Illinois Summary - 10/27/11

Electric Companies Get Approval To Raise Rates

(Springfield, IL)  --  ComEd and Ameren have the green light to raise electric rates but not all lawmakers were on board with the decision.  Benton Senator Gary Forby says the people in his district are struggling to pay for their medical prescriptions so raising utility costs just isn't right.  He says adding upgrading the electrical infrastructure is supposed to create 24-hundred jobs but not one of them will be in his district.  He voted "No" on the motion to override Governor Quinn's veto, but the measure passed both houses yesterday and now becomes law.

More Red Light Cameras Possible For Chicago

(Chicago, IL)  --  The city of Chicago wants to put more red light cameras up and the state Senate is giving them the go ahead.  Senate President John Cullerton says putting more red light cameras in Chicago's school zones will

put the brakes on speeding drivers and possibly decrease the number of crash fatalities.  The new cameras will be installed near school zones, colleges, and park districts.  The proposal now moves to the House.

Supreme Court Suspends Blagojevich Law License

(Springfield, IL)  --  The state's high court has officially removed Rod Blagojevich from the attorney roster.  That means the former governor is no longer allowed to practice law in Illinois.  Attorneys say that's the typical and almost automatic fate of any lawyer convicted of a felony.  Blagojevich had the option of removing himself from the attorney roll in the state.  Attorneys say that may have made it easier for him to have his license reinstated if he ever wanted to practice law again.

Hundred Show Up To Oppose Prison Closure

(Lincoln, IL)  --  Hundreds of workers, residents, and city officials in Lincoln say they're going to fight to keep Logan Correctional Center open.  They showed up at a public hearing last night to oppose Governor Quinn's plan to close the facility, along with six others across the state.  Community leaders told lawmakers that closing the prison would be a, quote, "death penalty" for a city that's only now recovering from another facility closure a decade ago.  Lincoln Mayor Keith Snyder told lawmakers that the people in the community are willing to make sacrifices, but those sacrifices should be fair across the board.  He says closing Logan is not a fair deal.

Road Kill Bill Revived

(Springfield, IL)  --  Governor Quinn's stamp of disapproval is not holding up for a road kill bill.  He vetoed the measure that would allow drivers and hunters to pick up dead animals off the side of the road.  Quinn says it's too dangerous for people to attempt to recover a dead animal but state representatives disagree.  They voted to override the veto yesterday.  The law only applies to fur-bearing animals, but there's still one more hurdle to cross before it becomes law.  The state Senate must also override that veto.

Couple Faces Federal Charges In Kidnapping Case

(Lincoln, IL)  --  A Tennessee couple is no longer facing charges of human trafficking, child abduction and involuntary servitude of a child in Illinois but they are facing federal charges.  The state dropped charges against Jarrod Sanford and Jessica Lidy after the U.S. Department of Justice charged them with transportation of a minor to engage in prostitution.  Sworn statements by an FBI agent indicate Lidy planned to share profits earned while prostituting with a 15-year old girl she met on Facebook.  Lidy and Sanford have not entered pleas.

Thousands Of State Workers Crowd The Capital

(Springfield, IL)  --  Thousands of state workers gathered at the capital yesterday in what AFL-CIO President Michael Carrington called "Occupy Springfield."  The workers were there to fight for their contracts and voice their concern over Governor Quinn's broken promises.  Union workers say they've sacrificed time and time again to help the state deal with its budget problems, but Quinn has consistently broken his word with them.  More than 30-thousand AFSCME workers didn't get promised pay raises this year, and now Quinn is threatening to shut down seven state facilities.  That will leave 19-hundred people without jobs.

Cellini Fate Rests With Jurors

(Chicago, IL)  --  The fate of longtime Springfield powerbroker Bill Cellini is in the hands of jurors.  The judge officially handed the case over yesterday afternoon.  The group spent about three hours in deliberations before being released for the day.  During that time they requested copies of all of the evidence and transcripts of wiretaps presented during the trial.  Cellini is charged with trying to shakedown a Hollywood producer for a one-point-five-million-dollar campaign contribution to former governor Rod Blagojevich.

Police Amp Up Crews Over Halloween Weekend

(Springfield, IL)  --  Police departments across the state are keeping a close eye on the roadways in the "Drive Sober, or Get Pulled Over" campaign this Halloween weekend.  Illinois Department of Transportation spokesperson Guy Tridgell says state and local police will be extra vigilant through Halloween night, looking for drunk drivers.  Over the past seven years in Illinois, more than two-thousand people have been injured on Halloween night and 25 have been killed in car crashes.