Quick hits: Illinois news in brief for Tuesday, March 1, 2022
Trucker convoy coming through Illinois
A convoy of truckers demanding an end to coronavirus mandates is expected to pass through Illinois Tuesday. It is one of several U.S. convoys organized online and modeled on the recent Canadian truckers’ protests that shut down the U.S.-Canadian border.
The group is expected to pass through St. Louis on their way to the Indianapolis area.
Illinois State Police are asking all motorists to be mindful of increased traffic congestions in order to prevent traffic delays and crashes. The law enforcement agency said convoy participants could be violating the law by impeding traffic.
Quality food, not just quantity
A new bill in Springfield would change the way Illinois school districts solicit food service contracts, allowing officials to negotiate for higher quality products amid complaints that many schools offer unhealthy food.
School districts would still be allowed to accept the lowest bid, but the bill would also allow officials to consider quality along with price.
Illinois is only one of two states along with New York to require schools to take the lowest bid.
Illinois murder suspect caught in Tennessee
A man suspected of committing a murder in Illinois while on electronic monitoring has been nabbed in Tennessee.
19-year-old Deon Evans was found hiding in an attic in Nashville. Police say Evans had three guns, 2,000 rounds of ammunition, 22 credit cards and over 350 electronic vehicle key fobs.
Evans was arrested in May in Indiana after a police chase and was charged with auto theft.
Murderer gets parole
A convicted killer who told the Illinois Prisoner Review Board a decade ago they could “take this parole thing and shove it” has been granted parole.
74-year-old Namor Smith was convicted in a gang-related shooting on Chicago’s south side in 1968.
Smith had more than 200 disciplinary incidents in prison, including 15 assaults on prison staff members.
Conservation listening session set
Illinois’ newly established 30 by 30 Conservation Task Force will host a series of virtual listening sessions to discuss the future of natural land and water in Illinois.
The task force is comprised of farmers, hunters and environmental scientists and will explore how Illinois can protect 30% of its land and water resources by 2030.
The idea for a task force originated with a group of Pontiac Township High School students who wrote the legislation which was approved by lawmakers and signed into law last August.
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