Afternoon News Update: Friday December 5
- Al-Qaida is threatening to kill a Beloit College graduate taken hostage in Yemen. Luke Somers was kidnapped last year in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, where he had been working as a freelance photographer. The al-Qaida branch in Yemen is threatening to kill Somers if unspecified demands are not met in three days.
- Chicago fire officials say a worker has been rescued after dangling by his harness from a cell tower for more than 30 minutes. Fire department spokesman Larry Langford says the man slipped Thursday evening and was stuck hanging from the tower on the city's South Side. The man was not injured.
- A former Illinois state lawmaker has pleaded guilty in a child pornography case. Keith Farnham changed his plea Friday and faces at least five years in prison. Prosecutors say the 66-year-old Elgin Democrat sought and traded illegal images online. He's scheduled to be sentenced in March.
- A Beloit gunman who shot and killed a man standing outside his grandmother's house has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. 20-year-old Jajuan Logan was convicted of second-degree reckless homicide in the April 25 death of Raymond Holloway.
- Illinois lawmakers have passed legislation giving the attorney general more power to stop state pension payments to convicted felons. The Senate approved the measure by a 51-0 vote. The House approved the measure last month. The legislation gives the attorney general the ability to intervene to halt pension payments to anyone convicted of a felony related to their public service.
- The Rockford housing market has been markedly lower in the last year, but average home prices are the highest they have been in five years. The Rockford Area Realtors report shows 298 homes were sold in November, that's 20% lower than November '13. But, those homes were sold at good prices. The three month rolling average for sale prices is now $108,281.
- Illinois is now claimed to be the worst run state in the nation. The analysis by the website 24/7 Wall Street ranks states primarily on state and individual resident financial data and economic outcomes such as the state's poverty rate. The website notes that the state's pension crisis is a major contributor to Illinois' economic troubles.
- The Loves Park Police Department is working on implementing body cameras for their officers. President Obama is calling for all officers to use body cams after the Ferguson shooting. It could cost more than $20,000 dollars to equip Loves Park officers with body cameras.
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