Afternoon News Update: April 4

More than 150 pounds of marijuana has been recovered in a Rockford drug raid. According to police, 36-year-old Cresencio Valencia-Alvarez was arrested after detectives discovered more than 20 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop. That’s when police executed a search warrant in the 1200 block of 21^st Street where they found more cannabis. 28-year-old Luis Alberto Aguilar-Arreguin has been arrested as well after police found him with a small amount of cocaine.
The Stateline area features two kinds of seasons, winter and construction. The season of construction starts Monday when crews begin road work on South Main Street between Cedar Street and Clifton Avenue, a stretch of 1.6 miles. Traffic will be down to one lane in both directions. Flaggers will help control the flow of traffic. Crews will remove and replace the entire roadway pavement, curbs, sidewalks, traffic signals and will install new storm sewers.
The Chicago Transit Agency has fired the driver who crashed a commuter train at the O’Hare Airport Blue Line station. The March 24 crash injured more than 30 passengers and sent the eight-car train barreling up an escalator leading into the airport. A federal investigator said last week that the operator told him she dozed off before the crash and had done so on another occasion in February when she overshot a station platform.
Republican candidate for Governor Bruce Rauner has rolled out a new television ad that takes a more personal approach. It features him with his wife Diana, who is a Democrat. She says she's voting for her husband because he will "take on both parties to fix Illinois." Rauner's first ad targeted "government union bosses."
A bill to obtain a search warrant via video has advanced in the Illinois Legislature. The change to the state's criminal code is sponsored by state Republican Mike Zalewski. Current law only allows search warrants to be obtained in such cases by oral testimony, which can include requests via telephone or fax. The measure passed the House 107-1. It now heads to the state Senate.
A representative from the Tucson, Arizona, Police Department will be in Madison this weekend. The purpose will be to watch how officers handle the crowds following Saturday’s Final Four game. There were no major issues for Madison police when fans poured onto the streets after the Badgers beat Arizona last weekend to advance to the Final Four. Back in Tucson, Wildcats fans clashed with police in riot gear who dispersed the crowd with pepper spray.
High-end merchandise has been stolen from an upscale designer store off Chicago's Michigan Avenue shopping district. Police say the break-in happened this morning at Saint Laurent. Authorities are still trying to figure out how many items were taken and their value.

Categories: News