Illinois Briefs - 1/20/13

Quinn Gives Internet Grant To Evanston

(Evanston, IL)  --  Governor Pat Quinn is giving a million dollars to the city of Evanston to help establish better access to high speed Internet service.  The governor announced Friday that Evanston would get the grant from the state's Gigabit Communities Challenge, aiming to create more than 400 access points to gigabit Internet service in the city.  Quinn said at a press conference that, a year ago, he wouldn't have known what a gigabit community was.  Now he knows it means, quote, "ultra high-speed Internet service, 100 times faster than what we're used to today."  The city of Evanston and Northwestern University combined to apply for the successful grant.

Federal Jury Awards $12-Million To Statesville Inmate

(Joliet, IL)  --  A federal jury says Statesville Correction Center owes a former inmate 12-million dollars for depriving him of prescription medication in 2007.  Lawyers for Raymond Fox say the prison was negligent and ignored his request for epilepsy medication nearly six years ago, leaving him with permanent injuries.  The federal jury agreed and awarded Fox

eleven-million in compensatory damages and one-million in punitive damages on Friday.

Federal Officials Approve Path Of Illiana Expressway

(Washington, DC)  --  The roadway known as the Illiana Expressway is a step closer to construction after a decision by the Federal Highway Administration.  Friday, the FHA gave approval to the path of the high-speed highway that would connect Interstate 55 near Wilmington with Interstate 65 near Cedar Lake, Indiana.  The road must now undergo environmental and financial analysis before any further approvals can be made.