ASSOCIATED PRESS
AURORA, Ill. â A suburban Chicago man and a juvenile have been charged in connection with a violent carjacking that left a mother of two paralyzed, Aurora authorities announced Thursday.
Kimberly Weibring was eating in her car parked outside a fast-food restaurant on Jan. 16 when at least two people attempted to carjack her SUV. The pair pulled Weibring out of her vehicle, shot her in the back and drove away in her vehicle. She was left lying in the parking lot with a shattered vertebra and a bullet lodged in her spinal cord, officials said.
âThis mother, who was minding her own business inside her car, represents all of us who move through the world each day without harming anyone and in a momentâs notice became a victim of a violent crime,â Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman.
Illinois House bill seeks to end waste and corruption in infrastructure spending
Illinois House bill seeks to end waste and corruption in infrastructure spending House Bill 253 would create data-driven process for selecting future infrastructure projects in an attempt to end wasteful and politically motivated spending.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker successfully pushed 20 tax hikes worth $4.6 billion through the General Assembly in 2019, with many dedicated to funding the governor’s $45 billion infrastructure proposal. At least $1.4 billion of that spending went to wasteful spending and pork projects for the politically connected. Included in that tab are dog parks, snowmobile paths, pickleball courts, school playgrounds, swimming pools, arts grants to be handed out by the wife of then- House Speaker Mike Madigan, and much more. Illinoisans already pay some of the highest taxes in the country dedicated to infrastructure spending, and this should be spent effectively.
ISP announces Starved Rock State Park informational campaign
ISP District 17
LaSalle, IL – The Illinois State Police (ISP), in partnership with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), announce an informational and enforcement campaign focused on Starved Rock State Park and Matthiessen State Park parking issues.
Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks, situated between Utica, Oglesby, and La Salle, receive approximately 2 million visitors annually. The large volume of visitors has resulted in vehicles being parked in “No Parking Tow-Away” zones located along IL Rt. 178 and IL Rt. 71, adjacent to the parks. The problem is so pervasive it has become a safety issue to pedestrians and motorists. The illegal parking has also made it difficult for first responders to access the area in emergency situations. Officials with IDNR, IDOT and ISP have discussed this issue and have agreed education and enforcement are both
A plan to convert the Interstate 80 bridge over the Mississippi River into a 100-acre national park where bison would roam between Illinois and Iowa near the Quad Cities is gaining momentum. Dubbed the Bison Bridge, the project is driven by the fact that the current I-80 bridge has been deemed obsolete and in likely need of replacement.
The public has until May 5 to provide input on improvements to Plainfield Road from County Line Road in Burr Ridge to La Grange. Proposals include widening Plainfield to two lanes in each direction, plus a center turn lane, from I-294 to Wolf Road.