Afternoon News Update: Thursday January 29

The Loves Park Police Department is investigating a series of thefts. Items taken from a retail store on N. 2nd St. are valued at more than $250.
Individuals have been seen arriving and leaving the store in a blue Dodge Caravan with Illinois license plates R407146. Anyone with information is asked to contact Loves Park Police.
An American Eagle flight from Chicago O'Hare slid off an icy taxiway at a Michigan airport this morning but everyone on board is OK. The plane with 23 passengers and three crew members from Chicago, had just landed at Gerald Ford International Airport near Grand Rapids.
Amtrak says it will spend $12 million fixing up Union Station in Chicago. The project will include planning for larger waiting areas and concourses at the 90-year terminal and better temperature controls. Sprinkler systems at the station have frozen twice this month and caused pipes to burst. Amtrak owns the station, which is also used by thousands of Metra commuters each day.
A 23-year-old Rockford man accused of providing a gun used in the shooting death of a rival gang member has been found guilty of first-degree murder. Deontae Murray faces at least 38 years behind bars after being convicted Thursday. The Rockford Register Star reports Murray supplied a fellow gang member, Marco Hernandez, with the gun used to shoot and killed Richard Herman at a Belvidere gas station in 2013.
Milwaukee’s Summerfest has announced a third major headliner for this year's music festival in Milwaukee. Organizers say Keith Urban will perform at Summerfest on June 26th. Phillip Phillips will open for Urban. Previously announced headliners include Florida-Georgia Line and Linkin Park. Summerfest is the world’s largest music festival and has been taking place since 1968.
Morning testimony in the hearing of Rockford Police Chief Chet Epperson revealed a tense and apparently dysfunctional relationship between the Chief and former Deputy Chief Lori Sweeney. Epperson reportedly asked Sweeny to modify a police report which stated he wanted officers to leave the home of NAACP President Lloyd Johnston. Sweeney, a very popular commander both inside and outside the Rockford Police department, retired last year.
Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner is making a round a speeches throughout the state, with a stop at the University of Illinois today. Rauner is giving a speech now, addressing the state’s challenges, including taxes, worker’s compensation, and Medicaid spending.
The Workforce Connection is holding its annual January Career Expo and Job Fair until 4pm today in Belvidere. In what is considered the largest job in years and employment and training opportunities are available in a variety of industries and more than 50 employers and employment agencies are in attendance. The fair is taking place at the Community Building Complex on First Street, but make sure to get there before 4pm.
Unemployment in the Rockford region continues to decline, with the metro area seeing a decline from 11.7% one year ago to 7.8% in December. The Illinois Department of Employment Security also shows employment increasing over that span by just 800 jobs, indicating that while the Stateline area is seeing some job growth, it is also seeing an outflow of workers from the region.
The former Byron school superintendent who claimed she wrongly fired from her job will get a $200,000 payout from the district.The Byron Board of Education voted unanimously to pay dismissed superintendent Margaret Fostiak to settle her wrongful termination lawsuit filed after she was fired in 2011. Fostiak was accused of shredding documents and not properly supervising an employee who was accused of theft from the district. She has denied any wrongdoing.
A professor whose University of Illinois job offer was pulled last summer over Twitter messages criticizing Israel is suing the board of trustees. Steven Salaita filed his lawsuit in Chicago. He wants damages and a court order letting him teach at the Urbana-Champaign campus.

Categories: Local News, News