Illinois
Illinois opens enrollment for LIHEAP energy financial assistance program
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity revealed details on this year’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program this week to help low-income households with utility costs.
$226 million will be provided to eligible families to assist with natural gas, propane, and electricity bills and furnace assistance.
Families that earn up to two times the federal poverty level can receive LIHEAP payments. State leaders encourage all eligible families to apply.
“Every Illinoisan deserves to be able to keep the lights on and stay warm as we head into winter,” Governor JB Pritzker said.
Springfield agency awarded grant to help people enroll in health care
For the month of October, the program is accepting applications from:
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adults 60 years old or older
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individuals with a disability
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families with children five years old or younger, and
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households that are disconnected from their utilities, have a disconnection notice or have less than 25% in their propane tank.
Other households can apply on November 1. The application period closes Aug. 15, 2025, or when funds are exhausted.
“LIHEAP is an essential program for families across Illinois,” DCEO Director Kristin Richards said. “This priority application system will ensure families with the most critical need have the resources and information necessary to secure reliable access to energy utilities.”
More than 333,000 households in the state received LIHEAP funding last year, with the average amount of financial assistance being $724 per household.
Families can apply at Help Illinois Families’s website. Anyone needing assistance can call 1-833-711-0374 for help in one of 30 languages.
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An 18-year-old man is hospitalized after he was found shot in Joliet, Illinois, on Saturday evening.
Joliet police said around 6:46 p.m., officers responded to the area of East Benton Street and Polson Place for a report of a man shot.
Upon arrival, officers found the victim suffering from gunshot wounds to his back and left arm. Police said officers immediately rendered medical aid until Joliet Fire Department paramedics arrived.
The victim was taken to Silver Cross Hospital with life-threatening injuries before later being transferred to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood for further treatment.
Spent shell casings were found after detectives canvassed the area.
Police said there is no description of a suspect and the shooting remains under active investigation.
Anyone with video footage or information related to this shooting is asked to contact the Joliet Police Department Investigations Division at 815-724-3020. Anonymous tipsters can contact Will County Crime Stoppers at 800-323-6734 or submit a tip online at crimestoppersofwillcounty.org.
YORKTOWN, Va (WAVY) — A 31-year-old Illinois man has been sentenced after pleading guilty to exploiting a York County child online.
According to the York County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, Andres Arreola pleaded guilty to enticing a minor to perform child sexual abuse acts and using a communication system to facilitate certain offenses involving a child.
The case began in April 2025 after the parent of a 9-year-old child called the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office about inappropriate messages they found from Arreola to the child on an online chat platform.
Investigators determined Arreola sent sexually explicit messages and images to the child and persuaded the child to send explicit images in return, knowing the victim was a 9-year-old.
Detectives were able to identify Arreola in Illinois, where he was taken into custody. He was then extradited him to York County where he remained behind bars without bond. Detectives also recovered electronic evidence supporting the charges.
A judge ultimately sentenced Arreola to 40 years in prison, suspending 31 years and six months, leaving him with an active prison sentence of eight years and six months.
After his release, Arreola will serve 20 years of supervised probation. He cannot have unsupervised contact with minors and will be required to register with Virginia’s Sex Offender and Crimes against Minors Registry.
“The exploitation of children—whether in person or online—will not be tolerated in York County,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Krystyn Reid in a statement.
Reid goes on to praise the investigators, prosecutors and the “the young victim and the victim’s family throughout this case. Anyone who seeks to harm a child, regardless of where they are located, should expect to be identified, brought before the court, prosecuted, and held accountable.”
A woman was taken into custody, accused of breaking into a home in Aurora, Illinois, on Saturday morning.
Aurora Police said around 9:14 a.m., officers responded to the 100 block of South Edgelawn Drive for a report of a residential burglary after a neighbor reported what they described as a suspicious person on the property.
Arriving officers found evidence of forced entry at the home and encountered a woman inside the residence who refused to come out.
Police said officers secured the area and members of the department’s negotiating team and Special Response Team responded to the scene. After more than an hour of negotiations, officers took the woman into custody without further incident and she was taken to an area hospital for evaluation.
No other individuals were inside the residence, and there were no injuries to officers or anyone in the area.
Investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
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