Afternoon News Update: Monday October 13
- A large fight broke out this weekend with shots being fired at local Rockford tavern. Police arrived to the Golden Bar on 7th Street just before 2:00 Sunday morning for complaints that 40 people were fighting in the streets. Police say someone in the crowd fired off several gun shots and officers subsequently found four shell casings near the bar. There were no reported injuries.
- A large fire broke out at a Rockford business on the city's southwest side. It happened in the 1800 block of Morgan Street last night at an active metal processing site. Officials say the fire started in the back of the building and the flames took an hour to put out. The damage is estimated at $140,000. The cause is under investigation.
- If you are still wondering why much of the Stateline missed the first quarter of the Bears-Falcons game, on FOX 39, there is an answer. Officials say it was not the local stations decision to show bonus coverage of the Cincinnati-Carolina game. It was based on the Fox Network agreement with the NFL.
- Gas prices continue to dip in the Stateline region to near the $3 mark. GasBuddy.com reports the average price in the Forest City dropped eight cents in the past week, settling at $3.20 per gallon. In Rockford, the Citgo gas station on West State Street was selling gas at $2.99/g as recently as Friday.
- Police say three armed men in Halloween-themed masks ransacked a home in Rockford. Authorities responded to a home invasion call Sunday morning. A woman says one of the men woke her and ordered her to open the front door and allowed in two other masked men. Police say the men demanded money and raided the home of valuables.
- Federal officials say they've restored full air traffic operations at a suburban Chicago control center that was damaged in a fire more than two weeks ago. The Federal Aviation Administration says service was restored early Monday after the September 26th fire at the Chicago ATC Route Center in Aurora. Authorities have said a contract employee cut cables and set fire to a basement telecommunications room.
- Wisconsin's third annual wolf hunt opens Wednesday and will run until the end of February or until hunters reach the 150-animal statewide limit. The Department of Natural Resources has awarded 1,500 permits. The hunt will take place in six zones, each with its own individual kill limit.
- The final phase of the 'Transform Rockford' movement will take place tonight. The meeting is being held where the organization will present the final version of the 'Community Vision. It will begin at 5:30pm in the new Auburn High School Fieldhouse, and the public is invited. The event will also be a celebration with volunteers, contributors and attendees
- Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner says his idea to create so-called "right to work zones" also means designating areas where businesses face fewer "tax and regulatory burdens. Rauner's website says his proposal allows local communities to decide whether workers must join a union for employment. He explained in an Associated Press interview that other possibilities include temporarily offering a lower corporate income tax rate in economically-depressed regions to lure businesses.
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