Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Tribune: As Illinois troopers crack down on distracted driving, tickets issued by Chicago police plunge
State troopers are cracking down hard on distracted drivers, but Chicago police barely enforce the law against driving while using a cellphone, according to data from both agencies.
The number of tickets issued by Illinois State Police for texting or talking on a cellphone without the use of a hands-free device has jumped more than 700 percent, to 14,268 tickets in 2018 from 1,729 in 2017, a spokesman said.
WBEZ: Chicago’s Towing Program Is Broken
The city sells one in four towed vehicles. It pays a contractor with residents’ cars, yet the city… barely makes money. Someone should look at this.
Daily Herald: State legislators oppose measure to let McHenry County leader reduce taxes
A controversial measure seeking to increase the McHenry County Board chairman’s powers to cut property taxes is dead in its original form, but that doesn’t mean the issue is going away, the legislation’s sponsors said Friday.
House Bill 3317 — sponsored by state Reps. Sam Yingling, a Grayslake Democrat, and David McSweeney, a Barrington Hills Republican — has been stripped of provisions that would have reorganized McHenry County’s government structure and significantly increased the chairman’s authority.
Belleville News-Democrat: Legal setback causes group to push for state instead of local fees on shopping bags
A community group will turn its attention to passing state legislation now that Edwardsville and Glen Carbon aren’t going to require local stores to charge a 10-cent fee for single-use paper and plastic shopping bags.
Last week, the village of Glen Carbon announced that it wouldn’t be approving an ordinance proposed by Bring Your Own Glen-Ed. The group had made a presentation to the village’s Public Safety Committee last year and planned to address the entire Glen Carbon Village Board this spring.
The Southern: Illinois risks losing $18 million over food stamp processing
Illinois could lose more than $18 million in funding if it doesn’t accelerate the processing times on food stamp applications within the next month, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said.
The USDA, which administers the food stamp program, sent the Illinois Department of Human Services a letter stating that the state agency has until April 21 to significantly improve timeliness or develop an effective strategy to make it happen, the Chicago Tribune reported. The state agency has pledged to fix the food stamp, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, problems, which it says happened under former Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration.
Chicago Tribune: More than 60 runway mishaps at O’Hare Airport in past 2½ years
One January morning last year, a Chicago Department of Aviation employee called an air traffic controller at O’Hare Airport asking for permission to drive a work vehicle onto an active runway at the busiest airport in the nation to complete an unspecified task.
Even as a Boeing jet in the air above lined up to land on Runway 10-Center on the south side of the airport, the controller cleared the employee to drive across the runway, though not remain on it.
Northwest Herald: Garbage rates set to drop this fall in Algonquin
Algonquin residents will see a significant drop in garbage collection rates this fall.
Last year, the village issued requests for proposal for refuse, recycling and yard waste collection services to obtain the lowest prices possible. Out of the four vendors who submitted proposals, Groot Industries, the current provider, submitted the lowest acceptable bid, according to the village.
Daily Herald: Northwest suburban ballot questions include requests for school, library upgrades
Northwest suburban Cook County voters will decide ballot measures on Election Day to provide funding for school construction and library upgrades, permit a park district to sell 34 acres of vacant land, and shrink the size of a local fire district board, among other items.
Here are the details of local referendums being decided Tuesday throughout the Northwest suburbs.
Bloomington Pantagraph: 'Have a say:' Future of Empire Street upgrades in Bloomington subject of public hearing
Jennifer Sicks hopes those who use Empire and Market streets in Bloomington know this is the time to weigh in on their future.
“For people who use it every day across this stretch, this is the perfect time to say, ‘How will this affect my experience?’ Once they start digging things, it’ll be too late,” said Sicks, senior transportation planner for the McLean County Regional Planning Commission. “This is a rare moment to buttonhole the people making the decisions and have a say.”
Decatur Herald & Review: Decatur City Council to vote on buying 750 parcels of land from Macon CountyDecatur City Council to vote on buying 750 parcels of land from Macon County
City council members are expected to vote today (Monday) on whether the city will proceed with buying about 750 Macon County trustee lots, many of which are either vacant or have been abandoned for years.
City Manager Scot Wrighton on Friday said the vote will be the final step of the land transfer process, which city and county leaders began last year. After the city closes the deal with the county, the parcels will be added to the city’s land inventory to be used in its neighborhood revitalization plan.