McLean County Times

In this issue:

Record enrollment at U of I

The University of Illinois has announced a record number of students enrolled at its Urbana-Champaign campus for the fall 2024 semester. The university enrolled 9,008 freshman students, itself a record, and a total of 59,228 students in the student body at the school’s flagship campus. Across its three campuses in Springfield, Chicago, and Urbana-Champaign, as well as its satellite campuses and online programs, the U of I enrolled 97,772 students overall. This marked a 3.2% increase in enrollment over last year.

More than two-thirds of the freshman class are from Illinois. The university also set another enrollment record with 20,765 graduate students this year.

This is Farm Safety Week

Farmers face one of the most hazardous jobs around due to dangerous equipment and chemicals, slow-moving vehicles on roadways, intense weather conditions, and large animals. Each year, farmers are seriously injured or killed while working in this critical industry.

This week is Farm Safety Week, recognizing the risks farmers take to supply the nation and focusing on ways to keep them safe. One of the most dangerous places on a farm is a grain bin. Farmers should avoid entering grain bins but should never work alone if they must do so. A farmer in Lee County was recently rescued from a grain bin by the local fire department. Additionally, farmers need to be aware of tractor rollovers and take preventive actions. Motorists should also be alert for slow-moving farm equipment on roadways.

Find more safety tips from the Illinois Department of Agriculture here.

USPS proposes longer package delivery times in rural areas

A proposal by the U.S. Postal Service would impose significant delays on package delivery times in rural areas starting after the holiday season. Currently, packages are delivered within a 1-3 day window; however, the new proposal would extend that range to 3-5 days or more as part of an overall plan called “Delivering for America” to address ongoing financial difficulties.

This proposal raises concerns for residents in rural areas who already experience longer delivery times due to distance from USPS sorting centers and lower package volumes compared to urban areas. This is particularly problematic for seniors receiving medications through mail and small businesses relying on postal services for inventory and customer orders.

The USPS has stated it will provide additional details on the new system in coming months.

Our current bill backlog

When vendors provide goods and services to the state, they submit bills to the Illinois Comptroller for payment. The Comptroller processes these bills when funds are available in the state’s checking account. Currently, unpaid bills total $2,420,543,459—a figure that changes daily. Last year at this time, there were $1.9 billion in unpaid bills awaiting payment. This does not include unfunded debts like the state’s pension liability which exceeds $100 billion.

Illinois headlines

Are we any safer one year after cash bail was abolished?

Could the REAL ID deadline change? What we know after recent TSA proposal

Op-Ed: The burden of stacked costs on Illinois manufacturers

Downstate federal trial poses latest test for Illinois gun ban