Central Illinois Man Arrested On Charges Of Threatening US Rep. Rodney Davis
ROCHESTER – A man has been charged with threatening to shoot central Illinois Congressman Rodney Davis. 64-year-old Randall Tarr lives in the town of Rochester, just outside Springfield. Federal prosecutors say late last month, he saw a TV ad about Davis, called a number in the ad, and left a voicemail. According to a transcript in court documents, the message is threaded with profanity, repeatedly calls Davis “stupid,” criticizes him for (quote) “backing the Russians,” and just before the threat, he says “I’m a sharpshooter. I could.” Tarr was released to home detention. He faces up to 10 years in prison for “threats to assault, murder or kidnap a federal official.” – Brian Mackey, Illinois Newsroom
Pritzker Drops $5M On Tax Campaign, Expects Expensive Fight
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is giving $5 million to a campaign supporting a graduated income tax. It’s the first reported contribution in what’s expected to be an expensive fight over the state’s tax policy. Next fall, voters will decide whether to end the Illinois Constitution’s requirement that the income tax be flat — where everyone pays the same rate. Pritzker is advocating for a change that would result in higher taxes on annual income greater than $250,000. The group on the other side of the issue is called “Vote No on the Blank Check Amendment.” It has yet to report any contributions and did not immediately respond to a request for comment. – Brian Mackey, Illinois Newsroom
Woman Charged With Stealing As Much As $100,000 From PTO
ROCKTON – A 37-year-old northern Illinois woman has been charged with stealing thousands of dollars from a school district’s Parent Teacher Organization she belonged to. On Thursday, the Rockford Register Star reported that the woman known both as Rebecca L. Kramper and Rebecca L. Cutler was charged this week with felony theft, booked into the Winnebago County Jail and released on bond. Kramper is suspected of stealing as much as $100,000 from the Rockton School District’s PTO between October 2016 and September of this year. The district’s superintendent informed district staffers and parents in an email that most, if not all, of the money has been recovered. – Associated Press