Afternoon News Update: Tuesday January 13
- A man suspected of sexually abusing a 14-year-old Janesville girl appeared in court this afternoon. 30-year-old Justin Jones entered a plea of not guilty after being charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Jones, who lives in Ridgeway, Wisconsin reportedly drove to Janesville to pick the girl up from her home on Friday. Police say the two had a sexual encounter at a Janesville Park. Jones was arrested in Bettendorf, Iowa on Saturday, after a nationwide alert was issued.
- Governor Bruce Rauner has reversed about 180 of predecessor Pat Quinn's appointments dating back to 2013. They include at least a couple that Quinn presented to former staff members Monday before leaving office. The state Senate never acted on them.
- Thousands of families throughout the Rockford area received assistance this holiday season from the Salvation Army. Rockford's Salvation Army helped more than 13,000 people, including 6,800 children, by providing food, toys or both. The campaign ran from Halloween thru New Year’s eve and 1,300 area Stateline area volunteers helped in the effort.
- A federal judge has ordered that about $37,000 of former Dixon comptroller Rita Crundwell's assets be turned over to the city as restitution. Crundwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for stealing nearly $54 million from the city. The money will be paid to the court and then transferred to the city.
- Two months since Illinois enacted rules for fracking, no company has applied for a state permit to put hydraulic fracturing to use. The Illinois Oil and Gas Association's spokesman believes the slow response may be because of the state's delay in adopting regulatory rules, as well as low oil prices that may have discouraged energy companies.
- Governor Bruce Rauner will issue an executive order on ethics this afternoon in Springfield. Rauner says his action will improve accountability in the state's executive branch and help Illinois regain its "good name and reputation."
- The federal government says Illinois corn and soybean growers had a record year in 2014. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates farmers statewide produced an estimated 2.35 billion bushels of corn last year. That tops the 2007 record of 2.28 billion bushels.
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