Latest news with #PontiacDailyLeader
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Livingston County home listings asked for less money in April - see the current median price here
The median home in Livingston County listed for $177,000 in April, down 1.7% from the previous month's $180,000, an analysis of data from shows. Compared to April 2024, the median home list price increased 35% from $131,150. The statistics in this article only pertain to houses listed for sale in Livingston County, not houses that were sold. Information on your local housing market, along with other useful community data, is available at Livingston County's median home was 46 square feet, listed at $0.09 per square foot. The price per square foot of homes for sale is down 5.5% from April 2024. Listings in Livingston County moved steadily, at a median 61 days listed compared to the April national median of 50 days on the market. In the previous month, homes had a median of 54 days on the market. Around 32 homes were newly listed on the market in April, a 45.5% increase from 22 new listings in April 2024. The median home prices issued by may exclude many, or even most, of a market's homes. The price and volume represent only single-family homes, condominiums or townhomes. They include existing homes, but exclude most new construction as well as pending and contingent sales. In Illinois, median home prices were $312,500, a slight increase from March. The median Illinois home listed for sale had 16,984 square feet, with a price of $0.1 per square foot. Throughout the United States, the median home price was $431,250, a slight increase from the month prior. The median American home for sale was listed at 467,514 square feet, with a price of $0.18 per square foot. The median home list price used in this report represents the midway point of all the houses or units listed over the given period of time. Experts say the median offers a more accurate view of what's happening in a market than the average list price, which would mean taking the sum of all listing prices then dividing by the number of homes sold. The average can be skewed by one particularly low or high price. At your fingertips: Accessing local journalism is even easier with the Pontiac Daily Leader app The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Please leave any feedback or corrections for this story here. This story was written by Ozge Terzioglu. Our News Automation and AI team would like to hear from you. Take this survey and share your thoughts with us. This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Livingston County home listings asked for less money in April - see the current median price here
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Pontiac misses out on $2M state grant to revamp downtown but says the project will go on
The city's plans to give Madison Street in downtown Pontiac a makeover with road resurfacing and new sidewalks got some bad news recently that will affect how fast the project gets done. The city applied for a $2 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity but will not receive it this year. The funds were part of a $30 million award from the Rebuild Illinois Downtowns and Main Streets and Research in Illinois to Spur Economic Recovery (RISE) programs. Pontiac wanted to use the money to upgrade downtown sidewalks and streets in an area west of North Chicago Street to North Oak Street. 'The basic plan was covering four blocks, altogether,' Mayor Bill Alvey said. 'The northside would be the primary focus.' More: Illinois 116 is being redone in Pontiac. Here's what you need to know According to City Administrator Jim Woolford, the money the city was requesting was going to be spent on street resurfacing and addressing the width and slopes of the sidewalks along Madison Street. The city is still looking at the project, Woolford said, but it will have to be done in parts over time, which poses a design challenge. 'We want it all to look the same,' he said. 'That's going to be the key that the design fits with the overall scope of the plan.' Although it had been two lanes in the past, Madison Street has been one lane for a few years. It has angled parking on both sides. 'If we widen the sidewalks, it would happen on the sidewalk and not into the street,' Woolford said. 'There might be some parallel parking on one side and angled parking on the other. But that final plan hasn't been determined.' The plan is not defeated, Alvey said. 'We will revamp our ideas and move forward,' he said. 'It's in a TIF district so there will be TIF funding at the moment and other grants that we are pursuing to enhance and improve the flow of traffic downtown. "It's still something we have in the planning stage. We'll keep working on it.' Erich Murphy is a reporter at the Pontiac Daily Leader. This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Plans moving forward despite city missing out on grant
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Yahoo
Fast-acting Livingston County deputy honored for life-saving efforts
A Livingston County Sheriff's deputy was honored last week for his life-saving efforts in South Streator. At a Livingston County Board meeting Thursday, March 13, 2025, deputy Jason Graves received a Life Saving Award for rescuing a South Streator resident who had become trapped under a bed. 'Deputy Graves' actions exemplify the dedication and commitment we expect from our deputies,' said Sheriff Ryan Bohm. 'His thoroughness and willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty directly resulted in saving the subject's life. ... I'm very proud to give him this award today.' According to Bohm, Graves was dispatched just before noon Feb. 5, 2025, for a well-being check in South Streator and had learned that the subject was a diabetic who had called in sick to work on Feb. 4 and didn't show up on Feb. 5. After getting no response at the door and checking windows at the residence, Graves noticed the subject's vehicle was in the garage and mail had not been collected for several days. Graves then checked with neighbors and local hospitals. After exhausting those leads, Graves and Sgt. Andy Roark, forced entry into the home, Bohm said, and Graves heard moaning coming from a back bedroom. The subject was found trapped under the bed. Graves removed the bed and assisted ambulance personnel getting the subject transported to a local hospital. Graves, a Pontiac native, began service with the sheriff's department in November after having served with Fairbury Police and with law enforcement agencies in Tennessee. Erich Murphy is a reporter with the Pontiac Daily Leader. This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Fast-acting Livingston County deputy honored for life-saving efforts
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pontiac residents to see sewer rates go up by 32% over next two years
Residents of Pontiac will see their sewer rates go up by 32% by April 1, 2026. The Pontiac City Council unanimously approved the rate increase Monday, March 3, with a vote of 8-0. Alds. Bill Kallas and Scott Cranford were absent. The increase will come in two parts — from a minimum charge of $12.38 a month to $14.24 a month on April 1, 2025, and from $14.24 a month to $16.38 a month on April 1, 2026. Additional charges will apply depending on usage. City Administrator Jim Woolford said the rates need to be increased to help cover the costs of operations and the most recent loan from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The loan helped pay for the city's $42 million wastewater treatment plant update, which was completed last year, and is scheduled to be paid off in December 2042. 'Since the upgrade of the sewer plant and the closing of that project, we have our new EPA loan rate,' Woolford told the council. 'Annually, that's about ($2.14 million). For the next three years, it will be ($2.14) million and then it drops $200,000 as one of those EPA loans falls off.' More: Pontiac completes 4-year, $42M treatment plant project under budget The city is paying on three loans two times a year. Payments on the first loan, which ends in October 2027, are $236,144 annually. The second loan ends in April 2032 with annual payments of $224.026. The third loan payments are $1,680,570 annually. and it will end in December 2042. City of Pontiac residents currently pay $12.38 per 200 cubic feet metered and an additional $6.19 per additional 100 cubic feet used. On April 1, the cost for an additional 100 cubic feet will be $7.12. On April 1, 2026, it will go up to $8.19. 'I think in the beginning, our projections showed two 15-year increases and then we may need either 5 to 7 percent,' Woolford said. 'If things are looking OK, we drop back down to what the ordinance requires, which is what the CPI uses for PTELL each year. We'll know coming out a little further in the operations.' Woolford told the Daily Leader that rate increases are supposed to take place every year, but it was skipped in 2024. The last increase came in 2023. Erich Murphy is a reporter with the Pontiac Daily Leader. This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Pontiac sewer rates to increase by 32% over next two years
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sorensen to bring Illinois veteran who lost job in DOGE cuts to State of the Union
A disabled Illinois veteran will be the special guest of U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-17, at Tuesday's State of the Union to help bring awareness to widespread job cuts being made by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Monmouth, Illinois, resident James Diaz, who served overseas during the Persian Gulf conflicts of the 1980s and 1990s, was laid off from his job with the Internal Revenue Service in February. 'James' story is one that needs to be heard. He dedicated his life to serving our country, first in uniform and then in public service,' Sorensen said in a news release. 'It is unacceptable that those who sacrificed so much are being treated this way. I'm bringing James to the State of the Union to highlight the real impact of these dangerous and harmful budget cuts on hardworking Americans and veterans who deserve our respect and support.' Diaz, 59, started work for the IRS on April 8, 2024. He was two months away from completing his probationary period when he lost his job. 'Everything was going great, all the reviews I had gotten were 100 percent-plus,' Diaz said. 'The next thing you know, I got fired, alluding to my poor performance when there wasn't anything to come close to that." Diaz served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1982-86 and was on active duty from 1986-92. He was injured while working at Camp Doha in Kuwait on July 11, 1991. He was one of 49 soldiers that got hurt in an explosion. After his time in the Army, Diaz worked in the private sector and eventually earned a bachelor's degree. Diaz called Sorensen's office after he was laid off. He was angry. He said someone from Sorensen's office called him back and those conversations with Sorensen and others resulted in the invite to the State of the Union. 'How many people get to go to the State of the Union address?' Diaz said. 'How many people have their state representative directly contact them about an issue? I'm impressed that he has taken his time to do this. He could only pick one person to go and he picked me. I'm honored.' Despite feeling like he is a victim of DOGE, Diaz said he's still a Trump supporter. 'I told Sorensen's office it probably won't make some people happy. I have been a supporter of Trump's agenda,' Diaz said. 'We need to get rid of waste, fraud and abuse. 'But treating anyone the way I was treated, especially someone who has a combat service ribbon who is working for the federal government, someone who gave up a job making $140,000 a year with overtime to end up with a $75,000-a-year job working for the federal government should never be treated the way I was treated. If anybody should have gotten the benefit of the doubt, it should have been our veterans.' Erich Murphy is a reporter with the Pontiac Daily Leader. This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Illinois veteran, victim of DOGE cuts to attend State of the Union
