Lawmakers Miss State Budget Deadline For Third Consecutive Year

CHICAGO (CBS) — Lawmakers in Springfield have blown the deadline for okaying a state budget for a record three-years in a row.

Angry shouts and threats erupted in the House when House Speaker, Mike Madigan, adjourned members without calling the budget for a vote.

The big hang up? The proposed $5 billion income tax needed to fund the budget. Republicans are divided.

#ILBudget. Mid-day update. House adjourned. No votes this weekend. Leaders are meeting. Tenuous optimism. http://pic.twitter.com/9ptwzNagUH

— Edward Marshall (@edmarshallcbs2) July 1, 2017

“Anything that prevents a tax hike at this point is good news,” said the Illinois State Representative, David McSweeney.

Retiring Senate Republican Leader, Christine Radogno, says Madigan’s failure to call a budget vote ensures bad news from Wall Street.

“That is not a positive message at all. It’s clear then, as I go in there, that we will get to junk bond status,” Radogno said.

And John Cullerton, Senate President, complains about the dysfunction in the House, saying, “We’re waiting for these issues to be resolved, to come out of the House — that’s why were frustrated too.”

But not as much as Don McKinney, the Calumet City Schools Superintendent, who drove his daughter to the capitol expecting a deal.

“The attitude of the leadership is that they just don’t care what the public thinks. And how they got there is just really a sad state of affairs,” McKinney said.

The growing consensus in Springfield is that a budget vote will not occur until mid or late next week, which leaves schools, road projects, the lottery and social service providers in crisis.

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Keeping Your Pets Calm During Fourth Of July Fireworks

CHICAGO (CBS) — This is a busy weekend for veterinarians.

“July 3rd in the evening is the wrong time to find out that you need to get something for your pets,” said Dr. David Gonsky, medical director at West Loop Veterinary Care in Chicago.

The sound of exploding fireworks can trigger severe anxiety in dogs and cats. Dr. Gonsky says pets should be allowed to seek shelter in a quiet room in the house.

“Allow them to go under the bed, hide in the closet, go to a bathroom, whatever place they feel comfortable — that’s going to be the best place for your pet.”

You can also find a way to drown out the noise.

“Soft music, a TV, or even a box fan to some white noise,” Dr. Gonsky said.

If your pet is showing signs of anxious behavior, be sure to consult your vet, who may recommend a Thundershirt or prescribe anxiety medication.

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Blackhawks Sign Jean-Francois Berube, Jordan Oesterle, Tommy Wingels

(CBS) The Blackhawks made a series of signings late Saturday morning as free agency opened.

Chicago signed goalie Jean-Francois Berube and defenseman Jordan Oesterle to two-year contracts. Both deals run through the 2018-’19 season. The Blackhawks also signed forward Tommy Wingels to a one-year deal.

The 25-year-old Berube was 3-2-2 with a 3.42 goals against average and .889 save percentage in 14 appearances with the Islanders last season. He was a fourth-round draft pick of the Kings in 2009. He has a .900 save percentage in 21 career NHL games.

Oesterle, 25, had 32 points last season with the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL last season. He has played 25 NHL games with the Oilers, who originally signed him as a free agent in April 2014 after he played at Western Michigan.

The 29-year-old Wingels had 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in 73 games split between the Sharks and Senators last season. He also appeared in nine playoff games with Ottawa.

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CPD: Shootings Down 14 Percent In First Half Of 2017

CHICAGO (CBS) — Shootings are down by 14 percent this year compared to the first six months of 2016, according to Chicago Police statistics.

As of Friday night, 1,752 people had been shot in the city during the first half of this year, leaving 309 dead, according to data maintained by the Chicago Sun-Times.

In a statement issued early Saturday, the police department touted June as the fourth straight month with a reduction in shootings compared to the same time last year. It ended with 396 people shot, 74 fatally, Sun-Times data shows.

“All of us who love this city were saddened and sickened with the level of violence last year, as shootings and murders spiked on the South and West sides,” CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson said in the statement. “Over the first six months of 2017 we have implemented a smart policing strategy that is showing early signs of progress.”

Two-thirds of police districts have seen a reduction in shootings or stayed at the same level as last year, police said.

Earlier this year, the department deployed more ShotSpotter gunfire detectors and “Strategic Decision Support Centers” in five police districts, including in Englewood and Harrison districts, two of the areas hardest hit by violence in the city.

So far this year, shootings have fallen by about a third in those districts — a decline that was five times larger than districts without the so-called “intel nerve centers,” according to police.

“The early results from this evidence-based, data-driven approach have even impressed some of the old-timers in the police department,” Johnson said.

On Friday, CPD officials announced a new gun strike force with ATF agents and Illinois State Police. The department also unveiled a mobile ballistics lab that it has on loan from the ATF through July.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2017. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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American Airlines Plane ‘Makes Contact’ With Plane At O’Hare

CHICAGO (CBS) — An American Airlines plane made contact with another plane Friday night at O’Hare International Airport.

American Airlines aircraft “came into contact” with a SkyWest operated American Eagle aircraft about 8:25 p.m. while taxiing on the runway, according to a statement from American Airlines and the Chicago Dept. of Aviation.

American flight 1162 was headed to Los Angeles and SkyWest flight 3047 was inbound to O’Hare from Rochester, Minnesota, the department of aviation said. There was little to no impact on flight operations.

No injuries were reported, American Airlines said.

“We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience, and will be rebooking them on a new aircraft to Los Angeles,” the statement from American Airlines said.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2017. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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18 Shot, 2 Fatally, In Bloody Start To Fourth Of July Weekend

CHICAGO (CBS) — At least 18 people were shot across Chicago, two of them fatally, in the first night of Fourth of July weekend violence, nearly doubling the carnage that kicked off the holiday last year.

Ten people were shot to open the long weekend in 2016, and it ended with 66 people shot — a total that actually stoked cautious optimism with the lowest death toll for the July 4 weekend in nearly a decade.

On Saturday, Chicago Police touted a 14 percent decline in shootings this year compared to the first six months of 2016, and they hope to tamp down the holiday weekend violence with the help of a new gun violence strike force that includes ATF agents.

At least 1,758 people have been shot in the city this year, 309 of them fatally, according to data maintained by the Chicago Sun-Times.

The latest killings happened about 8:45 p.m. on Friday in Englewood on the South Side. Two men, ages 30 and 50, were on a porch in the 5700 block of South Wells when two gunmen walked up and opened fire. Both were shot in the legs and chest. The older man died at the scene, and the younger died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, according to police, who on Saturday morning were questioning two possible suspects.

In the most recent shooting, a gunman opened fire on a 23-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man at a West Town party about 5 a.m. on Saturday in the 2700 block of West Washington. She was shot in the leg, and he was hit in the thigh, foot and arm, police said. They were in good condition at Stroger Hospital.

A little over two hours before that, a 13-year-old boy was shot in the buttocks in Gage Park’s 5500 block of South Talman, police said. He was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital.

Thirteen more people were wounded in separate shootings between 4:15 p.m. Friday and 2:30 a.m. Saturday.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2017. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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Report: Blackhawks Are Bringing Back Patrick Sharp

(CBS) Patrick Sharp is headed back to Chicago.

The Blackhawks and Sharp have agreed to a one-year deal ahead of the official opening of free agency late Saturday morning, the Chicago Tribune reported. A 35-year-old winger, Sharp played in Chicago from 2005-’15, helping lead the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup titles.

Sharp scored 239 goals across 10 seasons in his first tenure in Chicago. He’s coming off a trying season in which he recorded 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 48 games. He battled through concussion problems and a hip issue that ended his season in mid-March.

The Blackhawks aren’t expected to be big players in free agency due to their salary cap situation. They’re currently over the cap of $75 million by $3 million or so, and a trade of veteran forward Marcus Kruger has long been rumored.

Sharp is the second key member of previous Blackhawks championship teams to return in the past eight days. On June 23, Chicago acquired forward Brandon Saad in a blockbuster trade that sent winger Artemi Panarin to Columbus.

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