Illinois Briefs - 1/17/13

Quinn Backs Obama On Gun Violence

(Chicago, IL)  --  Governor Quinn is backing President Obama's plan to reduce gun violence.  Quinn is calling on Congress to adopt stronger policies.  He says everyone has a responsibility to ensure that military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines do not fall into the wrong hands.  Quinn made the comment after President Obama signed 23 executive orders aimed at reducing gun violence.

Sheley Gets Second Life Sentence

(Sterling, IL)  --  The man accused of killing two people in Illinois has been sentenced to a a second life term behind bars.  Nicholas Sheley was sentenced yesterday in the death of 93-year-old Russell Reed of Sterling.  Sheley was convicted of killing Reed back in November of last year.  He was previously sentenced to life in prison for killing a Galesburg man.  Sheley still faces trials for allegedly killing six other people in Missouri and Arkansas.

One In Three Illinoisans Poor

(Chicago, IL)  --  One in three people in Illinois are poor.  A new report released by the Heartland Alliance's Social Impact Research Center reveals the recession, low employment numbers, and low-wage jobs have an impact on how people live in the state.  Thousands of people are

unemployed and struggling to make ends meet but more surprising, the report reveals over 100-thousand people in Illinois work full-time, but still fall below the poverty level.  Women, minorities, children, and the elderly are all at a higher risk of being poor.

Chicago Tops Annual Bed Bugs List

Chicago has been named the worst city in the nation for bed bugs.  Orkin's annual Top 50 list ranks cities based on the number of treatments the company does for bed bugs.  Chicago was Number Two on the list in 2011, behind Cincinnati, Ohio.