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Chicago Tribune: 170 rape kits, no investigations until Cook County stepped in to seek justice
A man being charged with sexually assaulting a woman in an assisted-living center is the latest result of the county’s effort to investigate rape kits found collecting dust in Robbins in 2013.
At the time of the attack, the woman, who is 58 and in declining health, was reportedly held down while the man, 57, sexually assaulted her in the 13800 block of Utica Avenue in Robbins.
WBEZ: CPS Gets Renovated Auditoriums, Students Get Summer Safety
On a hot summer day inside the auditorium of Harold Washington Elementary School in the Burnside community, about two dozen teenagers added a fresh coat of paint to the walls, scraped varnish off old chairs, and sanded down small holes in the floor where auditorium seats were once bolted down.
But spending the summer working in a school wasn’t detention — it was a choice. The teens, all Chicago Public Schools students, were part of a summer jobs program where they got paid to renovate aging CPS auditoriums.
Northwest Herald: Algonquin approves 5-year public works contract with Local 150 union
The village of Algonquin has approved a five-year public works contract with International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 that represents a 3.2 percent average wage increase for employees, according to a news release from the union.
The raise comes about after workers’ exhaustive efforts and dedication to the village after the Fox River flooding, according to the release. Algonquin Public Works Department employees are responsible for tasks including plowing snow in the winter and responding to natural disasters in the area.
Northwest Herald: Marengo City Council votes down mayor's recommended legal appointment
Marengo City Council members voted against the new mayor’s recommendation to appoint new legal counsel last week with little discussion after several months of closed-door meetings on the matter.
Mayor John Koziol, who began his term in April, first called for an executive session for discussion on the matter of appointing new legal counsel the night he was sworn in as mayor. He also called for discussion of former City Administrator Gary Boden’s contract during the same meeting.
Decatur Herald & Review: Higher fines for distracted driving? Decatur council to hear report
A presentation at tonight’s Decatur city council meeting will focus on distracted driving and whether steeper fines are needed.
The study session comes after Councilman Pat McDaniel brought up the issue before the council in July, citing national statistics of increased road fatalities and personal anecdotes of witnessing dangerous distracted driving locally — and whether a higher local fine in Decatur would act as a deterrent.
The Southern: Confusion has replaced shock since HUD told 400 people they will have to move
It’s been four months since HUD officials announced that about 400 residents would have to move out of their failing housing complexes in Cairo and relocate to other communities.
While some of the shock has worn off since the announcement, confusion and uncertainty have taken its place.