The lids are being stolen by the hundreds and sold for scrap.

CBS 2′s Dave Savini investigates the problem and a weapon some communities are using to catch the thieves.

Recently, five tons of sewer grates, paid for with tax dollars, were stolen from neighborhoods in Will, DuPage, and Kane counties, including Linda Klika’s in Joliet. She said she witnessed a van pull up and make off with sewer grates.

“They pulled up over there,” said Klika pointing down the street. “Real fast — they took them and then they took off.”

It takes 10 seconds to grab a grate, or manhole cover, and get away. In Joliet, scrap metal thieves ripped off so many sewer grates, the city actually ran out of them. Warning cones were placed alongside the open holes, which does not satisfy residents like Justin Hurley.

“Small kid could fall in there easily,” said Hurley about the lack of a sewer grate. “That’d be devastating.”

It could cost as much as $15,000 to replace recently stolen grates.

“It’s pretty sad that somebody would stoop to this and go this low just to try to make a buck,” said Hurley.

In Chicago, more than 300 missing covers worth more than $20,000, had to be replaced in the past two years.

Metal recyclers pay about seven dollars a grate or manhole cover. The five-ton load recovered would be worth about a thousand dollars to thieves.

There have been arrests for this crime, but the problem is not going away, in part, because the scrap metal business is booming. At metal recycling facilities, you see shopping carts full of items, truckloads too. Nobody knows where this stuff came from before ending up in the recycle pile.

There is a new push to crackdown on scrappers and recyclers. Aurora Police are taking the lead, especially after having more than a 81 grates stolen recently.

Aurora Police Lt. Pete Inda says these thefts are putting the public in danger, “Cars can hit them. Children can fall into them.”

In fact, in one neighborhood, a person who reported a sewer grate missing says he almost fell in it when he was cutting his grass.

Metal recyclers in Aurora have to record what metal is sold to them and who sold it. The information goes into a police database.

“Then we can access all that data and find out where items have been scrapped and junked,” says Inda.

It is called LeadsOnline Metal Thefts Investigations System. Only four Illinois police departments use this system: Aurora, Elgin, Melrose Park, Franklin Park, Crystal Lake and Rockford. Joliet Police Chief Michael Trafton, whose department uncovered the five-ton load, wants an ordinance so they also can force recyclers to report.

“There’s no reason for us not to have this ordinance in the city and we’re going to get it,” said Trafton.

“I mean it’s sad,” said Justin Hurley. “I mean what’s next?”

“Next they’ll be taking the garage doors off,” said Linda Klika

The Leadsonline database is used statewide by police departments in Arkansas, Arizona and Mississippi.

Darrin Hanna’s family has sued the city of North Chicago, claiming six officers beat him and repeatedly shocked him with a stun gun when they arrested him over a domestic dispute. Their suit claims officers beat and shocked him for 20 minutes, even though he did not resist arrest.

As part of their lawsuit, attorneys commissioned an independent autopsy to prove their claims that Hanna died as a result of police brutality.

On Wednesday, they shared those autopsy results with CBS 2’s Kristyn Hartman.

“As it relates to the death it’s very clear. I mean, there is no question that the physical beating by these police officers caused Darrin Hanna’s death,” said attorney Kevin O’Connor. “If the city is looking for the smoking gun, it’s certainly one of many rounds of ammunition they can have in order to take further action against these officers.”

Attorneys said Hanna was beaten and shocked with a stun gun at the hands of North Chicago police officers. Pictures from his hospital bed show severe swelling from his injuries.

The report released Wednesday details some of his injuries, including multiple external contusions and acute spleen damage. It also mentions Hanna’s sickle cell disease.

“The trauma related to the beating caused that event to become triggered. It’s commonly known that sickle cell can be brought on by trauma, and as a result of the trauma, he had multi-system organ failure and died,” O’Connor said.

Hanna family attorneys said they hope the findings they sought on their own put their call for justice on a fast track.

“The goal here is to root out these bad officers, to change this department, to change the supervision over the department,” O’Connor said.

It’s been months since the officers in question responded to the domestic dispute that resulted in the encounter with Hanna.

Illinois State Police have been handling the investigation, but have not announced any findings.

North Chicago’s city attorney said they need to be fair and thorough in their handling of the case, but he also said, during the investigation, six of their cops are on desk duty, straining the department.

“This is causing a great deal of consternation in the community. People are upset. The mayor wants answers. We all want answers,” attorney Chuck Smith said.

But Hanna’s family is tired of hearing the case is under investigation.

One reason they’re turning their autopsy over to the state’s attorney, attorney Muriel Collison said, is “the coroner hasn’t released a report. The coroner’s supposed to be doing an independent investigation. He won’t return the family’s calls, he won’t return our calls, he won’t return anybody’s calls.”

She said they’ve been told the coroner’s report was completed weeks ago, but the coroner’s office is refusing to turn it over.

The Lake County Coroner’s office did not respond to CBS 2’s calls for comment, either. Illinois State Police said their investigation should be wrapping up soon.

Hanna family attorneys said they believe if North Chicago police officers had been properly disciplined for previous allegations of excessive force, Hanna would still be alive today.

The former mayor spoke publicly for the first time about his wife’s death and his life after running the city, during a reception at his law firm.

As CBS 2’s Dana Kozlov reports, Daley even said he misses the media.

“I missed you,” Daley said with his familiar laughter.

Now a private citizen, Daley is apparently happy to be out of public office, at least most of the time.

“The thing that I miss the most is Saturdays, because this is the day that you miss Chicagoans that are not on TV, and not in the newspaper; that do wonderful things for Chicago, that stand out in so many different ways in each community,” Daley said.

Daley spoke to reporters after announcing a new law office in Shanghai for Katten Muchin Rosenman, the law firm where he is now of counsel.

That link to Shanghai isn’t surprising, considering Daley traveled to China several times as mayor. He frequently took international trips to observe innovations in other major cities, often with Maggie, his wife of 41 years, by his side.

Maggie died last thanksgiving, just a week after their youngest daughter’s wedding.

“I had a wonderful marriage, a wonderful life, and you have good memories. Memories are important,” Daley said.

The former mayor said his kids have helped support him since Maggie’s death.

Keeping himself on schedule? Well, that’s another matter.

“Everything was organized. You know, vacations and all that,” Daley said. “So, now it’s like, I’m … what do you do? You know, how do you organize Friday, Saturday and Sunday? Things like that. But it happens to a lot of people in life, so it’s not just me.”

What Daley didn’t want to talk about was his successor, Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

“My theory is that, he is the mayor and I’m not … I don’t oversee or anything. I don’t question him. I don’t have any interviews about him. He’s doing a great job and that’s it,” Daley said.

Being mayor was a job Daley said he was ready to give up almost a year before announcing he wasn’t running for an unprecedented seventh term. He said he didn’t want anyone to think he wasn’t giving the job his full attention.

Does he resent the on-the-job scrutiny he faced?

“I enjoyed it. I liked the relationship. But, you know, I always believed that nothing was ever personal,” Daley said.

In fact, the former mayor once said “I get scrutined every day.” He might not have had the wording right, but he faced criticism as mayor every day, for things like no-bid contracts and questionable city deals.

History will decide his legacy.

In the meantime, Daley sits on the board of Coca-Cola, chairs J.P. Morgan Chase’s global cities initiative, and lectures at the University of Chicago; he’s anything but bored after retiring as mayor.

Chicago Fire Soccer LLC entered into a licensing agreement on Sept. 23, 2009, with Chicago Fire Juniors Inc. for use of its trademarks, names, logos, mascots and symbols, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court.

CFJI agreed to pay the Fire $50 for every player on a CFJI team annually, excluding players placed on more than 50 percent scholarship, the suit said. More than 6,000 players are involved in the leagues in five states, according to a Wednesday statement from the Fire.

The suit claims CFJI failed to pay $35,950 that is due under the agreement. That amount represents 704 “full players” at $50 each and 75 “partial players” at $10 each.

The youth league also failed to get written approval and consent from the Fire or Major League Soccer to use the Fire logo on merchandise it sold or distributed, the suit claims. CFJI failed to submit reports on performance and assessment of players.

“The Chicago Fire Soccer Club has grown its Player Development program from 400 youths to over 6,000 across five states in just four years,” the team statement said. “The Chicago Fire continue to invest in its Player Development Program to grow youth soccer in Chicagoland and across multiple states.

“As part of this measure the club is standardizing practices and centralizing its Academy and Juniors programs out of Toyota Park to provide youth soccer players greater access to a professional environment. The club continues to work with its affiliates to make sure that each affiliate club is in accordance with Chicago Fire Soccer Club standards,” the statement said.

But according to the suit, the youth league didn’t amend its bylaws to specify that at least one board position be a designee of the Fire, and didn’t develop a plan to coordinate functions, operations and ownership as required in the agreement.

Mike Jeffries of the Fire emailed CFJI President Joe Fuster on Oct. 7, 2011, and explained the youth league was in breach of contract, the suit said. Jeffries also emailed Fuster on Nov. 4, 2011, to stress the Fire’s desire to resolve the issues.

The Fire notified CFJI in writing on Nov. 22, 2011, of its intent to terminate the licensing agreement due to CFJI’s failure to pay and the resulting breach of agreement, the suit said.

The agreement stated that if CFJI was in default, the Fire has the option to terminate the agreement effective 30 days after written notice, the suit said. The 30-day period lapsed on Dec. 22, 2011, without CFJI making payment or resolving the contract issues.

On Dec. 30, 2011, the Fire terminated the licensing agreement, the suit said. The Fire sent a cease and desist letter to CFJI demanding it stop unauthorized use of Fire trademarks, but the league continues to use them on its website and representations to the public, the suit claims.

The three-count suit claims breach of contract and seeks an injunction stopping CFJI from using Fire trademarks or stating any connection with the MLS team. It also seeks $35,950, attorney fees and court costs.

A Chicago Fire Juniors spokesman declined to comment on the suit.

© Sun-Times Media Wire Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The fight broke out between two students about 11:49 a.m. in a hallway at Evanston Township High School, according to Evanston police.

Additional students got involved in the fight, which occurred just outside of the main office area, according to the parent of a high school student, who said parents received recorded phone messages about the incident.

School security initially responded, but Evanston police were also called in the, according to a statement on the Evanston Township High School District 202 website, which said the fight “was quickly contained” after police arrived.

A police spokesman said all the participants were boys.

Several of them were arrested and have also been suspended from school, the school district statement said. The school will take further disciplinary action “as warranted.”

School officials said the fight is believed to have stemmed from an incident away from school over the weekend.

A school security officer suffered minor injuries to his arm, and was treated and released at a hospital, Evanston Police Cmdr. Tom Guenther said.

He said no weapons were used and none of the students were injured.

Charges against the seven arrested students are pending, Guenther said.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Police were watching a house in the 5900 block of South Lowe Street on Tuesday when they saw someone place a “visibly large” amount of marijuana and crack cocaine into a vehicle and drive away, according to police News Affairs.

The officers pulled the vehicle over and found a “significant stash” of crack and marijuana, valued at more than $10,000, a release from police said. The vehicle’s two occupants were also carrying nearly $3,000 in cash. Further investigation led officers to more than 2,100 pounds of marijuana with a street value of nearly $6 million.

Police also found more than $6,300 cash and 64 grams of crack cocaine with a street value of about $7,800, the release said.

Charged were:

— Gregory Wright, 28, of the 5900 block of South Emerald, one misdemeanor count of possession of cannabis;

— Keith Mackmore, 39, of the 2000 block of West 68th, one felony count of possession of cocaine and one felony count of possession of cannabis;

— Atef M. Dissi, 27, of the 4500 block of West 77th Place, one felony count of manufacture and delivery of cannabis, and one misdemeanor count of criminal trespass to vehicles; and

— Nika P. Hines, 27, of the 8000 block of South Ada, one felony count of trafficking cannabis and a traffic violation.

© Sun-Times Media Wire Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

As CBS 2’s Vince Gerasole reports, one survivor said she now feels betrayed by the band she once loved.

Seven people were killed and 58 were injured when gale force winds toppled Sugarland’s stage in an instant last year at the Indiana State Fair.

In a filing regarding one of the lawsuits filed after the stage collapse, a Sugarland attorney called the accident an “act of God” and said fans voluntarily assumed risk by attending the show.

Devout fan Tammy Vandam was among those killed and her life partner Beth Urschel was among those injured in the collapse.

“I looked up and I saw the stage in motion, and at that point it’s like, where do you go?” Urschel said. “I mean, there’s that indecision. You’re facing death. Where do you go? You couldn’t outrun the stage, because it’s too big. And, so, I just stood there and I prayed.”

Although announcements had told fans the show would go on, in a filed response to another victim’s civil suit, Sugarland’s attorney wrote, “Some or all of the plaintiff’s claimed injuries resulted from their own fault.”

“I just feel really betrayed by them,” Urschel said. “You love them, you think you know them, and then they turn around and say it’s your fault that you stayed. How can they do that when we didn’t have the information that they had? They had people asking them to postpone it and they didn’t.”

The statement from the band’s attorney convinced Urschel’s lawyer to name the band specifically in Urschel’s lawsuit, saying Sugarland insisted on performing, in spite of weather reports, so it could meet a tour date the following day.

“Sugarland made this decision primarily for their own convenience,” attorney Kenneth J. Allen said.

Independent injury attorney Matt Belcher said Sugarland’s statement about the injured victims is “a terrible defense of the case.”

Belcher said money is the underlying reason for the unfortunate words.

“In this instance, it appears to me that the attorney is more concerned about the liability exposure of the insurance carrier for Sugarland, rather than the complete package of what’s best for the Sugarland public relations image,” Belcher said.

At US 99.5 Radio DJ Drew Walker pointed out Sugarland’s performers originally expressed their concerned for the dead and injured after the stage collapse.

“For Sugarland, and for many of the country acts, fans are number one. They’re why you do what you do,” Walker said.

In a statement, Sugarland’s manager said of their fans: “their support and love … has been unmatched. For anyone to think otherwise is completely devastating to them.”

But Urschel said the band’s statement, “probably gets me a little bit more angry. It’s sort of an oxymoron. You can’t say you love your fans, and then when something happens at one of their venues, they blame you. That’s sort of two-faced, don’t you think?”

Urschel said she has come forward to speak for all of the people who were injured that day. She said she feels that’s her duty.

One of the promotions items the Tampa Bay Rays are giving out this season is the Don Zimmer “Zim Bear.” Check out the photo below.

Your thoughts on this man-bear?

Photo credit: Tampa Bay Rays

Walter Thompson, 30, allegedly tried to run away from the wreck after the 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe he was driving crashed in the 1400 block of West 115th Street about 3 p.m., according to police News Affairs. He was later arrested at 118th Street and Ashland Avenue and taken to MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island in “stable” condition.

Thompson, of the 12900 block of Page Court in Blue Island, is charged with one count of aggravated DUI involving a fatal accident, and one count of aggravated DUI involving and accident causing bodily harm, according to police News Affairs.

Thompson was ordered held on $400,000 bond on Wednesday and a preliminary hearing was set for $500,000, Cook County State’s Attorney’s office spokesman Andy Conklin said.

Thompson was already issued traffic citations for the deadly crash, including DUI, damaging city property, driving with a revoked license and three counts of leaving the scene of an accident, according to police News Affairs.

One man was killed and four other people were hurt during the chain-reaction crash that sent five vehicles careening into each other and nearby pedestrians, police said. Police claim Thompson was driving the Santa Fe westbound at a high rate of speed when it hit a 1997 Ford Aerostar minivan, which then struck a 2002 Pontiac Bonneville. The Santa Fe then wedged itself between two other vehicles — a CTA bus that had stopped to unload passengers, and a beer truck being unloaded by a worker, police said.

The worker — identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office as 45-year-old Charles Kimbrough — was pinned between the beer truck and the CTA bus, police said.

Kimbrough, of the 14000 bock of South LaSalle Street in Riverdale, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where he was pronounced dead at 3:53 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office.

The beer truck also lurched forward during the crash and struck a second pedestrian, a 64-year-old man who was taken to Christ Hospital in “stable” condition, police said.

The 66-year-old man driving the Aerostar, the 32-year-old man driving the CTA bus and a passenger on the bus were also injured, police said. They were all taken to Roseland Community Hospital in “stable” condition.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

As WBBM Newsradio’s Regine Schlesinger reports, some other suburban districts already have a ban on the books on grinding, where dance partners simulate sex acts at school dances.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Regine Schlesinger reports\

Now, Maine West High School is the first to act in Maine Township High School District 207.

“It’s been around for a few years, but a few years ago, it was more isolated; it would be couples here and there that would be doing it, and it was, at that point, easy enough for a teacher or administrator to walk up and say, ‘Hey, just knock it off,’” said district spokesman Dave Beery.

Beery says Maine West is adopting a policy of two strikes and you’re out. Students will be given wristbands when they enter Maine West dances, and anyone who engages in inappropriate moves will lose his or her wristband.

If students persist in their suggestive dancing, they will be ejected from the dance.

There is no immediate plan to implement the ban on “grinding” at the district’s two other schools – Maine East and Maine South in Park Ridge.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CBS) — In presenting his 2012 budget plan Wednesday, Gov. Pat Quinn said the state’s Medicaid is on the brink of collapse.

Quinn also said the state cannot afford its pension obligations as they are currently structured.

As CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports, the governor’s address was a bitter pill to swallow; not interrupted even once for applause. It received only a groan from lawmakers when he told them not to plan on going home this summer until pension and Medicaid reforms are addressed.

“This budget contains truths that may not be what you want to hear,” Quinn told lawmakers.

The governor said previously that he would propose Medicaid cuts of $2.7 billion. In his budget speech Wednesday, Quinn did not specify how this would be achieved, but he appointed a group of state lawmakers to a Medicaid Working Group to reform the program.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports

“We must insure that there will be a Medicaid program in Illinois,” Quinn said, noting that the Civic Federation has warned that the state could end up with $21 billion in unpaid Medicaid bills if there is no fundamental reform to the program.

The state’s Medicaid program is used by 2.7 million people in Illinois, and is “on the brink of collapse,” Quinn said.

Last year’s Medicaid appropriation by the Illinois General Assembly fell $1.9 billion short of what the program actually cost, Quinn said.

“Illinois is the only state that intentionally kicks its current Medicaid bills into future fiscal years,” Quinn said. “We cannot allow this to continue.”

Mounting pension costs also have been squeezing every other part of state government, with the state’s vault – still buried deep in the basement beneath State Treasurer Dan Rutherford’s office – now empty. It’s not just because it’s largely ceremonial now, holding unclaimed items, but because, after pension payments, there’s less and less money left for anything else. The state also has billions in unpaid bills that are continuing to pile up.

Quinn blamed previous governors and state legislators for failing to contribute the proper amount into the pension system. He pointed out that some lawmakers awarded taxpayer health insurance benefits to themselves.

“This lack of fiscal accountability has cost us dearly today,” Quinn said.

Republican Illinois State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka said, “Until you do pensions, until you do Medicaid, then the whole thing falls apart.”

In his budget address to the General Assembly, the governor said, “This year’s General Revenue Fund payment for public pensions is $5.2 billion; triple what it cost in fiscal year 2008.

Quinn, seeking bipartisan support, gave a task force two months to come up with a plan to reform pensions. Rutherford, a Republican, said he called the governor and offered to help.

“If you’re currently working now, what you have accrued is there. It’s the rest of the time you have in the system,” Rutherford said.

Illinois Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) said, “I’m optimistic that we can get a solution.”

He said he believes current employees’ pension benefits can be altered to lower the cost for the state.

“I know that they can be. We just have to get an agreement from (labor unions) and we have to do it in a constitutional way,” Cullerton said.

One stumbling block to pension reform has long been that the Illinois Constitution mandates pension benefits for government employees “shall not be diminished or impaired.”

Some have argued that that means once pension benefits are set for current employees, they can never be changed. Others have argued it simply means pension changes cannot be applied retroactively.

Of course, everyone knows nothing gets done in Springfield, without House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) who can be a little tough to pin down. CBS 2 found him in a back hallway on Wednesday, where he admitted dealing with current employees’ spiraling pension costs is a priority.

“That’s the type of question you have to address,” he said.

Asked if there will be meaningful pension reform in Illinois by the end of the year, Cullerton said, “I would say we have an excellent chance of doing that.”

Pension reform could be a major breakthrough if it happens and, if it does, it could be Quinn’s legacy. The question is, how would it happen?

Sources said lawmakers and others believe it will be much easier to get state employees to agree to contribute more toward their pensions, rather than getting them to agree to smaller benefits down the road.

Quinn’s budget plan also calls for closing more than four dozen state facilities. But the residents and patients at some of those facilities will be vastly better off, according to the governor.

Quinn said improving the quality of life for people who suffer from mental illness or have developmental disabilities should mean moving them “from costly institutions to supportive community settings.”

“Illinois lags behind the rest of the nation in the utilization of person-centered, community-based care,” Quinn said.

Two centers for the developmentally disabled will close, both of them downstate – the Jacksonville Developmental Center, and the Murray Developmental Center in Centralia. Also, as Quinn has announced previously, the Tinley Park Mental Health Center and a mental institution in Rockford will close.

Two prisons – The Tamms Supermax facility and the women’s prison in Dwight, will also close. Two prisons – The Tamms Supermax facility and the women’s prison in Dwight, will also close. Six halfway houses – Crossroads Chicago, West Side Chicago, Decatur, Aurora, Peoria and Carbondale – will also close.

The state Department of Human Services will consolidate 24 local offices, and the Illinois State Police will reduce their 20 communication centers to just four and consolidate a forensics lab in downstate Carbondale with new one in Belleville, among other consolidations.

But Quinn emphasized that there are two obligations that he will not cut in the budget – education, and care for veterans.

Staff will be increased at the state’s four veterans’ homes, and as Quinn said in his State of the State Address last month, he is planning an investment in classroom infrastructure – including modern laboratories, digital books, high-speed Internet access and new school buildings – which he says will create numerous jobs.

Education funding will be expanded across the board, both for college students who help college students who are now finding themselves mired in student loan debts, and to assist families with early childhood education, because after all, “you only get to be a 4-year-ol d once.”

The governor also advised doing away with tax loopholes that he says are costing the state tens of millions of dollars in revenue. He said , for one example, that when oil companies claim their offshore oil derricks are in other countries, Illinois doesn’t get any jobs, but loses $75 million per year in its treasury.

As WBBM Newsradio’s Keith Johnson reports, the House Agriculture Committee has approved legislation that would force a woman to view an ultrasound image before getting an abortion, or decline to do so in writing.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Keith Johnson reports

That legislation, HB 4085, passed by out of committee by a vote of 11-2, the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette reported.

The only lawmakers on the committee voted against the bill were Reps. Deborah Mell (D-Chicago) and Naomi Jakobsson (D-Champaign).

The News-Gazette reports Jakobsson asked the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Joseph Lyons (D-Chicago), if the goal of the bill was to discourage a woman from having an abortion by making her view an ultrasound.

Lyons, who is against abortion, replied that the goal is to give “a human face to the procedure,” where the women see a heartbeat and realize that it’s not “just a procedure like getting your tonsils out,” the News-Gazette reported. The newspaper reports Lyons went on to say, “If it saves one life, Naomi, is that a bad thing?”

Mell criticized the assignment of the bill to a committee that is supposed to handle farming issues,.

“We’re not talking about abortions for cows and pigs, right? We’re talking about women?” she said.

A controversial bill now up for a vote in Virginia would require women to view an ultrasound before getting an abortion. That bill is drawing particular criticism for its requirement that some women undergo an invasive transvaginal ultrasound probe.

A similar law is already on the books in Texas, where a woman must undergo a sonogram and hear a doctor’s verbal description of what she is seeing – and even ask the patient if she wants to hear the fetal heartbeat – before an abortion can be performed.

The Illinois House Agriculture committee also approved a companion bill, HB 4117, which would require any clinic that provides 50 or more abortions a year to stricter health standards than currently required, the News-Gazette reported.

The American Civil Liberties Union tells the newspaper the legislation could mean many women’s health clinics could end up closing.

The Agriculture Committee is dominated by downstate conservatives. Last year, the same committee approved a bill that would have permitted Illinois residents to carry concealed weapons, but the bill ended up failing when it came up for a full state House vote.

As WBBM Newsradio’s Bernie Tafoya reports, the longtime substitute teacher allegedly watched as one of his students duct taped his own wrists together last week at Graham Elementary School, at 2315 High Meadow Rd. in Naperville, a District 204 spokeswoman told the Naperville Sun.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Bernie Tafoya reports

The teacher was fired as soon as administrators had found out about what had happened.

The 10-year-old student reportedly told his babysitter after school that the teacher had actually bound his wrists “to prove a point.”

The babysitter called police after finding marks on the boy’s wrist.

The boy’s parents decided not to file criminal charges against the teacher, Naperville police said.

In a statement to the Naperville Sun, District 204 spokeswoman Janet Buglio said the boy had applied duct tape to his own wrists while sitting at his desk, while the teacher watched.

“The substitute was immediately removed from the classroom as soon as the school’s administrator learned of the incident,” Buglio wrote “This substitute has worked in District 204 since 2000 without previous incident. District 204 has taken steps to ensure the substitute will not work again in any of its schools.”

Neither Buglio nor Naperville police Sgt. Gregg Bell would identify the teacher.

The Naperville Sun contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

As WBBM Newsradio’s John Cody reports, gas prices on Tuesday hit an average of $3.57 nationwide – a 40 cent hike from a year ago.

Durbin said voters are certainly watching.

“Gas prices are a major impact on our economy, on retail sales, and on the attitude of people and the confidence that they have toward the future of the economy,” Durbin said. “So there’s no question that there’s a linkage.”

But Durbin also sees the gas price situation as little fuel for a serious political challenge at this point.

“When I listened to some of the Republican presidential candidates, one said, in the bidding war, ‘I’ll bring the price of gas down to $2.50 a gallon,’ and then Newt Gingrich said, ‘No, make that $2,’” Durbin said. “I think Americans dismiss that as political hyperbole.”

Durbin said while the U.S. is making some headway at reducing fuel use, the country is still vulnerable to gas price hikes from international forces affecting the markets.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s John Cody reports

CHICAGO (CBS) — Sentencing for a Chicago police officer convicted in a deadly hit-and-run crash in 2009 has been pushed back two weeks after a judge heard emotional testimony from the victim’s family who are seeking a stiff sentence, as well as from friends of the officer who urged lenience.

Richard Bolling has been in protective police custody since his aggravated driving under the influence and reckless homicide convictions last month.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Steve Miller reports

Bolling, 42, faces up to 15 years in prison for the hit-and-run death of Trenton Booker, 13, who was riding his bicycle near 81st Street and Ashland Avenue on May 22, 2009, when he was fatally struck by the off-duty officer.

On Wednesday, Bolling sat in his orange prison jumpsuit during a sentencing hearing in which Booker’s family members read victim impact statements. After a long day of testimony, the sentencing hearing was continued until March 6.

Trenton’s father, Terrence Booker, testified Wednesday that so much was lost because of Bolling’s selfish acts.

“Trenton was one in a million,” he said, struggling to speak. Trenton’s mother, Barbara Norman, added that there would be a lifetime of milestones missed, including Trenton’s high school graduation next year.

Bolling’s defense called a long list of witnesses on Bolling’s behalf to testify about his character and urge the judge to show mercy. Among those testifying for Bolling were a pastor, two retired judges and several current and former police officers.

Authorities said Bolling struck Booker with so much force, his bike was knocked underneath a parked SUV. Booker’s family said every bone in his body was broken by the impact.

Bolling had an open beer in the car, and the 17-year Chicago Police veteran never took any sobriety tests until at least two hours after his arrest.

Bolling had admitted to drinking alcohol before driving his Dodge Charger on the night he ran over Booker, but denied he was drunk or that he knew right away he had hit the boy.

But last month, a jury rejected that claim, convicting Bolling after deliberating about nine hours over two days.

His attorney is arguing for probation for Bolling, the son of a police commander and the father of two.

CHICAGO (CBS) — The Chicago Board of Education has voted to close seven public schools next school year and “turn around” 10 other schools, despite vehement objections from many parents, teachers and community members.

As WBBM Newsradio’s Bob Roberts reports, the board voted unanimously to approve the Chicago Public Schools plans to close or phase out four elementary schools and three high schools. They also approved “turnaround” plans for eight elementary schools and two high schools, meaning the entire staff at each of those schools will be fired and replaced, but the students will stay.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Bob Roberts reports

The following schools are set to close after the current school year ends:

• Simon Guggenheim Elementary School, 7141 S. Morgan St;
• Florence B. Price Elementary School, 4351 S. Drexel Blvd.;

The following schools are set to be phased out. All of their current students will be allowed to graduate, but they will not accept any new students:

• Richard Crane Technical Preparatory High School, 2245 W. Jackson Blvd.;
• Dyett High School, 555 E. 51st St.;
• Julia Lathrop Elementary School, 1440 S. Christiana Ave.;
• Walter Reed Elementary School, 6350 S. Stewart Ave.;
• Best Practice High School, 2245 W. Jackson Blvd.

The schools set for turnarounds are:

• Amos Alonzo Stagg Elementary, 7424 S. Morgan St.;
• Wendell Smith Elementary School, 744 E. 103rd St.;
• Pablo Casals Elementary School, 3501 W. Potomac Ave.;
• Brian Piccolo Elementary Specialty School, 1040 N. Keeler Ave.;
• Theodore Herzl Elementary School, 3711 W. Douglas Blvd.;
• Carter G. Woodson South Elementary School, 4444 S. Evans Ave.;
• Melville W. Fuller Elementary School, 4214 S. St. Lawrence Ave.;
• Marquette Elementary School, 6550 S. Richmond St.;
• Edward Tilden Career Community Academy High School, 4747 S. Union Ave.;
• Chicago Vocational Career Academy High School, 2100 E. 87th St.

As CBS 2′s Derrick Blakley reports, reaction from the Chicago Teachers Union and other protesters was furious.

Opponents of the plan insisted the targeted schools were set up to fail; starved of money and manpower, resources that favored charter schools will now receive.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Brandis Friedman reports

Dyett LSC member Jitu Brown said, “They’re gonna say they’re doing what’s in best interests of children. I wouldd encourage you all to say ‘What’s the evidence that anything you all have since 2004 has helped education?’”

CTU President Karen Lewis said, “we are … disappointed that these board members lacked the moral courage to do the right thing.”

But school members defended their action, saying the schools targeted showed too little progress.

Board member Mahalia Hines said, “We have created a climate where mediocricy is okay for our kids. It’s not okay with me. And I don’t care whether I was appointed or elected, as I said before, my constituents are the kids.”

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his board members are convinced the 10 schools facing “turnarounds” can do better as charter schools.

Board member Jesse Ruiz said, “There are better hopes for better prospects than what’s been done and proven over years and years, of just not meeting the mark in terms of giving them the educational opportunities they need.”

Wednesday’s vote came after lengthy testimony from protesters opposed to the plans.

Andurthus McDowell, with the Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization angrily asked board members, “Where is the accountability for these children? Where is the accountability for our children standing here?”

Board President David Vitale said “Ultimately, we have to make our decision based on what we believe is in the best interest of the children in these schools, and who will be going to these schools in the future.”

Several protesters unleashed their ire over Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s embracing of charter schools in his efforts to reform CPS.

Marquette Elementary School teacher Mary Haraloupas said, “our country is being turned over to the interests of businesses and banks.”

As CBS 2’s Susanna Song reports, parents, teachers and community leaders who opposed the closing plans picketed outside CPS Headquarters, at 125 S. Clark St., starting early Wednesday morning. After the meeting began at 10 a.m. the protesters took turns addressing the board.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s John Cody reports

Demonstrators opposed to those plans argued that underperforming schools targeted for closure or overhaul have been systematically underfunded, then asked why they didn’t produce.

Dyett High School Local School Council member Jitu Brown said, CPS has treated Dyett “like the worst stepchild in the family. So, what has happened is when Dyett has had gains and growth, CPS response has been to lay off teachers. CPS response had been to remove vital resources from the school.”

But backers of charter schools said it’s all about performance.

Cyrstal Williams is a parent Wendell Phillips Academy High School, which is in the first year of a turnaround plan.

“The principal is very familiar with all the students. The staff is on task with all the kids and the curriculum. It’s very rigorous,” she said.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson is also speaking against the planned closings and turnarounds.

“I’m against all these the massive school closings,” he said. “I think that we need to engage the people who are affected in a meaningful, correctional remedy process.”

Jackson says the vote has deeper-rooted issues than just the schools that will be affected. He said the school board has been so unresponsive to pleas from the community that he plans to push for an elected school board in Chicago. Currently, the members of the Board of Education are appointed by the mayor.

“This is the only city in the state that has an appointed school board,” he said. “We should democratize the process bottom-up.”

• RELATED: Study: School Turnarounds Don’t Work

Protesters said they fear the board is making a rash decision without really understanding the specific needs of each school.

Teachers protest plans for a "turnaround" at 10 Chicago Public Schools and the closure of seven more outside CPS Headquarters Wednesday morning. (Credit: Regine Schlesinger/WBBM Newsradio/CBS)

Marquette Elementary School, 6550 S. Richmond St., is among the schools that is now up for a turnaround. Outside CPS Headquarters Wednesday morning, Marquette teacher Angela Dillon questioned the priorities of the Academy for Urban School Leadership, the charter school operator that will take over in the turnaround.

“It’s up for turnaround. They’re planning on getting rid of all the teachers, bringing in a brand new staff, and what AUSL does – they have zero tolerance, so they can get rid of all the problem students. And those students need our help. We’re their family. We have been with them. We have built relationships with these students,” said Angela Dillon. “Turnaround isn’t the solution. The school needs more teachers – the class sizes are huge – and we need more social workers.”

Another teacher at Marquette, Marcy Hardaloupas, said before her school was slated to be subjected to a turnaround, the School Board was starving it of money.

“Our budget has been lowered every year. In the last two years, we’ve lost 30 teachers, either because they got up and left or they were fired. We have lost art, music, gym,” Hardaloupas said.

By its actions, she said, the board has set up struggling schools for assured failure.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Regine Schlesinger reports

Tuesday night, CPS reached a deal with community leaders on the West Side to bring in a new neighborhood school to replace Crane Technical Preparatory High School, at 2245 W. Jackson Blvd. The school is expected to begin a three-year phase-out next fall. The new school would offer a health science focused curriculum.

I spent $58.32, and it didn’t even fill my tank. I was so angry at the cost, I stopped pumping, paid what I had to and left; and then heard on the radio that the price of gas is on its way to $5 a gallon.

So it’ll cost me $75 or $80 for a tank of gas. $80 for a tank of gas! To hike the price like that, I’m thinking the gas companies must have big money problems, so I checked it out.

ConocoPhillips had $12 billion last year in profits. Chevron had $27 billion. Shell Oil profits last year were $31 billion. ExxonMobil’s profits were $40 billion.

Last year, oil company profits were up an average of 75 percent compared to the year before.

And they’re still hiking the price to $75 or $80 a tank? That’s not ingenuity, or enterprise, or good old-fashioned capitalism, on which this country is built. That’s just good old-fashioned greed.

Valparaiso police were not saying how 22-year-old Shawnna Marie Rose Forgus died, but officers spent the day at her family’s house collecting evidence.

Sources said she lived with her two children, mother, stepfather and three siblings; but no one heard anything unusual Monday night.

One of Forgus’ childhood friends said she was studying to be a medical assistant and was excited about her future.

“I just hope that whoever did it gets justice, and gets what they deserve for taking the life of someone that, in my opinion, was wonderful,” said Aimee Walker.

Friends said Forgus’ youngest child is turning 2 years old on Wednesday.

The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting the Emanuel administration is soliciting bids for “police horse riot gear and training aids” in preparation for the May 19-21 summits at McCormick Place.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Felicia Middlebrooks reports

The solicitation specifically requests: leather nose guards — 22 inches long and five inches wide — with “impact-absorbing foam”; clear, wrap-around visors to protect the horse’s eyes; 17-inch-long rear leg shields and 11-inch-long front leg shields, both made of “high-impact plastic” and soft foam; and “training aids” for horses, including a “crowd control training ball set.”

The mounted unit has 30 horses, 30 officers and an annual budget of nearly $2.7 million.

Police Department spokeswoman Melissa Stratton said all 30 horses will be equipped with the new riot gear. She noted that the horses are “great crowd control tools” expected to provide “significant support to officers on the ground” during the summits.

“This is not the first time we’ve had [riot] gear for the horses. [But] we are updating the equipment. We have had horses attacked in the past. If the horse is injured, it puts both the horse and the officer at risk. This equipment protects both the officer and the horse,” she said.

Fraternal Order of Police President Mike Shields agreed that, “The safety of the horses is paramount to the safety of the officers” riding horseback.

Last week, the Emanuel administration announced the purchase of about 3,000 protective face shields for police riot helmets from Colorado-based Super Seer Corp.

The FOP asked for the added protective gear, based on what has been seen at protests at previous international summits.

“People have been known to throw bags of urine, human feces, and also inflammatories at officers” Shields said last week. “The ones (face shields) that were issued over a decade ago allow for fluids to drip through.”

Shields said the new face shields have rubber insulation to prevent fluids from dripping on an officer’s face. They would also protect against harmful liquid chemicals or acids.

The shields also fit over gas masks that officers might wear during the protests, unlike the face shields now in use.

But despite the purchases, the FOP has said police officers are receiving insufficient training for the expected protests. Shields said a single day’s baton training isn’t enough.

Police Supt. Garry McCarthy responded last week that officers who will be involved with handling the protests will be getting more training and equipment.

McCarthy, city officials and summit organizers have been playing everything close to the vest when it comes to summit security.

But Shields revealed staffing plans that give a pretty good idea of how many officers are being assigned.

Normally, the Police Department has three 8-hour shifts of officers working each day. During the summits, two of those shifts will work 12-hour days and the third will be devoted solely to summit security, Shields said.

“We’ve been told around 2,500 officers,” will be on that detail, Shields said last week.

The Chicago Sun-Times contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

As WBBM Newsradio’s John Cody reports, political science professor John Mearsheimer says Israel does not have the refueling capacity for support an attack on Iranian nuclear sites.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s John Cody reports

“Secondly, it appears that the Israelis do not have the bombs that are necessary to penetrate deep enough into the ground to destroy Iran’s nuclear capability,” Mearsheimer said.

Mearsheimer says while the U.S. has supplied Israel with deep penetrating bunker buster bombs, it hasn’t provided the biggest ones needed to attack Iran’s Fordo uranium enrichment facility dug into a mountain near the holy city of Qum.

Mearsheimer says even absent an attack, talk of one has a point.

“Many people believe that what the Israelis are doing is they’re threatening war for the purpose of getting us to toughen the sanctions against Iran,” he said.

He says Israel knows it could not delivery an effective attack without U.S. support.

Mearsheimer adds that a careful reading of Iranian statements shows leaders are not, in fact, threatening a nuclear attack on Israel at all. Instead, he said, they are predicting that the Israeli government would disappear as did the earlier governments of the Soviet Union and Iran.

Mearsheimer is an international relations expert, and the author of Why Leaders Lie: The Truth about Lying in International Politics. He is also the author of The Tragedy of Great Power Politics and the co-author of the New York Times bestseller The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, with Harvard University international affairs professor Stephen Walt.

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