Afternoon News Update: Monday August 11
- Rockford tourism number are at an all-time high. 6.7 million visitors were recorded in 2013, which helped boost the county economy by $320 million. Officials expect a big year in 2014 and are reporting that hotel occupancy is up 12.8 percent compared to this time last year.
- Rockford City Council members will consider changing urban chicken rules after receiving requests from residents who want to raise them and complaints from others who don't want them around. City aldermen say they will explore rules governing chicken raising after a resident who had six hens in a backyard coop spoke at a council meeting last week.
- A Tennessee man has been arrested in the Stateline area for his 4th drunk driving offense. Spencer was arrested Saturday night. The Rock County Sheriff's Office reports Petitt was initially pulled over for speeding. After talking to Petitt, the deputy noticed a smell of intoxicants in his breath.
- Drivers no longer need to worry about a police officer confiscating their driver's license for a traffic violation. The state passed the "Sign and Drive" law, effectively ending the practice. Governor Pat Quinn stated that a driver’s license is an important form of ID and without it, many residents run into problems. The new law allows a driver's signature on the citation to be their guarantee they'll comply with its terms.
- Gas prices have dramatically increased in the Stateline region. GasBuddy.com reports the average price to buy gas in the Rockford area increased eight cents in the past week, settling in at an average of $3.51/g. The rate now surpasses the national average, which is $3.47/g.
- Convicted killer Nicholas Sheley has been sentenced once again this time for killing four people in a Rock Falls apartment. He received four sentences of natural life in prison. Sheley is already serving life sentences for the deaths of men in Galesburg and Sterling in the summer of 2008. He faces another trial in Missouri.
- An Illinois lawmaker who helped craft the state's concealed carry law says the state has issued nearly 69,000 permits since February. Officials say the permit process is smoothing out after some initial technology problems. Some people are getting their permits within 35 days of sending in an application.
- Governor Pat Quinn is expanding a green transportation program on Illinois Highways. The Bus on Shoulders program has been made permanent and will now transport even more people on Illinois Highways. The experimental program launched in 2011 dramatically improved Pace Bus routes that use the highly traveled Stevenson Expressway shoulders during rush hour traffic times.
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