Afternoon News Update: March 28

A northern Illinois man has been sentenced to six months in jail for a traffic accident that killed his wife and stepson. Anthony Crose was found not guilty of reckless homicide. The accident happened back in December 2011 near Cherry Valley that killed Dea and Cole Trusler. Crose was convicted, however, of aggravated reckless driving.
Hundreds of people in Belvidere were without electricity after some power lines caught on fire. It happened this morning near Belvidere and Logan Roads. ComEd reports the power was knocked out to approximately 275 customers. Most of the power has been restored, but a handful of people are still without electricity. Crews hope to completely fix the problem by this afternoon. There is no word yet on what caused the fire.
A northern Illinois teenager could spend up to 10 years in prison for causing a deadly crash. Jeremy Betancourt of Antioch, IL pled guilty to a charge of aggravated DUI and prosecutors dropped a reckless homicide charge. Authorities say Betancourt was drag racing in Gurnee last June when he crashed his car and passenger Cynthia Perez was killed.
A new Rockford athletic facility is sure to keep you bouncing. The Gymnastics Academy of Rockford has opened the doors to its new trampoline park. The new facility is housed at the old multi-theatre complex outside Cherry Vale Mall. The establishment features three rooms, two of which are wall-to-wall trampolines. The third room will be used for tumbling and cheerleading lessons. The trampoline park is the first business to open at this location in 18 years.
The jobless rate in February fell in most metropolitan areas. That’s in comparison to the same time last year. Rockford’s rate fell from 12.9 percent in February of 2013 to 12.1 percent last month. The Chicago-area jobless rate was 9 percent in February. This time last year it was 9.8 percent.
The Illinois State Police have begun 24 hours of aggressive patrolling to catch motorists violating safety laws. Friday's operation is in honor of Trooper James Sauter, who was killed back on March 28, 2013, when his squad car was hit by a truck on a suburban Chicago interstate. The enforcement operation is mainly targeting commercial drivers.
Illinois wants $2 million back from a company hired to install high speed Internet service on the South Side of Chicago. State officials say Gigabit Squared may have used only $250,000 from the state grant it received for legitimate purposes. They say the company failed to provide the state with information it needs to review all the spending.
Illinois lawmakers have advanced a proposal to allow bobcat hunting for the first time in more than 40 years. Officials say the Illinois House voted 91-20 Thursday in favor of the measure, which now sends it to the Senate. If passed, the hunting and trapping season would occur sometime between November 1 and February 15. A hunter would be allowed to kill one bobcat per year.

Categories: News