Breeze-Courier

01/09/2026

The NWS has issued a tornado warning for portions of Christian and Shelby Counties, valid until 8:30PM!

01/08/2026

US trade rep: Renewal of deal with Mexico, Canada not a ‘rubberstamp’

TAMMIE SLOUP
FarmWeek

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said while there is value with the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the US will not rubberstamp the agreement with its current shortcomings.

“USTR will keep the president’s options open, negotiating firmly to resolve the issues identified, but only recommending renewal if resolution can be achieved,” according to a copy of remarks Greer delivered to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee in December.

The USMCA, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement, went into effect July 1, 2020, and provides for the agreement to terminate 16 years after, unless each party confirms that it wishes to continue for a new 16-year term. The countries must meet every six years to conduct a joint review.

For the full story, head to our website at: https://www.breezecourier.com/2026/01/08/us-trade-rep-ren…ot-a-rubberstamp/

01/08/2026

Springfield state historic sites to stay open late for evening tours and programs

Two popular destinations in Illinois’ capital city will stay open late in January to accommodate public interest in evening tours and programs.

The Dana-Thomas House State Historic Site will host popular game nights, date nights and evening tour programs on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The Old State Capitol State Historic Site will be open late on Saturday evenings for Civil War Saturday presentations. The sites are managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

For the list of events and times, head to our website at: https://www.breezecourier.com/2026/01/08/springfield-stat…urs-and-programs/

01/08/2026

Students from Taylorville Junior High and High School were honored in Decatur at the VFW Post 99 this past Sunday for the Patriots Pen/Voice of Democracy Essay Contest.

For the full story, head to our website at: https://www.breezecourier.com/2026/01/08/vfw-patriots-pen…-contest-winners/

01/08/2026

Illinois Department of Human Services reports yearslong data breach

Peter Hancock
Capitol News Illinois

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Human Services disclosed recently that it mistakenly uploaded private health-related information about hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans to a publicly accessible website and left it there for more than three years before it discovered the mistake.

But the agency would not explain this week why it took officials so long to discover the problem or why officials waited more than three months after it was discovered to notify the individuals affected and the news media, as required by federal rules.

In a news release dated Friday, Jan. 2, IDHS said the data breach involved two categories of individuals. One category included approximately 32,401 customers of its Division of Rehabilitation Services, which provides services to people with disabilities. The other involved more than 672,000 recipients in the Medicaid and Medicare Savings Program, which helps low-income Medicare beneficiaries pay for premiums, deductibles and coinsurance.

For the full story, head to our website at: https://www.breezecourier.com/2026/01/08/illinois-departm…long-data-breach/

01/08/2026

Peoples Gas files $202 million rate increase request with Illinois regulatory body

Maggie Dougherty
Capitol News Illinois

CHICAGO — Peoples Gas on Monday filed a $202.3 million rate hike request with the Illinois Commerce Commission, sparking public outcry and protests from consumer advocates.

The increase, which the company estimates will add $10-11 to monthly gas bills for typical residential customers in Chicago if approved by the ICC, comes three years after Peoples Gas received a $303 million rate hike in 2023, the largest in state history.

Around a dozen consumer, environmental and community advocates gathered in front of the Peoples Gas headquarters in downtown Chicago on Tuesday to denounce the filing and vowed to push back against spending requests over the course of the case.

For the full story, head to our website at: https://www.breezecourier.com/2026/01/08/peoples-gas-file…-regulatory-body/

01/08/2026

The Wednesday, January 7, 2026 printed edition is now available in our office! Swing by anytime between 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday to pick up your copy today! They are only $1!

01/08/2026

County Sheriff Candidate speaks at Village meeting

Rachel LeBeane
Breeze-Courier Writer

MT. AUBURN — The Village of Mt. Auburn held a regular meeting on Tuesday, January 6, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. in the Village Hall.

Phil Deal, a Republican Candidate running for the office of Christian County Sheriff in this year’s election, took time to come to the Village Hall and speak to the Board members about his vision for what the Sheriff’s Office should be doing for small municipalities like Mt. Auburn.

“We’d never leave Mt. Auburn behind - we want to make sure you’re taken care of,” Deal stated, “My goal is to bring the county, the officers, together. I want every officer to have a County Commission - that way, if a Taylorville Police Officer is driving through Mt. Auburn and he sees something going wrong, he can act.”

For the full story, head to our website at: https://www.breezecourier.com/2026/01/08/county-sheriff-c…-village-meeting/

CLICK E-EDITION, SUBSCRIBE/LOG IN ON MENU BAR, OR THE FRONT PAGE BELOW TO LOG IN County Sheriff Candidate speaks at Village meeting January 8, 2026 Rachel LeBeane Breeze-Courier Writer MT. AUBURN — The Village of Mt. Auburn held a regular meeting on Tuesday, January 6, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. in the Vil...

01/08/2026

Dr. Karadas, Ph.D., CFA from UIS presented to two senior Consumer Ed classes.

For the full story, head to our website at: https://www.breezecourier.com/2026/01/08/consumer-ed-host…eaker-dr-karadas/

01/08/2026

LLCC offering free three-part series on cryptocurrency

Lincoln Land Community College’s Academy of Lifelong Learning (ALL) has partnered with financial experts, Fidelity, J.P. Morgan and Capital Group, to offer a three-part speaker series on understanding cryptocurrency and the digital ecosystem. The virtual series is free and will be offered via Zoom.

For more information, head to our website at: https://www.breezecourier.com/2026/01/08/llcc-offering-fr…n-cryptocurrency/