Chicago experiences another violent weekend
It was another violent weekend in Chicago.
Police report 38 people were shot and seven proved to be fatal. This follows one of the most violent weekends of the year last week when more than 60 people were shot, including a 3-year-old girl, a 10-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl.
Another mayor denounces SAFE-T Act
Another Illinois mayor is denouncing the SAFE-T Act.
The legislation is a new law that goes into effect in January that is designed to overhaul Illinois’ cash bail system. The mayor of Oak Lawn, Terry Vorderer, is calling for the complete repeal of the measure, and is asking the village board to approve a resolution at Tuesday’s meeting.
Child dies after being pushed into Lake Michigan
A 3-year-old boy who police say was pushed into Lake Michigan from Navy Pier has died.
Josiah Brown was pronounced dead Sunday at a Chicago hospital. Authorities say the boy was pushed into the lake Sept. 19 by his aunt Victoria Moreno.
Surveillance video showed Moreno then stood and watched as the boy sank into the water. Divers found him about 30 minutes later. Moreno, who is charged with attempted first degree murder, was denied bail at her court hearing Wednesday.
Illinois secures $2.6 billion grain sale to Taiwan
The state of Illinois has announced the sale of approximately $2 billion of Illinois soybeans and $600 million of Illinois corn over the next two years to Taiwan.
The agreement follows a 2019 two-year agreement for over $2.2 billion in crop sales. The U.S. is a primary source of crop imports for Taiwan. The country continues to rank as Illinois’ second leading corn trading partner and third leading partner in purchases of soybeans.
Automatic vehicle insurance checks
The Illinois Secretary of State’s office is calling the Electronic Automobile Insurance Verification Program a success.
Over the first 14 months of the program, the percentage of registered vehicles without verified insurance dropped from 12.7% of Illinois vehicles to 6.9%. Under the program, insurance companies work with the Secretary of State’s office to confirm electronically that motorists have automobile insurance.
Vehicle owners’ automobile insurance is verified at least twice a year at random intervals to ensure that vehicle owners are complying with the state’s mandatory automobile liability insurance laws.
Behrmann Meat products recalled
Over 60 ready-to-eat meat products sold by an Illinois company are being recalled due to possible listeria contamination.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that products sold by Behrmann Meat and Processing in Albers are affected by the recall. The products were distributed to Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky. The CDC reports around 1,600 people get listeriosis every year, resulting in about 260 deaths.