Local News in Ford County
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Paxton woman pleads guilty to burglary, set to be sentenced in November
PAXTON — A Paxton woman pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary in two separate cases involving the theft of power tools from a Gibson City store on Tuesday, Sept. 15, and faces a potential prison term when sentenced in Ford County Circuit Court this fall. As part of a…
Kempton Native Fred Boyer to Receive Full Military Honors 84 Years After Pearl Harbor Attack
Kempton native Fred Boyer, who died aboard the USS West Virginia during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, will be buried ... [FULL STORY] The post Kempton Native Fred Boyer to Receive Full Military Honors 84 Years After Pearl Harbor Attack first appeared on…

GREENLIGHTED
PAXTON — The Paxton City Council took steps Tuesday, Sept. 8, to make way for a community solar project on yet-to-be-annexed farmland between the Colmac Coil manufacturing plant and Interstate 57. Following a series of public hearings, the council voted unanimously to approve an…

City offering $1,000, $2,000 grants to residents affected by August flooding
PAXTON — Paxton residents who had flood damage last month and completed damage assessment surveys are eligible to apply for grants of up to $1,000 or $2,000 from the city — varying based on income level — to help cover costs of remedial work, including the replacement of ruined…

Leases for three farms terminated by county
PAXTON — The Ford County Board approved the hiring of a Gibson City farmer Monday night to harvest crops on all three county-owned farms this fall after the county’s tenant farmer failed to make payments due and defaulted on his cash-rent leases, which were terminated late last…

Former dental office eyed for probation offices
PAXTON — A former dental office in downtown Paxton could become the temporary new home of Ford County’s probation department, whose officers have been working remotely ever since their courthouse basement offices were flooded in August. Jennifer Harrison, the probation…

With swimming pool losing water ‘for years,’ measures to be taken
PAXTON — The Paxton Park District’s Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Sept. 8, tabled its approval of hiring a professional leak inspection and detection service to look for leaks in the system and lines at the public swimming pool at Coady Park. The board’s president, Craig…

EMPOWERING PEOPLE
PAXTON — Robert Spicer was in his first week as a teacher at Chicago’s Sojourner Truth Elementary School in the infamous Cabrini Green neighborhood — a region well known for its crime and neglect. Fresh out of Morehouse College, Spicer had been told by his peers at Sojourner that…

TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Wednesday, Sept. 16, the 259th day of 2026. There are 106 days left in the year. Today in history: On Sept. 16, 1893, the largest land run in U.S. history occurred as more than 100,000 white settlers rushed to claim over more than 6 million acres of land in what is now…

Tri-Point board holds hearing on budget
KEMPTON — The Tri- Point school board was scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, following a 15-minute public hearing on the proposed budget for this fiscal year. Following was on the agenda for the meeting, held in the board room at the unit office at 101 E. Main St.…

Tales of accountability, ‘restoring harm done’ in book
PAXTON — Many criminal offenders have no concept that their actions hurt other people. Sally Wolf, former Ford County director of probation and court services, said a restorative justice program can help that light dawn on many of those who offend. “Restorative justice says you…

PAXTON POLICE BLOTTER
PAXTON — The Paxton Police Department released the following list of recent activity: Guadalupe D. Galvan, 30, of Rantoul, was arrested for driving with no valid driver’s license and ticketed for operating a vehicle with suspended registration during a traffic stop at 9:47 p.m.…