Afternoon news update: April 20, 2015

The autopsy on a body pulled from the Rock River over the weekend has been completed. Winnebago County Coroner Sue Fiduccia reports that 24- year old Ivan Torres-Espinoza drowned in his overturned car. The car was found in the river on Saturday morning. Fiduccia says Torres-Espinoza was drunk at the time of the accident. Fiduccia says he suffered no trauma in the crash and no medical crisis caused the accident. Toxicological test results will be available in two weeks.
The Illinois Department of Transportation has reopened Route 72 through DeKalb County and the Village of Fairdale however, restricted access into Fairdale remains in effect. Route 72 had been closed since the deadly April 9th tornado. As cleanup continues, motorists are urged to avoid the area. About 100 members of Northern Illinois University's football team lent a hand to cleanup efforts there. Players said they felt it was important to help out because they realized that such a disaster could easily hit their own hometowns too.
As Spring approaches and clearing brush gets underway, the Rockford Fire Department receives an increased number of calls for open burning complaints. In response, they've released guidelines of the City of Rockford's opening burning codes and ordinances. They remind citizens that burning of trash, rubbish, yard waste or construction materials is never allowed within the city limits. Under current fire code, there is only the allowance for the use of recreational fires for cooking purposes. A recreational fire is defined as an outdoor fire, burning materials other than rubbish, with a total fire area of 3 feet or less in diameter and 2 feet or less in height for cooking food.
Here are some burning guidelines given by Rockford Fire:
- Ensure that the definition of a recreational fire is met.
- Limit the size of the recreational fire to no larger than approximately 2' x 2' x 2' using seasoned, dry firewood only.
- Burn for a reasonable length of time (less than 3 hours).
- Check with neighbors (courtesy and health or environmental issues).
- Have a water hose or fire extinguisher present to extinguish fire.
- Consider weather conditions.
If a complaint is received and any of the above conditions are violated, the fire will be extinguished and the report forwarded to Fire Prevention for potential legal action.
Vice President Joe Biden will be on the University of Illinois campus on Tuesday to talk about the importance of sexual assault prevention on college campuses. The event will highlight the 'It's On Us' sexual assault prevention campaign, which seeks to engage college students and all members of campus communities in preventing sexual assault.

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