Illinois

Plan to overhaul Illinois Route 75 bridge moves forward

Published

1 year ago

January 28, 2025

Plan to overhaul Illinois Route 75 bridge moves forward

ROCKTON, Ill. (WIFR) – After almost 100 years of narrowly connecting downtown Rockton to the village’s southern portion, the plan to completely reconstruct the Illinois Route 75 bridge over the Rock River is getting some legs.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) team behind the project to completely replace the bridge got community feedback and questions through a virtual public information meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

The meeting included presentations from the people behind the project and Q&A portions for anyone on the call to ask the team their questions.

Panelists from the project included Michael Kuehn, IDOT District 2 Studies and Plans Engineer; Corey Conderman, IDOT District 2; Mike Cima, Quigg Eng. – Project manager; Francis Nelson, Quigg Eng. – Project Engineer. Sarah Parisien with WSP moderated the conversation and asked all of the questions.

Noteworthy Questions and Answers

Q: Where does this bike path south of the river go?
- A: “The bike path will continue east on River Street to south on Ferry Street. It will connect to Old River Road and head east by the Rockton Athletic Fields toward Illinois 2.
Q: How much will this project cost?
- A: Estimated to cost between 12 and 13 million dollars.
Q: Where is the money coming from?
- A: State and federal funding; Taxes on gas
Q: Where will the detour be?
Q: How much time will this detour add to my commute across the bridge?
- A: Five minutes, no more than ten minutes

The Illinois Department of Transportation’s plan for the bridge can be seen on its website. IDOT will also post the recording of the meeting for anyone to see.

If you still have questions, they can be emailed to Andrew.P.Dewey@illinois.gov by Tuesday, Feb. 11.

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Illinois

Illinois State Police investigating fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez by ICE agents in Franklin Park

Published

11 hours ago

May 6, 2026

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Illinois State Police investigating fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez by ICE agents in Franklin Park

Illinois State Police are now investigating federal agents on the front lines of last year’s immigration sweep around Chicago known as “Operation Midway Blitz.”

ISP confirmed they’re investigating the death of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, who was shot “at close range” by a federal agent in Franklin Park last September.

ICE agents said Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, originally from Mexico, was trying to flee when they attempted to stop his vehicle, and he tried to ram agents with his car.

Franklin Park police asked the state police to open the investigation shortly after receiving new information from the Illinois Accountability Commission last week.

The Cook County State’s Attorney says it will play a supportive role in the ISP investigation.

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Illinois

April in Illinois Was Warm, Wet, & Wild

Published

23 hours ago

May 5, 2026

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The preliminary statewide average April temperature was 58.6 degrees, 6.4 degrees above the 1991–2020 normal, 7.1 degrees above the 20th Century average, 5.8 degrees above the most recent 30-year average, and the second warmest April on record statewide. The preliminary statewide total April precipitation was 6.37 inches, 2.13 inches above…

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Illinois

Illinois Product Farmers Market returns May 7 with food and fun

Published

1 day ago

May 5, 2026

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Illinois Product Farmers Market returns May 7 with food and fun

Janis Reeser
| Springfield State Journal-Register

The Illinois Product Farmers Market is set to open for the 19th season, offering locally grown food, entertainment and activities for families.

The market will run from 3:30 to 7 p.m. every Thursday from May 7 to Sept. 24, excluding Aug. 13, 20 and 27, at The Shed on the Illinois State Fairgrounds, 801 Sangamon Ave., Springfield, according to a community announcement.

A variety of vendors will offer fresh produce, meats, baked goods and other products processed, produced or packaged in Illinois.

The market is presented by the Illinois Department of Agriculture in partnership with several sponsors, including the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association, Lincoln Land Community College and Springfield Clinic.

Opening day will feature food and activities for families

Opening day will feature several food options, including barbecue from Nuthatch Hill BBQ, burgers from Edinburgers and mini donuts from Johnnie O’s Mini Donuts.

Family-friendly activities will include a Touch-A-Truck event, free balloon animals, face painting, yard games and a visit from the Springfield Art Association Make Truck.

Live music will be provided by Not Petty, and prize drawings will be held throughout the event.

Each visitor will receive a free reusable Illinois Product Market bag, and the Illinois Product Buy Local Prize Wheel will offer a chance to win prizes from Skateland, Happy Hour Pilates, the Aberham Lincoln Presidential Museum, HyVee, Illinois wineries and more.

Market offers LINK match program and weekly raffles

The market will offer a LINK match program. According to the announcement, for every dollar spent using LINK, customers will receive an additional dollar in LINK match to spend on fruits and vegetables.

Weekly raffles will offer $10 in “MarketCash” and an Illinois Product Basket.

Vendor space is still available

Space is still available for vendors interested in participating in the 2026 market. Those interested can contact the Illinois Department of Agriculture at agr.farmersmarket@illinois.gov.

This story was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at https://cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct/.

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