Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Associated Press: Chicago officer convicted of murder in slaying of Laquan McDonald
A white Chicago police officer was convicted of second-degree murder Friday in the 2014 shooting of a black teenager that was captured on shocking dashcam video that showed the teen crumpling to the ground in a hail of 16 bullets as he walked away from police.
The video, some of the most graphic police footage to emerge in years, stoked outrage nationwide and put the nation’s third-largest city at the center of the debate about police misconduct and use of force. The shooting also led to a federal inquiry and calls to reform the Chicago Police Department.
Daily Herald: No vote yet on tentative East Aurora 131 contract
A tentative contract agreement has been reached for teachers and other workers in East Aurora District 131, but a ratification vote has not yet been scheduled.
Amy Excell, spokeswoman for the workers’ union, said the contract has to be presented to the union’s full negotiating team, which will then submit it to its membership.
Daily Herald: Lake County Board delays vote on vendor disclosure plan
Lake County Board members on Friday said they will delay voting on a proposal to require vendors seeking government contracts to disclose familial relationships with county employees and some elected officials because the plan still needs work.
The policy was to face a vote during Tuesday’s county board meeting in Waukegan. But so many questions and suggested changes came up during a review of the plan at Friday’s committee-of-the-whole meeting in Libertyville, the panel decided to pull it from the agenda.
Rockford Register-Star: Rockford to save $1M refinancing old debt
Refinancing decade-old bonds that helped pay for major improvements to the city’s drinking water system, renovations to the BMO Harris Bank Center and the purchase of the IceHogs franchise among other items, is expected to save the city $1 million in interest expenses over the next decade.
The City Council has authorized Mayor Tom McNamara to issue refunding bonds not to exceed $9.5 million. The process is akin to refinancing a home mortgage or a car loan, said Finance Director Carrie Hagerty.
Bloomington Pantagraph: City eyes charging to register businesses, raising other fees
The city of Bloomington could start a business registration program similar to the town of Normal’s, but the city’s version could come with something Normal’s doesn’t have — a $50 registration fee.
The City Council will consider, when it meets at 6 p.m. Monday at City Hall, creating the registration program along with increasing more than 100 fees for a variety of city-issued permits, annual licenses, inspections and services.