By Jerry Nowicki Much of the talk from supporters of the SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform has in recent days centered on how it will or will not be amended before January 1, 2023 when cash bail will be abolished in Illinois as part of a provision known as the
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council members listened to success stories and a request of funds for Aurora Crime Stoppers, at the Tuesday, Oct. 11 City Council meeting. Board president of Aurora Area Crime Stoppers, Vernon LaVia, and Board member, Mike Funkey, reminded the City Council the 501(c)(3) non-profit
Kane and DuPage County locations will be hosts to town halls on the SAFE-T Act and ending cash bail. The public is invited. Admission and parking are free. Parkview Community Church, 764 St. Charles Road in Glen Ellyn, will be host to the DuPage town hall from 10 a.m. to
By Peter Hancock State senator Emil Jones III has been charged in federal court with three criminal counts tied to his dealings with a redlight camera company. Jones, a Chicago Democrat, is the son of former Senate president Emil Jones Jr.. The younger Jones has served in the Senate since
July 30, 2022Dear editor; Don’t know how to contact the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) management, but I have to tell you that they should check for thieves! I flew from Rockford to Mesa/Tempe, Ariz. and back to Illinois in February this year, and had no problems, either way. In April,
Cantigny Park and the League of Women Voters invite the public to their next Civic Awareness Series program at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8 at Park Visitors Center. The program, offered in-person and online, will address violence in our communities and how to restore safety. Panelists include Phil Andrew, principal
By Peter Hancock The Illinois State Police (ISP) announced Monday it will start using a broader definition of what constitutes a “clear and present danger” when reviewing a person’s Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card. That’s a factor ISP considers when deciding whether to grant someone a FOID card or to
July 6, 2022Dear editor; Ho hum, another mass shooting, only this time a little closer to home. The weapon used? Yup, you guessed it… an assault-style rifle, capable of belching out 30 rounds of human-obliterating ammo per clip. The shooter in Highland Park, Ill.? A young, white, male who legally
In preparation for the Fourth of July weekend and the following weeks, the City of Aurora government has launched a citywide campaign for fireworks scofflaws. By City Code, fireworks are illegal in the State’s second-largest city, and the selling, possession, storage, and usage of fireworks now come with hefty fines.
By Peter Hancock A federal judge in Chicago handed down a one-year prison sentence Tuesday for a former State senator who once was chairperson of the Senate Labor Committee. Tom Cullerton, a Villa Park Democrat, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of embezzlement for receiving salary and benefits
June is Gun Violence Awareness Month and the statistics for mass shootings in the United States are riveting. The gun homicide rate is 26 times that of other high-income countries (gunpolicy.org). Much of the loss is incalculable. Journalist Fran Briggs asked Dr. Robert Renteria about the gun violence epidemic, the
June 13, 2022Dear editor; Some among us may ask questions of the purpose, or, the value of the public hearings being presented by the January 6 (2021) Committee of the House of Representatives. Most of us who have been paying attention to the various political maneuverings which have taken place
Another mass shooting. In a school. Oh, my. Thoughts and prayers. End of story. Until the next time. There will be a next time, dear reader, some where in these Disunited States of America. No community is immune any more. Even here in River City, we’ve had our own mass
Cyber-terrorism came to the front of my mind with the advent of the war in the Ukraine. If cornered, a thug such as Vladimir Putin might lash back with cyberwar tools. The Russians appear quite advanced at it, based on the many, damaging hacks of American businesses that appear to
As the world watches the atrocities and heartbreak play out, there appears no end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Yet, sadly, at home, we are duty-bound to look back and pay tribute to the Americans who lost their lives in the domestic terrorist attack in Oklahoma City, Okla., 27 years
Illinois State representative Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego) has released the following statement on the reccent federal indictment of former House speaker Michael Madigan: “The federal indictment of corruption charges against former House speaker Michael Madigan is disturbing, but proof that justice will be served if wrongdoing by elected officials is uncovered.
The Kane County Chiefs of Police Association, in partnership with the Batavia Moose Lodge #682, announce the winners of the Louis Spuhler Award for outstanding police work in 2021. The co-winners are Aurora Police detective Christopher Cox, and Elgin Police K-9 senior patrolman Justin Brown. The following is a summary
Naperville Crime Stoppers are offering up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of one or more subject(s) involved in two incidents of criminal damage to property along the Riverwalk. The Naperville Park District Police Department is trying to identify the above subjects reference incidents that occurred
By John W. Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead We are a Nation on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Undeniably, the blowback from COVID-19 lockdowns and mandates continues to reverberate around the country, impacting the Nation’s struggling workplaces, choking the economy and justifying all manner of authoritarian tyrannies being inflicted on
By Peter Hancock State attorney general Kwame Raoul joined local and federal prosecutors Monday to announce new efforts to combat a rise in online child exploitation in Illinois. The efforts include greater outreach and education for parents and teachers, and a new mobile computer forensics unit that will be deployed
