Shooting in Chicago

Shootings overnight in Chicago killed two men and wounded seven others, including two teenage boys. The city’s police department is grappling with gang violence that routinely spikes over summer weekends. Police on Saturday announced the arrests of 39 people and the seizure of weapons, drugs and vehicles over the last week in neighborhoods with heavy gang activity.

Gov signs tough budget

Governor Pat Quinn has signed a state budget that cuts millions of dollars in school funding and public safety spending. In one key change to the spending blueprint adopted by the General Assembly in May, Quinn vetoed financing for prisons he wants to close. He announced plans Saturday to try to redirect those funds to the state agency charged with caring for neglected and abused children. The Democratic governor kept the rest of the $33.7 billion spending plan for the 2013 fiscal year largely intact. It cuts education funding by $200 million and child-welfare spending by $85 million. Blocking the prison funds would leave about $57 million unspent. But shifting most of that money elsewhere requires lawmakers’ approval.

Relay 4 Life Upper I-V

Mitch Landgraf comes off as modestly proud of his Relay for Life Upper Illinois Valley fundraising. Those attending last year’s event gave the group the second highest customer satisfaction rating among 5100 events in the entire country. The responses are collected and tabulated by the American Cancer Society. The newest edition of the event is July 14 at Lake Mendota. Landgraf says people gave his group the high rankings because of the Lake’s beauty but also an awesome team of volunteers who cover all aspects of the event.

this drug dealer is closed

Another LaSalle drug dealer is out of business after transacting business with LaSalle police and TRI-DENT drug narcotics team. LaSalle police and TRI-DENT Friday arrested 28-year old Levon Davis on six counts of unlawful delivery of crack cocaine – all class two felonies. Davis is in the county jail on two hundred thousand dollars bond.