Champaign Co. Public Defender says SAFE-T Act will have little effect on jail population
URBANA — The new Champaign County Public Defender takes over an office with many challenges, but Elisabeth Pollock thinks she’s up to the task. The Urbana native spent the last decade in the U.S. Public Defender’s office before taking the oath for her new office on Monday. Listen to this story here. In a wide […]
WNBA star Brittney Griner has been freed from a Russian prison
WASHINGTON — President Biden says WNBA star Brittney Griner has been freed from a Russian prison. “Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner. She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home,” he wrote on Twitter. Russia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the swap in a press release to agencies that Griner […]
Jan. 6 ‘heroes’ honored for defending Capitol from Trump mob
WASHINGTON — Top House and Senate leaders have bestowed Congress’ highest honor on law enforcement officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The Congressional Gold Medals were presented Tuesday in a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, which was overrun that day nearly two years ago by supporters of then-President Donald Trump in […]
Inspector General slams Pontiac prison workplace culture
PONTIAC — A scathing report from the State Executive Inspector General show a climate of hazing and sexual discrimination created a hostile work environment at the state prison in Pontiac, including stating there is reason for disciplinary action against 10 employees for discriminating against a guard who was perceived to be gay. The guard was […]
Pretrial detention changes to SAFE-T Act will head to governor
SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers on Thursday passed a long-awaited amendment to the SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform’s provisions that will eliminate cash bail when the calendar hits 2023. The measure expands the list of crimes for which a judge can order pretrial detention, adds to what a judge can consider when determining if a defendant is […]
Illinois Democrats propose banning assault weapons and raising age for gun ownership
Democrats say they hope to pass the massive legislation, which comes in response to the Highland Park shooting, in the lame duck session in January. SPRINGFIELD — Illinois House Democrats plan to introduce a massive gun control bill that would outlaw the sale of assault weapons and prevent most residents under 21 from legally buying […]
States will get billions in opioid settlement dollars. How will they spend it?
Legal battles have waged for years to force drug companies to pay for their role in America’s opioid epidemic. Finally, in landmark settlements over the last year, thousands of states, counties and local governments have won more than $50 billion from opioid makers, prescription drug distributors and pharmacies. But now these 3,000 state and local […]
Contempt citations against DCFS director reversed by appellate court
An appellate court on Wednesday reversed several contempt of court citations that were filed in recent months against Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith for failing to comply with court orders to place state wards in appropriate settings. The court found that Smith did not willfully ignore a Cook County judge’s order […]
With three session days left, SAFE-T Act changes could be forthcoming, ‘technical’ in nature
Dems claim electoral mandate for broad criminal justice reform, GOP claims they’re ‘frozen out’ SPRINGFIELD – Changes may yet come to the SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform before its Jan. 1 effective date, but some of its major proponents in the General Assembly said the results of the Nov. 8 general election have signified that […]
Formerly incarcerated students can now Zoom back into prison to finish their degrees
At around noon on a recent Monday, Maria Garza logged on to Zoom. She set her laptop on her kitchen stove and placed several plastic cups on the counter. One by one, she filled them up with things like baking soda and ammonia ahead of a chemistry experiment. Then, a classroom popped up on her […]
6 people and the gunman are dead in a shooting at a Walmart in Virginia
Updated November 23, 2022 at 9:53 AM ET CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A shooter opened fire in at a Walmart Supercenter in Virginia late Tuesday, leaving six people dead and four hospitalized in the second high-profile mass killing in a handful of days. Police confirmed that the assailant is also dead from what they believe is […]
Virginia police: Six people killed in Walmart shooting
Updated Wednesday at 5:40 a.m. CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A shooter opened fire in a Walmart in Virginia late Tuesday, leaving six people dead, police said, in the second high-profile mass killing in a handful of days. The assailant is also dead. The store in Chesapeake is now safe and will likely be closed for several […]
Police arrest teenager suspected of threatening Urbana High School
Police have arrested one of the people suspected of threatening violence against Urbana High School. The arrest of a 16-year-old girl took place on Tuesday in Chicago. Urbana Police say the teenager is one of the people who threatened on Nov. 7 to bomb and shoot students at the high school. The Urbana school district […]
Mother, friends, performers among dead at Colorado gay club
The five people who were killed at a gay club in Colorado are being remembered as loving parents, enthusiastic performers and longtime patrons who cherished Club Q as a safe haven for members of the LGBTQ community. They came to Colorado Springs’ preeminent LGBTQ establishment on Saturday evening and were met with tragedy when a […]
Gay bar shooting suspect facing murder, hate crime charges
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The man suspected of opening fire at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs is being held on murder and hate crimes charges. The charges surfaced in online court records Monday, two days after the attack that killed five people and wounded many others. The charges were preliminary, and prosecutors had not […]