Illinois Briefs - 3/13/13

Southern Illinois Group Says No Way To Fracking

(Springfield, IL)  --  Illinois could become a giant in the oil industry if it allows companies to start fracking.  Governor Quinn says it could put thousands of people to work and rebuild the economy, especially in southern Illinois.  But not everyone is excited about the idea.  Tabitha Tripp is a volunteer with  Southern Illinoisans against Fracturing the Environment.   She says she's concerned fracking will contaminate drinking water, make people sick with terminal diseases, and cause unnecessary earthquakes in the region.

Big Ten Wrestler Tosses Second Place Medal

(Champaign, IL)  --  Here's another example of poor sportsmanship after a championship loss.  An Iowa Hawkeye's wrestling star reportedly tossed his second place Big Ten medal in the trash after losing to a sophomore at the U of I.  Matt McDonough is accustomed to winning gold at his big meets.  He has two NCAA national championships and a career record of 120 wins and seven losses. He finished 20 and three this year and is preparing for another title during the NCAA tournament later this month.

IL Golfer Survives Sinkhole Fall

(Waterloo, IL)  --  A golfer in southern Illinois is recovering from a bizarre incident in which he was swallowed up by a sink hole under a golf course fairway.  The "Post-Dispatch" in St. Louis reported yesterday that course workers rescued Mark Mihal after he vanished into the 18-foot-deep hole on the 14th fairway at Annbriar Golf Course in Waterloo, Illinois.  Mihal did

suffer a dislocated shoulder but is otherwise OK after spending nearly 20-minutes in the hole as rescuers attended to him.  Mihal said the incident happened so quickly he didn't have time to react.

Google Settles Privacy Violations

(Undated)  --  Internet giant Google will pay the state of Illinois a piece of a seven-million-dollar settlement over alleged violations of the public's privacy.  In all 37 states and the District of Columbia are included in the settlement announced yesterday.  The settlement is the result of an investigation that found Google collected personal data through unsecured wireless routers as part of its Street View mapping service.

Unclaimed Property Auction Goes Online

(Undated)  --  An auction to sell unclaimed property in Illinois is coming soon to the Internet.  Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford announced the auction items include gold coins, emerald jewels and a special four-leaf clover paper weight.  The online auction starts Monday at 10 a.m. and runs through the same time on March 22nd.  Check out www.treasurer.il.gov for a preview of the auction.