Thursday, November 13, 2025

Mahomet school board member pleads not guilty in Kankakee County crashA Mahomet School Board member charged with hitting a State Trooper's car earlier this year in Kankakee County is pleading not guilty.  State police say in March, the trooper responded to a report of debris in the roadway on I-57 near Chebanse.  The trooper parked their squad car in the right lane and removed the debris.  The trooper was returning to the squad car when it was rearended by a Lincoln SUV.  The trooper and the driver of the SUV, identified as Harold McComb, were taken to the hospital.  McComb was cited and charged.  He entered a not guilty plea this week in Kankakee County court.Powerball rolls over...againThere was no winner in last night's Powerball drawing. That means Saturday night's drawing will be worth an estimated 546-million dollars. There's 965-million-dollars up for grabs in Friday night's Mega Millions drawing. One hospitalized after I-57 crashOne person was injured in a single-car crash on I-57 Wednesday afternoon. Illinois State Police say it happened just after one yesterday afternoon when the car went into the ditch on the Interstate near North Street. The driver of the car was taken to the hospital to be treated for unspecified injuries.State's Attorney addresses ICE concernsDuring the public comment segment of Wednesday morning's meeting of the Kankakee County Board, comments were made about a WTTW report that showed Kankakee County as one of 14 counties in the State with active contracts with the US Marshalls Service. Part of those contracts, it was pointed out states law enforcement in those counties will cooperated with ICE, something that has been outlawed by state legislators through the "Illinois Trust Act". Kankakee County State's Attorney Jim Rowe spoke about the contract.  Rowe pointed out that in Kankakee County, neither law enforcement nor the courts coordinate with ICE in violation of the Illinois Trust Act. Today's County Board meeting was delayed from Monday when there failed to be a quorum for the meeting because of the weather. County Board okays higher Health Department ratesThe Kankakee County Board Wednesday morning voted to increase the yearly licenses and fees paid by some local food service establishments to the County Health Department. Health Department Inspector Dana James explains.  It has been six years since the fees paid to the Health Department were increased. County Board passes budgetDuring Wednesday morning's meeting of the Kankakee County Board, the board passed the combined annual budget and appropriations ordinance for the 2025-2026 Fiscal Year. County Board Chairman Matt Alexander-Hildebrand said this years budget was a difficult one.  Chairman Alexander-Hildebrand said the county would continue to work next year to have another balanced budget, despite recent legislation passed by the state that limits the amount of monies that can be collected by local governments. Lessen your holiday stressThanksgiving is just a couple of weeks away and it can be a stressful time for even for people that are used to hosting the holiday feast. Rob West recently had the chance to talk with Butterball Turkey Talk-Line Expert Sue Smith who gave us some tips to help lessen that stress.  You can reach the Butterball Turkey Talk Line at 1-800-Butterball or at Butterball.com. Have a news tip to share? Send us a text!Listen to more great shows on the WVLI Podcast Network:This One Time in Kankakee  (Narrative Storytelling)Kankakee Valley Community Happenings  (Businesses & Non-Profits)The voices you trust, beyond the dial.