Xbox Runaways from Iowa Found in Eureka, Ill.
Crystal Sunderman | Sheriff Randall Forsyth(EUREKA, Ill.) — Four Iowa teens who ran away from home after meeting on Xbox were arrested Tuesday and charged with trespassing at an abandoned home in Eureka, Ill., nearly 360 miles away from home.The two b…
Abducted 3-Week-Old in Illinois Found Alive; Mother Arrested
Stark County Sheriff’s Office(TOULON, Ill.) — An abducted 3-week-old baby girl from Illinois, who was kidnapped in front of a post office, was found alive on a rural gravel road Thursday night, authorities said.Mia Graci Thompson was abducted in Toulo…
Amber Alert Issued in Illinois for Abducted 3-Week-Old Mia Graci Thompson
Stark County Sheriff’s Office(TOULON, Ill.) — An Amber Alert has been issued in Illinois for a 3-week-old baby girl who was kidnapped in front of a post office Thursday.Mia Graci Thompson was abducted in Toulon, Ill., a small town about 150 miles sout…
Auction of Horses From Indicted City Comptroller Earns Almost $5 Million
Dixon, Ill., Comptroller Rita Crundwell is shown in this undated photo. (American Quarter Horse Association)(DIXON, Ill.) — An auction of horses that belonged to an Illinois city comptroller indicted for stealing more than $53 million yielded $4.8 mil…
Cops Raid Illinois Home Where Teen Was Held Captive for Three Years
Comstock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON PARK, Ill.) — In a dramatic nighttime raid, police stormed the Illinois home of a man accused of holding a teenager captive for three years, raping her, and impregnating her, law enforcement officials said.Washington Par…
Ill. Gov. Approves Strip Club ‘Skin Tax’ to Fund Rape Crisis Centers
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) — So-called “sin taxes” exist for smoking, gambling and alcohol, and now Illinois has passed a “skin tax” for strip clubs, which backers say will raise up to $1 million a year to fund rape crisis centers in th…
Megabus Crash in Illinois: At Least One Dead, Dozens Injured
ABC(LITCHFIELD, Ill.) — At least one person was killed after a double-decker Megabus crashed Thursday on a highway between Chicago and St. Louis, the bus company said. More than 30 others were hospitalized.Illinois State Police said the dead pas…
Top Six States Facing Major Financial Stress
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — A new report by the State Budget Crisis Task Force paints a chilling picture of what’s ahead for U.S. states, even long after the 2008 recession officially ended.The pessimistic analysis identifies major threats to…
Smoke on American Eagle Flight Causes Dramatic Emergency Landing
File photo. American Airlines(BARTONVILLE, Ill.) — An American Eagle flight bound for Chicago was diverted first because of bad weather. But as the plane was about to land, smoke began to fill the cabin, causing passengers to jump from the aircraft a…
Illinois Woman Uses Cop’s Gun for Apparent Suicide in Police Car
Comstock/Thinkstock(ALTON, Ill.) — A mentally ill Illinois woman allegedly shot and killed herself in the front seat of a police car that was giving her a courtesy ride to a hospital, but her family is questioning the police version of what happened i…
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Takes Mystery Leave of Absence
PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images(CHICAGO) — Staffers for Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., son of an African-American icon and the subject of a House ethics investigation, say they do not know when their boss will return to work after announcing that he…
Mega Millions Jackpot Brings Another Lawsuit from Disgruntled Baker
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(CHICAGO) — Another man in Chicago claims he is one of now five bakers owed dough — their fair share of $118 million in winnings from the Illinois State Lottery. They say they were part of a betting pool at the Pita Pan Ol…
Illinois State Rep. Goes Berserk in Epic Rant
Photodisc/Thinkstock(CHICAGO) — Lawmakers around the country have gone on some impressive rants in recent years — Rep. Anthony Weiner’s outrage over the 9/11 first responders’ bill and Rep. Patrick Kennedy’s fury over the war in Afg…
‘Anti-Racists’ Attack White Heritage Group in Family Restaurant
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(CHICAGO) — A group of 18 people dressed in black, wearing masks, wielding steel batons and hammers and claiming to be extreme anti-racists allegedly stormed a suburban Chicago family restaurant in broad daylight to assault a mee…
Dad Who Sewed Son’s Backside Shut Takes Plea Deal
Hemera/Thinkstock(WAUKEGAN, Ill.) — An Illinois man avoided prison time for a January 2008 do-it-yourself surgical procedure in which he sewed together part of his son’s buttocks, the Lake-County News Sun reported.Randy Swopes, 52, took a plea d…
How Comptroller of Small Illinois City Stole $30 Million over 6 Years
American Quarter Horse Association(DIXON, Ill.) — The comptroller of a small city in Illinois is accused of misappropriating more than $30 million in city funds and using the money to support a “lavish lifestyle,” including a large farm with over 150 …
Last Mega Millions Winners Are Illinois Couple
Tim Boyle/Bloomberg News(RED BUD, Ill.) — The last of the Mega Millions lottery winners are Merle and Patricia Butler, a married couple from Red Bud, Ill., and they came forward on Wednesday to claim their share in the biggest jackpot in lottery histo…
Man Charged With Murder in Accomplice’s Death
Medioimages/Photodisc/ThinkStock(ROCKFORD, Ill.) — A man accused of breaking into a home in Rockford, Ill., has been charged with murder in the death of his alleged accomplice, who was shot by the home’s resident.Maurecus Q. Adams, 27, and Troy …
Tornadoes: Midwest Twisters Leave 5 Dead in Oklahoma
Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — At least five people are dead after violent storms ripped through several states in the nation’s mid-section as officials work to clean up the damage this morning and brace for more violent weather. Wisconsin, Minnesota…
Forecasters Warn of Violent,’ Life-Threatening’ Storms for Midwest
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The Midwest is bracing itself for an outbreak of violent weather Saturday that could be “life-threatening,” according to forecasters. Baseball-sized hail and damaging 70 mph winds are expected to whip through a handf…