Author: Joe Mason

Tulsa, OK – On March 17, 2025, around 1:00 a.m., a Tulsa Police officer on patrol discovered a light pole lying in the southbound lanes of Riverside Drive, near 3500 S. Riverside Drive. At the same time, the officer observed a white Dodge van traveling at a low speed, showing signs of collision damage. The officer stopped the van near 41st and Riverside, where they noticed broken windows, missing hubcaps, and broken mirror pieces that appeared to match the debris found near the downed light pole. The driver, identified as Kenneth Kinnard, admitted to hitting a curb but was uncertain about…

Tulsa, OK – Tulsa Police Homicide Detectives are seeking 19-year-old Angel Ibarra in connection with a recent homicide. The Oklahoma Office of the Attorney General is offering a reward of up to $8,000 for information leading directly to his arrest. The incident occurred on 8 February 2025, around 1:30 a.m., at an apartment complex near 11800 E. 21st, where four teenagers were shot in what appeared to be an ambush. Two 18-year-olds, Arturo Degollado and Jett Brummett, died at the scene. The other victims, aged 18 and 19, were hospitalized with gunshot wounds. Christopher Atjun, 18, turned himself in earlier this…

Tulsa, OK – Officers with the Tulsa Police Mingo Valley Street Crimes unit arrested a known serial fraud suspect, Roger Pineda, following a traffic stop in north Tulsa. During the arrest, detectives from the Tulsa Police Financial Crimes Unit interviewed Pineda and discovered he was in possession of hundreds of pieces of stolen mail, tax returns, checks, and counterfeit IDs. Pineda also had tools commonly referred to as “fishing tools,” used to steal mail from blue postal boxes. Investigators found that the stolen mail had been taken in the week leading up to the arrest, from locations across Tulsa. Based…

Officials with Champaign Unit 4 Schools said the district will move to full remote learning starting November 16. In a news release, officials said the decision came after guidance was issued by the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District. The health department recommended K-12 school districts switch to or keep remote learning in place until January 5. Administrator Julie Pryde added the transition should be made “as soon as possible.” Champaign Schools officials said Friday will be the last day of in-person instruction for students. They will remain remote through the end of the semester. Transportation will be available for students on…

Police are investigating a shooting that killed a 16-year-old boy. It happened Thursday evening on Eureka Street by 6th Street around 5:17 p.m. Police found the teenager on the scene with a gunshot wound. He was rushed to the hospital but didn’t survive. Investigators say they think the boy was with others inside a home when someone fired shots into the home, hitting him. When police got there, more shots were fired but no one else was hit. Police are working the crime scene and interviewing possible witnesses. No one has been arrested. The investigation continues and future updates may be…

This is the 35th year of the St. John’s Breadline Sunday fundraiser. However, officials said this year they will not have any bread. Becki Doolin, co-coordinator of the fundraiser, said usually many volunteers show up to help unload, pack and distribute 8,000 bread loaves to area churches. Those loaves are then sold to congregations for $4 a loaf and the proceeds go back to the St. John’s Breadline, which serves hot meals to the community. Officials said bread is the symbol of life and sharing. For that reason, they chose it to be their “fundraising vehicle” and it continues today…

Illinois Republicans renewed their calls for the investigative hearings into speaker Michael Madigan to continue. Lawmakers are scheduled to return to Springfield for fall veto session next week. It’s still unclear if, or when, the special investigative committee plans to meet. The committee had been investigating ComEd’s attempts to bribe the Speaker. Madigan has denied wrongdoing. A Representative says the one witness who did testify, contradicted the speaker’s claims in a letter. “Mike Madigan gave a very weak excuse in a letter. It was not under oath,” says Rep. Deanne Mazzochi. “And we’ve already gathered evidence that contradicts or undermines…

Citing a rise in Coronavirus infections, Democratic leaders of the Illinois General Assembly canceled the upcoming fall veto session that was scheduled to begin next week. In a Tuesday afternoon email to House Democrats, Speaker Michael Madigan’s chief of staff Jessica Basham said most members were reluctant to gather in person and the idea to cancel was “primarily motivated by concerns about the rising COVID-19 rates and proximity to upcoming holidays.” Earlier this year, state lawmakers wore face coverings and spread out in the Capitol Complex and at the Bank of Springfield Convention Center to pass the budget and a…

The University of Illinois Board of Trustees approved a $6.74 billion budget for fiscal year 2021. In a news release, officials said the budget for the fiscal year that runs through June 2021 was down $232.9 million from last year’s budget of $6.97 billion. “The U of I System will draw on an additional $121.3 million in reserve funds to help meet expenses anticipated to combat COVID-19.” Officials also stated they project the U of I System will “incur more than $270 million on negative impacts during the fiscal year due to the pandemic.” Trustees also approved a request for…

The Ford County Health Department (FCPHD) has announced 71 new cases of coronavirus. These new cases are being reported for the period of November 5 through November 9. Ford County has a total of 396 cases. Of those, 279 are confirmed cases. There have been 17 COVID-19 related deaths. Follow us for more updates. Thank You for your time. Have a good day.

Saying there is “no time to waste,” Gov. JB Pritzker commended some East Central Illinois leaders for their response to COVID-19 and chided others for allowing the virus to “infect their constituents because they’re afraid of the few, loud anti-maskers.” “When this is over, there will be an accounting by your constituents of who worked to keep it right,” he said during Thursday’s COVID-19 briefing. “The rest of us will still do our jobs. The state will do all they can to help hospitals serve their capacity and find additional staff. Health care workers will take up their posts on…

The number of people going to the hospital because of COVID-19 is climbing. Doctors and nurses can barley keep up while putting their own health at risk. Here’s the situation. As of Thursday there are more than 1200- people in the hospital with COVID-19 in Iowa. Illinois has 5,200 hospitalized with the virus. In our area Genesis Health System is caring for 110 COVID patients. That’s a new record. Unity Point is caring for nearly 80 patients. They’ve had to cancel elective surgeries to make more room. Local 4 News spoke to Dr. Mussasir Ashraf, who works at Unity Point…

At 18-years-old, Adam Aaronson had a crossword puzzle published in the Saturday edition of The New York Times back in January — it included words that had never been used before in the puzzles. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to create a crossword puzzle in The New York Times, The 21st hears about that process from a University of Illinois student who’s had puzzles published there and in the Wall Street Journal. Guests: Adam Aaronson, sophomore at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise across Illinois, health officials in Champaign County are recommending that people take additional precautions to prevent the spread. On Thursday, several Champaign-Urbana leaders shared that new recommendations are coming to local schools, faith-based organizations, and gatherings. Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) Health Administrator Julie Pryde said new recommendations include: All K-12 schools should switch to remote learning through Jan. 5. All faith-based organizations should transition to remote services only. Bars and restaurants should be following all mitigation efforts put forth in Tier 1 mitigations. People should refrain from gathering for the…

A Champaign lawyer who pleaded guilty to having cannabis plants in his home will have to pay a street-value fine of $9,060. Judge Randy Rosenbaum determined the fine that Andrew Allen, 55, must pay after his attorney, Jim Dedman, and Assistant State’s Attorney Kristin Alferink could not agree on an amount. Allen pleaded guilty Sept. 11 to possession of fewer than 50 cannabis plants, admitting he was growing them in his home on Bridgestone Drive on Aug. 20, 2019. He was sentenced to two years of first-offender probation, meaning he’ll have no record of a conviction if he successfully completes…

Patients that have recovered from a COVID-19 infection may be able to help treat others and ease the pain of a neighbor in their fight with the disease by generously donating their plasma. The Community Blood Services of Illinois, which is the provider of COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma to hospitals in Champaign County and the surrounding region, collects plasma from county residents who have fully recovered from a COVID-19 infection. Plasma from recovered citizens contain antibodies from the virus that can be transfused to patients who are currently hospitalized with the Coronavirus. Donations must be scheduled at least 28 days after…

Several businesses in Urbana have received COVID-19 relief funding over the past several months. The funding totaled to $1.1 million. The funding was granted in order to help businesses “defray costs of operating a business during the pandemic,” according to a City of Urbana press release. “We’re grateful to be able to distribute over $1 million in COVID-19 relief funds to local businesses. Our community has rallied around these businesses to help maintain their operations and help retain jobs. We continue to ask everyone to wear a mask and respect public health guidelines to help them stay open,” said Mayor…

Another five Champaign County residents have died from COVID-19, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District announced on Tuesday. It’s the most fatalities in a single day for the county since the pandemic began.  The virus claimed the lives of a woman in her 60s, a woman in her 70s, two men in their 80s and a man in his 90s.  According to CUPHD, 37 county residents have died from COVID-19 to date. Eight of those deaths have come in the last week. On Wednesday, CUPHD reported another 305 cases of COVID-19 in the county, though some were from previous days, administrator…

Food insecurity in America is reaching an all-time high during the COVID-19 pandemic. But large regional differences exist in the severity of the impact. Experts project over 50 million Americans will be food insecure in 2020, including about 17 million children, says Craig Gundersen, ACES distinguished professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois. Gundersen estimated food insecurity using Map the Meal Gap, an interactive model he developed for Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks in the U.S. For the current report, he combined MMG data with projected unemployment…

A plot to allegedly kidnap and execute Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris was busted by Secret Service and the “would-be killer” was put behind bars after a criminal complaint was filed by the Secret Service on Wednesday, October 21. The man who allegedly planned to commit the hideous crime was identified as James Dale Reed. He approached a house in his hometown Maryland on October 4, 2020, that had Biden Harris campaign signs in the front yard. Reed allegedly left a handwritten note containing graphic threats against Biden, Harris and their supporters. While coming to drop…