Afternoon News Update: Tuesday October 21
- Republican candidate for governor, Bruce Rauner made an appearance at a Rockford manufacturing plant earlier this afternoon to promote early voting.
- Early voting resumed at around 2pm. According to Winnebago County officials, voters are being given special instructions when they arrive regarding the ballot error for the Winnebago County Forest Preserve Board. Our partners at Eyewitness News have learned that before this correction, the new ballots instructed voters to vote for one candidate for Winnebago County Forest Preserve Commissioner, rather than voting for two of the three candidates on the ballot. Also, some absentee ballots had been sent out without the race on them at all.
- A threat at a Dixon school this morning has police on high alert. Police say a message was left on a wall at Reagan Middle School Monday. Authorities searched student’s bags to find any evidence related to the incident. Officials say they don’t believe the threat is credible. The Dixon Police Department is offering a reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest.
- A Freeport man has been arrested after firing gun last Sunday. 18-year-old Tyesean Johnson was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon between two houses in a residential neighborhood. An investigation revealed that seven bullets were fired were from his .40 caliber. No one was hurt in the shooting and Johnson's bond was set at $200,000.
- Work to restore passenger train service between Chicago and the Quad Cities is starting at a rail yard in Aurora. The $255 million project will enable the BNSF yard to handle extra trains. Eventually, trains will run between Union Station and Moline with a half-dozen stops in between.
- The state of Illinois remains in a tax fight with the founder of the Jimmy John's sandwich chain. State officials say Jimmy John Liautaud owes more than $1.4 million in taxes on a pair of corporate jets. Liautaud has threatened to move the company headquarters from Champaign to Florida over Governor Pat Quinn's decision to raise the income tax in 2011.
- The Wisconsin state Department of Natural Resources is urging homeowners to compost or mulch fallen leaves to keep them out of landfills and reduce burning piles. DNR officials say composting means less chance of errant sparks from burning piles starting wildfires. Fewer burning piles also helps maintain air quality.
- A residential fire in Rockford has forced three people out of their home. The fire happened yesterday in the 2200 block of Jonquil Place. Investigators say it started in the kitchen, with a pan catching fire in the oven. Firefighters arrived and put the blaze out very quickly. But, there was enough smoke damage to the home that the residents had to be relocated for the night. No injuries were reported.
- Illinois has received a $1.6 million Federal grant to help curb underage drinking. The Funding will help communities plan and deliver strategies to address the problem among 8th to 12th graders. The five year grant aims to reduce past thirty-day alcohol use and negative consequences of underage drinking in nine communities throughout the state of Illinois.
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