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News Around Illinois – December 13, 2019

News Around Illinois Cover

Central Illinois Man Arrested On Charges Of Threatening US Rep. Rodney Davis

ROCHESTER – A man has been charged with threatening to shoot central Illinois Congressman Rodney Davis. 64-year-old Randall Tarr lives in the town of Rochester, just outside Springfield. Federal prosecutors say late last month, he saw a TV ad about Davis, called a number in the ad, and left a voicemail. According to a transcript in court documents, the message is threaded with profanity, repeatedly calls Davis “stupid,” criticizes him for (quote) “backing the Russians,” and just before the threat, he says “I’m a sharpshooter. I could.” Tarr was released to home detention. He faces up to 10 years in prison for “threats to assault, murder or kidnap a federal official.” – Brian Mackey, Illinois Newsroom

Pritzker Drops $5M On Tax Campaign, Expects Expensive Fight

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is giving $5 million to a campaign supporting a graduated income tax. It’s the first reported contribution in what’s expected to be an expensive fight over the state’s tax policy. Next fall, voters will decide whether to end the Illinois Constitution’s requirement that the income tax be flat — where everyone pays the same rate. Pritzker is advocating for a change that would result in higher taxes on annual income greater than $250,000. The group on the other side of the issue is called “Vote No on the Blank Check Amendment.” It has yet to report any contributions and did not immediately respond to a request for comment. – Brian Mackey, Illinois Newsroom

Woman Charged With Stealing As Much As $100,000 From PTO

ELMHURST — A suburban Chicago couple whose house was ransacked this week is begging whoever made off with some belongings inside to return just one thing: The small white box containing the ashes of their infant son. Sue and Jim LaDeur say the burglar or burglars who broke into their Elmhurst house on Tuesday may have mistaken the white box on a dresser in their bedroom for a jewelry box. And now the LaDeurs who had hoped to bury the ashes next to their own graves some day hope that by telling their story that someone will mail the box to the crematorium that is named on a label or just drop it off at a fire or police station.  – Associated Press
Reginald Hardwick

Reginald Hardwick

Reginald Hardwick is the News & Public Affairs Director for the Illinois Newsroom. He started at WILL in October of 2019 after serving as News Director for WKAR in East Lansing, Michigan. Previously, he was a news producer and manager at the NBC station in Dallas, where he won 7 Emmy awards. Born in Vietnam, Reginald is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. Email: rh14@illinois.edu Twitter: @RNewsWILL

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