SPRINGFIELD – Officials from the Illinois State Police faced questioning Wednesday from Republican lawmakers who said the agency had authority to reject a gun permit application from a man who later allegedly carried out a mass shooting at a July 4 parade in Highland Park. The alleged gunman, Robert Crimo III, is being held without…
URBANA – The University of Illinois Police Department said it has hired all of the officers needed to help Champaign Police patrol Campustown, the southeastern section of the city. The seven new uniformed officers will begin their patrols on October 1 in place of Champaign officers. Faced with a shortage of officers, the city of…
CHAMPAIGN — People shuffle in and out of the court; logistical decisions are made and cases are settled. These are nerve wracking moments for community members — some don’t have a lawyer and few have a law degree. In the Sixth Circuit court, there are no jury members — only a judge presides over matters…
URBANA – A Savoy resident is facing a Class X felony charge of “Making A Terrorist Threat” after he sent emails to the mayor of Champaign threatening to commit a mass shooting. Meanwhile, Mayor Feinen says she’s grateful to Champaign Police and the Champaign County’s State’s Attorney’s office for their actions in the case. Feinen…
CHAMPAIGN — A new coalition of small nonprofits aims to tackle gun violence in Champaign County. Called H3 for “harm,” “healing” and “hope,” the coalition is the brainchild of FirstFollowers. The non-profit group helps formerly incarcerated people with their re-entry into society. “Although my organization’s name is on it, it’s not a FirstFollowers initiative,” explains FirstFollowers…
GREENWOOD, Ind. — Authorities say a gunman who shot five people at a suburban Indianapolis shopping mall, killing three of them before a shopper shot and killed him, was a 20-year-old local man who was apparently facing eviction. Greenwood Police Chief James Ison said at a news conference Monday that Jonathan Sapirman, of Greenwood, began…
CHAMPAIGN -An argument between two men from Urbana turned deadly in Champaign’s Campustown over the weekend. Police responded to shots fired in the 200-block of East Green Street after 9:00 p.m. on Friday. The incident resulted in the University of Illinois issuing an Illini-Alert, asking people to avoid the area or shelter in place. Officers…
PEORIA – When Illinois legalized recreational cannabis, state legislators sought to cut those disproportionately affected by marijuana arrests into the new industry’s profits. The path to entering the industry, though, has not been easy. “If anything, it’s been increased hardships, trying to pursue it legally,” says Lisa Palmgren. There’s a heavy, grassy smell in Palmgren’s…
SPRINGFIELD – In the wake of a July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park that left seven people dead and dozens more injured, Gov. JB Pritzker is calling for a ban at both the state and national levels on military-style assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. The governor made those calls on national cable television and…
URBANA — The Urbana City Council voted Monday to allow new jail construction within city limits. Champaign County plans to expand its satellite jail on Lierman Avenue. The new jail will have fewer total beds in a more modern facility. “Think about [an isolation cell with] four walls with a door and a small window….
A mass shooting in Highland Park at a Fourth of July parade prompted questions about how the suspect was able to obtain a gun in a state with some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. Law enforcement officials have said that the Highland Park shooting suspect, Robert Crimo III, 21, legally purchased and…
SPRINGFIELD – Lisa Holder White was sworn in Thursday as the first Black woman to serve on the Illinois Supreme Court. Holder White, who previously served on the 4th District Court of Appeals, was chosen to succeed one of her mentors in the legal profession, retiring Justice Rita B. Garman, who broke many barriers herself as…
HIGHLAND PARK – As of Wednesday, we know the names of the seven people who died after a mass shooting at Highland Park’s Independence Day Parade. Their names are: Katherine Goldstein, 64 Irina McCarthy, 35 Kevin McCarthy, 37 Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63 Stephen Straus, 88 Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78 Eduardo Uvaldo, 69 According to CBS Chicago, Uvaldo…
HIGHLAND PARK – A seventh person died Tuesday of injuries sustained during a mass shooting at Highland Park’s Fourth of July parade, as prosecutors announced the alleged gunman will face seven counts of first-degree murder with “dozens” more criminal charges soon to follow, authorities said Tuesday. At a news conference Tuesday staged just west of…
HIGHLAND PARK — A mass shooting at a Highland Park Fourth of July parade sparked hours of fear across Chicago’s North Shore as authorities conducted a massive manhunt for the young man who allegedly gunned down dozens of people from a rooftop perch. Police identified the shooting suspect as Robert “Bobby” Crimo III, a 22-year-old…