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WNIJ's summary of news items around our state.

Special Election For 18th Congressional District On Thursday, Much To Surprise Of Election Officials

Peoria Public Radio

Residents in an Illinois Congressional district will soon have representation again in the U.S. House. 

The seat in the 18th district has been vacant since Republican Aaron Schock resigned at the end of March amid spending scandals. The special election to replace Shock is Thursday.

That's a rarity. Elections are usually on Tuesdays.

McDonough County Clerk Gretchen DeJaynes has overseen elections for 15 years. This is her first Thursday election...and she's not alone.

"I call the polling places and they go, 'Thursday? Really?'" DeJaynes said. "The election judges are, 'Thursday?'"

DeJaynes is hoping for a turnout of 10 percent. She says four weeks of early voting attracted few people.

The candidates for the open seat are Republican Darin LaHood and Democrat Rob Mellon.

Whoever's elected will immediately be running for re-election. That's because candidates can already circulate nominating petitions for the March primaries.

Rich is the News Director at Tri States Public Radio. Rich grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago but now calls Macomb home. Rich has a B.A in Communication Studies with an Emphasis on Radio, TV, and Film from Northern Illinois University. Rich came to love radio in high school where he developed his “news nerdiness” as he calls it. Rich’s high school had a radio station called WFVH, which he worked at for a couple years. In college, Rich worked at campus station WKDI for three years, spinning tunes and serving at various times as General Manager, Music Director and Operations Manager. Before being hired as Tri States Public Radio’s news director in 1998, Rich worked professionally in news at WRMN-AM/WJKL-FM in Elgin and WJBC-AM in Bloomington. In Rich’s leisure time he loves music, books, cross-country skiing, rooting for the Cubs and Blackhawks, and baking sugar frosted chocolate bombs. His future plans include “getting some tacos.”
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