News Around Illinois - January 27, 2020
Woman Kills Retired Trooper, Self At Chicago-Area Cigar Bar
LISLE — Police say a 51-year-old woman fatally shot a retired Illinois State Police trooper and injured another retired state trooper and an off-duty trooper before turning the gun on herself at a cigar lounge in suburban Chicago. Lisle police say the shooting happened Friday night at the Humidor Cigar Lounge. Lisa V. McMullan of Chicago was found dead at the scene, while a 51-year-old Gregory Rieves was pronounced dead at a hospital. The other men who were shot are expected to recover. Police say surveillance video depicts the shooting as “without apparent provocation." Police say the woman and the victims were “acquaintances.” - Associated Press
Abortions In Illinois Increased About 7% In 1 Year
SPRINGFIELD - New figures from the Illinois Department of Public Health show the number of abortions performed in the state increased about 7% from 2017 to 2018. The increase mostly came from Illinois residents who were seeking the procedure. The Chicago Tribune reports that many abortion opponents link the increase to a state law that went into effect in 2018 expanding taxpayer-subsidized abortions. The law allows state health insurance and Medicaid coverage for abortions. It also made sure that abortions remain legal. Abortion-rights supporters, however, say there's no way to know how the law affected the overall numbers. - Associated Press
Pritzker Signs Law To Limit Cost of Insulin
SPRINGFIELD - Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a law Friday intended to bring down the cost of insulin. Beginning next year, a 30-day supply of insulin will be capped at $100 but only for people who have health insurance. Pritzker says the current average monthly price of $500 and more has been driven higher by middlemen. Pritzker says the Illinois Department of Insurance will be taking a closer look at insulin pricing. The price caps in the law do not go into effect until January 1st of next year. - Mike Smith, WUIS News
Hunters Bagged 153,000+ Deer In Illinois
SPRINGFIELD - The State of Illinois reported that 153,048 deer were harvested during the 2019-20 archery and firearm seasons. The most recent season concluded on January 19. More males were harvested than does. Some of the harvests by county:
- Champaign: 635
- Coles: 1430
- Cook: 145
- Douglas: 334
- DeWitt: 903
- Douglas: 334
- Ford: 175
- Macon: 769
- Moultrie: 661
- Sangamon: 1515
- Vermilion: 1510
The total is up from 151,709 deer in 2018-2019. - Reginald Hardwick, Illinois Newsroom
Sports Historian: NFL Hasn't Fully Reckoned With Racism
NORMAL - A sports historian says a Normal native's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame nearly a century after he helped break the league's color barrier shows the league hasn't fully reckoned with the racism that's plagued the league for generations. The NFL recently named Duke Slater to its centennial Hall of Fame class. He was the league's first black lineman. Author Jack Silverstein says the NFL still struggles with diversity in coaching and ownership. Silverstein notes the Chicago Bears are among four teams still owned by the same families since the league banned black players in the 1930s and 40s. - Eric Stock, WGLT Radio
If The $6.5M Hat Isn't Lincoln's, Why Not Ask For A Refund?
SPRINGFIELD — With a gleaming new museum to Abraham Lincoln open, organizers seeking to populate it with relics of the late president paid $6.5 million for the most symbolic, one of Lincoln's stovepipe hats. But a dozen years later, there's still no concrete evidence the hat ever belonged to the Great Emancipator. It was purchased as part of a $23 million, 1,500-piece acquisition from California collector Louise Taper. Officials with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the foundation that bought the collection say there are no plans currently to ask Taper for a refund. - Associated Press
Official: Naval Base 'Gate Runner' Was Just A Base Worker
GREAT LAKES — Officials say a man who drove onto a naval station north of Chicago without showing credentials, leading to the base being locked down, turned out to be an employee who didn't follow directions. John Sheppard, a spokesman for Naval Station Great Lakes, said in a news release that the man was caught a short time after entering the base shortly after 7:00 a.m. Friday. The base issued an initial warning on its Facebook page for personnel to “RUN, HIDE, FIGHT!" but it later described it as a “minor situation” and lifted the lockdown. Sheppard says the worker didn't follow the gate sentry's directions. - Associated Press