Patch Flash: Tollway Funds Were Illegally Diverted to Balance State Budget

A report released last week revealed that tens of millions of dollars of revenue taken in by the Illinois Tollway were illegally diverted to state coffers to help balance the state budget at the direction of then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Between 2003 and 2006, more than $33.6 million of tollway revenue was transferred out of the agency for general state expenses, rather than funding the maintenance and building of highways, as they, by law, are supposed to. 

One of two abortion-related bills that flew through the Illinois House's Agriculture Committee last month picked up a slew of amendments before passing out of committee Thursday morning.  HB 4085, the "Ultrasound Opportunity Act," would require abortion facilities to take an ultrasound image before providing an abortion.  Amendments 3-7, introduced by Democratic representatives including Kelly Cassidy, Sara Feigenholtz and Lou Lang, seek to undermine the bill's effectiveness or extend its restrictions to men's sexual healthcare. The five amendments include the "Viagra Amendment," which would require men seeking prescriptions to treat erectile dysfunction to receive written warnings about possible side effects and offer the option of viewing a graphic video about risks. Cassidy painted the amendment as a counter-attack to male legislators she believes are attempting to legislate women's health too restrictively.

. Edward Schutt, a senior at Lake Forest Hgh School, was the son of Lake Forest College president Stephen Schutt.   

Braun, 51, of 15 Wakefield Lane, had pornographic images of children from the Internet on his computers, police said. Buffalo Grove investigators worked with the Lake County State’s Attorney's Office to obtain a search warrant for computers and related files at Braun's home. The search warrant was served March 22.

pulled over” a teenage girl on Northwest Highway. The incident happened March 21 at 9:30 p.m. on Route 14 at Hart Road. The 17-year-old girl was driving along Route 14 when the impersonator pulled her over just west of the Foundry Shopping Center. Several aspects of the incident raised red flags for the girl.

A because he was upset about dogs being loose in the area. Ryan D. Behm, 29, was charged March 21 with aggravated assault and misdemeanor criminal trespass to land after McHenry County Sheriff's Deputies were called to the 9900 block of McConnell Road in unincorporated Woodstock for a shots fired call.

and that parents need to be hyper-vigilant to stop it. “Our kids can pick up a hit of heroin for less than the price of a movie ticket,” he told Channahon Village Board members Monday night. “We’ve got to get the message out to the parents in the community at the grass roots level; you can't be asleep at the wheel.” 

The popular new Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, was fined $25,000 by the state for soliciting problem gamblers signed up for the state's self-exclusion program with cash advances, players' rewards cards and other promotional perks. The state's voluntary self-exclusion program, launched in 2002, allows "persons who have determined they are problem gamblers to self-exclude themselves from all Illinois casinos."