Afternoon News Update: Friday August 22
- A 25-year-old Rockford man left paralyzed from the waist down after a deadly crash has been booked into the Winnebago County Jail. Drakkar Malone is charged with reckless homicide and aggravated DUI in the March crash that killed 17-year-old passenger Robert Lee Wilson. Malone is being held on $1 million bond.
- There will a City Market today, but vendors won’t have a much elbow room, because a chunk of the Water Street parking deck collapsed earlier in the week. Officials say that they are going to extend the market towards State Street, along Water Street. The vendors not positioned near State Street will have to squeeze in the gaps between others. Officials say closing the market was never an option.
- Construction will begin Monday for the Guilford Rd. Resurfacing Project. The project includes full width pavement resurfacing with new thermoplastic pavement markings on Guilford Road between Comanche Drive and Mayfield Court. The project is expected to be fully completed by the end of the day of August 29. Guilford Road will remain open during construction activities, however one-way traffic control with flaggers will be in place while work is occurring.
- A prayer vigil is scheduled for today at 5pm in the main parking lot of OSF on E. State Street, where Karen Williams is receiving treatment for her injuries from a car accident that was caused by three getaway robbers who targeted Belvedere businesses and were chased by police to near the Cherryville Mall. Friends report she's "not doing very well."
- Three suburban Chicago residents have been indicted on charges that allege they stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from a group that coordinates organ and tissue donations. The U.S. Attorney's Office said Friday that 41-year-old Shari L. Hansen of Bollingbrook is charged with six counts of wire fraud. Eric Murff of Plainfield and 43-year-old Debra Schultz of Lockport face three wire-fraud counts each. The indictment seeks $652,298 allegedly taken. Wire fraud charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years.
- The Illinois ballot in November will include a Libertarian Party candidate for governor. But the Illinois Board of Elections has rejected a Green Party candidate, a candidate of the Constitution party and an independent. Libertarians collected more than 25,000 signatures for their candidate, Chad Grimm.
- The state's top ethics investigator says the Illinois Department of Transportation improperly hired more than 250 employees in the past decade. Executive Inspector General Ricardo Meza's report says the practice began in 2003 but continued under Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. Meza says IDOT circumvented hiring rules meant to ensure people are hired on merit, not on political clout.
- The Illinois State Police District 15 has announced a roadside safety check will be conducted this weekend on the Ronald Reagan Memorial Toll way. It will take place tomorrow from 11pm-4am on the ramp carrying I-88 traffic to Illinois Route 31.
- Governor Pat Quinn has signed a law to protect survivors of domestic violence. The law expands monitoring of domestic abusers released on bail. It allows the courts to order risk assessment and electronic monitoring of those charged, to protect the victims from additional attacks.
- Governor Pat Quinn has signed a law to assist victims of human trafficking. The law establishes a fund to provide services for victims and will come from previously collected fines from criminal offenses. Officials say this law is focused at giving victims every opportunity possible to heal and move forward with their lives.
- An early morning surprise greeted employees of the Rockford Health System today. The RHS President and CEO greeted employees and thanked them for their efforts in creating an organization that continually receives awards and recognitions for its quality and patient safety. For the 4th straight year, Rockford Memorial Hospital made the prestigious 2014-15 Best Regional Hospitals in the U.S> News and World Report list.
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