Afternoon news update: July 31, 2015

A new state law aims to keep adopted and fostered kids with people who are already close to their family. The law expands the definition of family to include step parents, older step siblings, life partners and others known as “fictive kin.” Illinois Department of Children and Family Services spokesperson Veronica Resa says the idea is to keep kids in the system close to their original home and with someone they already have a relationship with. To be considered “fictive kin” for placement purposes, the person must be 21 years old and already be a part of the child’s family support system.
Rockford police have issued an arrest warrant for a Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, man in connection with a series of crimes in the area. Police believe 20-year old Dakota R Diehl was involved in the armed robbery of the Mobil gas station on 11^th street in New Milford on July 15^th and again Friday morning, along with the armed robbery of a Phillips 66 station on Linden Road early Thursday morning. Diehl is white, five seven, about 135 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes, and a star tattoo on his left cheek.
The identity of Freeport’s first murder victim of the year has been released. 22-year old William Hines was found in the 600 block of East Crocker, suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to the hospital where he later died. The police investigation is just beginning. Police say there doesn’t appear to be a motive for the slaying.
Police in Ogle County are warning residents about a man impersonating an officer. The man had a deep voice with a southern accent. He's described as a white male between 20 and 30 years old -- about 5 foot ten with a very thin build -- and dark brown or black hair. He was wearing a dark uniform with a sewn badge patch on his left chest.
The penny parking meters are finally getting fixed in Sycamore. Joliet has sold hundreds of coin-operated meters to the DeKalb County city that needs replacement parts. The city west of Chicago is one of the few places in the country where drivers can use a penny to buy 12 minutes of parking.
A Republican presidential candidate in need of a boost in national polls visits Illinois to talk immigration reform. At a Chicago event hosted by the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said a presidential win would give him a mandate to pursue comprehensive immigration, including a pathway to citizenship. He says a different form of legal status isn’t good enough. “If you’re going to stay here all your life, I want you to have a pathway to being a citizen, because I hate the European model of the hired help,” Graham said. “I don’t want millions of people here as the outsider looking in.” Graham is logging behind in the crowded field of Republican presidential hopefuls, and sits well below the threshold needed for inclusion in the main debate set for Aug. 6. Graham thinks using poll numbers this early isn’t fair to candidates. “It rewards those who have run before, who are from large states, and those who are celebrities,” Graham said. Barring a late surge, Graham will be relegated to an earlier debate on the same day featuring the other Republican candidates who sit further down in the polls.

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