City of Clinton leadership will soon begin forming a new strategic plan.

City Administrator Taylor Baxter tells Regional Radio this is something that needs to be done for the community to start to move forward. He feels it is exciting to think about the future of the community.

According to Baxter, this will be an extensive process where they take time to hear from a lot of people. 

Baxter hopes to have a good mix of individuals with varying perspectives on the community. He hopes to have parents with kids in the schools, teachers, school leaders, and many more from the community at the table.

Clinton's last strategic plan was so long ago Baxter is unable to find a document attributed to it. He notes while he couldn't find a document for it, there have been some other efforts with universities to outline a roadmap but no official strategic planning effort. 

Piatt County Sheriff Mark Vogelzang is celebrating a grant his department recently received from the NRA.

Sheriff Vogelzang explains they were able to secure around $900 for ammunition to train with.

According to Sheriff Vogelzang, an annual qualification is required. He notes while that is not a high bar to reach to attain that qualification, they do a lot to train.

Sheriff Vogelzang indicates their range time has to be coordinated with the Monticello police department - which has its own range. 

These grants were the first time the Sheriff's office has taken advantage of funding from the NRA but Sheriff Vogelzang indicates the NRA is very active in a lot of firearm educational opportunities for youth. 

A Logan County school district is the latest to introduce heart testing for its students.

Fred Lamkey is the Superintendent of Mt. Pulaski Schools and on the WHOW Morning Show Monday told Regional Radio this is something that has been happening in Logan County schools and Olympia.

According to Lamkey, this is a volunteer test done on youth in the district and provides them with a quick screening for any irregularities.

The initiative is titled 'Who Do You Play For' and he looks forward to it being an ongoing effort in Mt. Pulaski. 

State Representative Amy Elik has been working on legislation designed to crack down on sexual abuse by educators and authority figures in schools. 

The House passed the measure last Friday that will do just that. The Illinois General Assembly has previously created stronger protections for school children 17 years and younger, but Elik said it is currently not illegal for an educator or staff member to have sexual contact with an 18-year-old student.

Elik believes school staff who sexually abuse 18-year-old students should be charged with a Class A misdemeanor for their first offense and a Class 4 felony for any repeat offenses. House Bill 4241 passed unanimously on a 107-0 vote and now heads to the Senate for consideration

The Illinois Ag Leadership Foundation Class of 25 is making progress. Brad Suhling of Carlinville is with Prairie Farms Dairy. He’s participating in the program.

To learn about the participating in the Illinois Ag Leadership Foundation Class of 27, visit agleadership.org.

Chicago seems poised to contribute $70 million to the care of migrants living in the city. The overall cost is expected to be over $300 million this year. The state and Cook County have already contributed tens of millions for going care. Governor JB Pritzker says migrants are legally in the United States and deserve proper care.

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Pritzker says the chaos in the system was and is being caused by bus loads full of people being sent to Chicago by state’s like Texas who have little regard for them.

It’s shaping up to be a possible franchise-defining week for the Chicago Bears. The team has the first overall pick in the draft, and they are prepared to deliver a plan for a new lakefront stadium on Wednesday. Governor JB Pritzker continues to say he remains largely against funneling public dollars to help sports teams build new stadiums.

The Bears hold the first and ninth overall picks in the draft – that happens on Thursday night.