths. Southern Illinois’ seven-day test positivity rate is now at 5.2%. Two weeks ago it

Harrisburg man sentenced for shaking baby, causing serious injuries

  HARRISBURG, Ill. (WJPF) — A Harrisburg man has been sentenced to spend the next 18 years behind bars on a child abuse charge. Brandon Ford was arrested in June 2019 for shaking his three month old

Choate administrators reassigned amid misconduct investigation

  ANNA, Ill. (WJPF) — Three top administrators at Choate Mental Health Center, who have been charged with interfering with an investigation into patient abuse, have been reassigned out of the Union County facility. Facility Director Bryant