STATE FARM

Illinois legislators and LGBTQ advocates issued a statement Thursday calling out State Farm after the insurance giant pulled support for a gender identity school book program.

State Farm ended its support of the GenderCool Project after the partnership to promote inclusivity had “been the subject of news and customer inquiries.”

State Farm Insurance has abandoned its program to distribute LGBTQ-themed books to teachers, community centers, and libraries, after a whistleblower email was released.

State Farm has launched a program that would enlist staff volunteers across the country to distribute LGBTQ-themed books to explicitly target children as young as kindergartners.

State Farm filed for its second auto insurance rate increase in Illinois this year, adding $59 more per vehicle annually.

As U.S. gas prices hit record highs, it's an especially good time to improve your car's fuel economy. Keeping windows closed, avoiding high speeds and getting routine tuneups can all help.

A major grant has been awarded to the advancement foundation to help entrepreneurs working to start or expand their business. State Farm has awarded $35,000 through the opportunity and purpose driven economic development grant program.

The NFL fined the Green Bay Packers $300,000 and quarterback Aaron Rodgers $14,650 for violating the league's Covid policies.

A federal jury in Los Angeles has awarded $6.3 million to actor Shannen Doherty in a lawsuit alleging that State Farm failed to pay for damage to her house in a 2018 California wildfire.

Today is National Good Neighbor Day, and we wanted to showcase a man that has a heart of gold.

The rapper stars as Drake from State Farm in this 2021 Super Bowl adChampagne Papi can add a new title to his list of accomplishments: Jake from State Farm’s stand-in. The insurance company’s ad featured Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers, Jake from State Farm and their stunt doubles. Rodger’s got a man with a cheese hat, Mahomes got actor Paul Rudd and Jake from State Farm got — you guessed it — Drake from State Farm. The rapper’s surprise appearance in the Super Bowl ad had people on Twitter talking:. @Drake from @StateFarm really won this night for me — Stephanie Ruhle (@SRuhle) February 8, 2021sorry Drake, @MikeJohnson1_ is the only acceptable Jake from State Farm stunt double #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/EsDKQ5jx4b — The Bachelor Diaries (@thebachdiaries) February 8, 2021Watch the full Super Bowl commercial below:

ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Roanoke County drivers should expect to see more deer on the road heading home. Nelson Lafon said most accidents occur on commuter roads, especially in Bedford, Montgomery and Roanoke counties. Last year in Roanoke County, 114 crashes involving a driver hitting a deer directly were reported. “We have a fairly high deer density or deer population," said Nelson Lafon, manager of the Forest Wildlife Program. "We also have a lot of commuter roads leading into places like Blacksburg, Roanoke, Lynchburg, where people work.”Lafon said if you see a deer, don’t swerve.

ROANOKE, Va. – Jake from State Farm was adopted! Meet Jake from State Farm! He may not be wearing his red shirt and khakis, often wearing a big smile! While humans are a favorite companion of his, he does not do well with other animals. If you are interested in learning more him, call the Montgomery County, Virginia, Animal Care and Adoption Center at 540-382-5795.

ROANOKE, Va. – The water fountains within Roanoke City Schools will remain dry this year, but students will have no issues finding water thanks to an ocean-sized donation. State Farm unloaded a moving van full of 10,000 water bottles at William Fleming High School on Thursday morning. State Farm agent Betsy Thomas said she wanted to ensure children would not have to look far to find water. “If the kids are having recess, if they’re doing sports or are in the band, or if they don’t have water of their own, we’ve got to provide it or the school has got to provide it,” Thomas said. “We just wanted to do our part.”The schools’ water fountains will be shut off this year because of social distancing; however, Roanoke City Public Schools will hand out water to students during both breakfast and lunch.

Last month, State Farm said it would return $2 billion to policyholders as part of its Good Neighbor Relief Program" because fewer people are driving during the health crisis. Most auto policyholders received a 25% credit. All together, State Farm estimates its customers could save about $4.2 billion between the rate reduction and the rebate.

DALEVILLE, Va. – Every kind gesture made during this pandemic seems to bring more people together than ever imagined. A special delivery Monday is a lunch that gladdens the heart as much as the tastebuds. Brent Hershey, an independent agent for State Farm in Daleville, bought lunch for employees at five area businesses. Their goal is to always give lunch to essential workers while supporting local eateries. "As long as this pandemic continues we want to continue doing this each Monday,” said Hershey.

American FamilyAs of April 6, American Family rolled out its Auto Insurance Premium Relief Payment plan, which will provide customers with a one-time, $50 payment for each vehicle insured under a personal auto insurance policy. Farmers InsuranceFor April, Farmers is reducing auto insurance premiums by 25% on Farmers branded and 21st Century branded policies. The HartfordInsurance company The Hartford announced its COVID-19 Personal Auto Payback Plan that will issue refunds worth about 15% of April and May auto insurance premiums within two months. Liberty MutualLiberty Mutual announced its Personal Auto Customer Relief Refund that will issue refunds worth about 15% of auto insurance premiums for two months. Mercury InsuranceMercury Insurance announced a Customer Giveback Program, which will issue credits worth about 15% of monthly auto insurance premiums for two months.

MADISON HEIGHTS, Va. - Perfect timing. That's what the Amherst County Disaster Recovery Group is saying after receiving a check from local State Farm officials. The State Farm office in Madison Heights donated $23,000 check to help the group continue its efforts. "This will go a long way, but it's not going to solve everything," said Debbie Habel, the executive director of Amherst Disaster Recovery Group. Leaders with the recovery group said they still need volunteers.

The actress has written an essay for Huffington Post about being the star of the State Farm "She Shed" commercial that has become the beloved focus of much social media banter in recent months. Butler said a waitress at a restaurant where she dined recently asked if she was Cheryl and said it was her favorite commercial. "I thanked her and tipped her extra because I can't have her out here telling folks that 'She Shed Cheryl' is a cheapskate," Butler wrote. For the record, the she shed wasn't actually burning when Butler and Currelley were making the commercial, which was helmed by "I, Tonya" director Craig Gillespie. An editor superimposed video of a flaming shed filmed earlier, Butler wrote, describing a spark of Hollywood magic reminiscent of her own.