Teen leads cops on chase

Police in New Hampshire say a 16-year-old, unlicensed driver going the wrong way on an interstate led state troopers on a high-speed chase for about 35 miles Sunday.

Police say the vehicle was traveling south in the northbound lane of Interstate 93 when troopers caught up to it north of Concord, but the driver refused to stop. Troopers drove parallel to the car at speeds of up to 118 mph until spike strips put an end to the chase in Manchester.

Kassig family waits confirmation of son’s death

Family members of a U.S. aid worker purportedly beheaded by Islamic State militants say they are aware of reports regarding the death of their “treasured son” but are awaiting government authentication. Peter Kassig’s parents are requesting that their family’s privacy be respected.

The Islamic State group released a graphic video Sunday in which a militant claims to have beheaded the former Army Ranger, who was captured last year while aiding Syrian refugees.

Gas prices are highly variable

llinois Valley gas prices improve as you go further west, but go east and you’ll pay more.

According to “Gas Buddy” – viewable on our website, Princeton is cheapest at $2.65 a gallon. A 2 cent increase can be seen at LaSalle, Peru and Oglesby stations, but if you live in Ottawa or Streator the difference is painful.

On Ottawa’s north side, it’s $2.83, but the price takes an almost 30 cent jump on the south side. Streator prices are uniformly at 2.89.

The cheapest gas in the state this weekend appears to be in Danville where it’s selling for  $2.54. In the heart of Chicago, it’s $3.47.  See more at wlpoamandfm.com home page.

ISU student found dead

Authorities say an Illinois State University student has been found dead in his dorm room.

In a news release, McLean County Chief Deputy Coroner Seth Reynolds says the male student from Bartonville was found unresponsive by campus police late Saturday afternoon. Family members had requested a check on his well-being. The student was later pronounced dead. Authorities say there is no sign of foul play.

The student’s identity has not yet been released.  An autopsy is set for Monday morning.

Chicago fire forces residents to jump

Authorities say a woman escaping from a fire at a hotel on Chicago’s West Side Saturday  jumped from a 3rd-floor window and was injured.

Chicago Fire Commander Frank Velez told The Associated Press that the woman who jumped from the window of the JR Plaza Hotel was on the ground and talking when firefighters arrived. He says she was taken to a hospital and is in stable condition, and that 3 other people suffered from smoke inhalation.

Crews extinguished the fire in about 20 minutes.  The 4-story hotel is a single-room occupancy hotel with many permanent residents. Velez says about 25 adults were displaced from their homes. The American Red Cross is working to relocate them.

Fire investigators are trying to determine the cause of the fire.

Health Care sign-up starts again

More than 70 Illinois events in libraries, hospitals and churches were held Saturday to mark the launch of insurance sign-up season under the nation’s health care overhaul.

Governor Pat Quinn stopped by a wellness fair on Chicago’s south side Saturday, the opening day of a three-month enrollment period for 2015 insurance coverage. He says the goal is “to give everyone across Illinois access” to health care.

People involved say it’s a more streamlined process this year and that the once-troubled HealthCare DOT gov website is working well.

ACLU advises before grand jury decision

The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri is joining the chorus calling for restraint by law enforcement as the greater St. Louis region awaits a grand jury decision in the Ferguson police shooting. The ACLU released a letter sent this weekend to Governor Jay Nixon, the superintendent of the Missouri Highway Patrol and other elected leaders and police chiefs imploring them to protect peaceful demonstrators’ rights.

President defends health care law

President Barack Obama says the American public was not misled about certain provisions of his health care law.

A newly surfaced video shows an adviser in the law’s drafting, MIT economist Jonathan Gruber, saying “the stupidity of the American voter” helped Democrats pass the complex legislation. Gruber made the comment in 2013 but it is adding to conservatives’ current call to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  Obama says there was no provision of the health care law that was not extensively debated and was not fully transparent.

Gruber has since disavowed the most controversial of his remarks. He says he spoke inappropriately and regrets the comments.

Obama spoke at a news conference in Australia Sunday.