The city of Decatur is now offering an amnesty program for people with parking tickets, allowing them to pay their tickets without facing late fees and penalties.
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Daily Herald: Towns spending 33% of property taxes on pensions
In 2018, the average amount spent on public pensions by 74 suburbs was equal to one-third of what those towns collected in property taxes.
In a few suburbs, the amount spent on pension debt was almost as much as the total amount property owners paid in taxes that year.
Rockford Register Star: Machesney Park road tax up for renewal
Voters in the village will decide March 17 whether to extend the 1% sales tax that pays for road construction and other infrastructure.
The tax was initially approved in 2008, when it was supported by 58% of voters in the village. Nearly 74% of voters decided to extend the tax in 2012, according to Winnebago County Clerk records.
The Herald-News: As vape-related illnesses decline, Will County area shops still fear regulation
Some Will County area smoke shop managers said they are recovering from losing business following reports of a spike in electronic cigarette-related illnesses around the country last year.
Rafiq Mirza, 59, who manages Tobacco Plus on the west side of Joliet, said while e-cigarettes don’t account for a significant portion of his sales, he saw fewer people coming through his shop when concern about people getting sick was at its height.
Belleville News-Democrat: Granite City crime-free housing rules displace hundreds — even those not accused of crime
An 83-year-old man was in the hospital with lung cancer when he learned he could be kicked out of his apartment.
It was early 2017, a few days after Laurence Madden’s 19-year-old grandson was arrested for disorderly conduct at Madden’s Granite City apartment. He received a letter from the police officer who enforces the crime-free housing policy, the city’s rules for renters.
Chicago Tribune: 2 union officials plea guilty to charges steaming from 2016 ‘brutal’ attack against non-union workers in Dyer
Two union officials pleaded guilty Friday for their role in “a brutal” assault of a group of non-union ironworkers in Dyer in 2016, according to a release.
Thomas R. Williamson, 68, of Schererville, and Jeffery R. Veach, 56, of Portage, were charged in an indictment unsealed in August 2018 with one count of Hobbs Act extortion conspiracy and two counts of attempted Hobbs Act extortion. At the time, they were released on $20,000 unsecured bonds.
Belleville News-Democrat: Harvey’s police chief placed on leave after 8 months
A Chicago police lieutenant and former state lawmaker named to lead the Harvey Police Department was placed on leave last week after just eight months on the job.
Police Chief Eddie Winters was placed on leave, pending his removal from office, according to T he Daily Southtown, which cited a memo Mayor Christopher Clark sent city employees last week.
Herald & Review: Got parking tickets? The city of Decatur is now offering an amnesty program
City officials said Friday that the program was in effect and would continue until April 30. It had been approved by the Decatur City Council on Jan. 6.
Peoria Journal Star: Helicopter in Kobe Bryant crash was owned by state of Illinois from 2007-15
The luxury helicopter that crashed Sunday morning in California, killing all nine people on board including former NBA star Kobe Bryant, was once owned by the state of Illinois.
The Sikorsky S-76B helicopter was built in 1991, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s aircraft registry. The state of Illinois used it from 2007 to 2015, according to helicopter information database Helis.