‘Cold case’ bill advances at statehouse

Legislation is advancing at the Illinois Statehouse that would reopen cold cases and provide more transparency on homicide investigations.

One of the proposals from state Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, would allow family members to petition law enforcement to review unsolved murder cases after three years of inactivity. The Illinois Sheriff’s Association opposes the measure.

The bill passed out of the House Judiciary-Criminal Committee on a partisan vote and is headed to the House floor for a vote.

Driver found dead

A 79-year-old driver is dead after fleeing from police and driving into a river.

Lake County deputies were called to a residence in Gurnee on a report of a truck submerged in a river. Police said a homeowner noticed tire tracks on his lawn that led to the Des Plaines River.

A truck was found in the river. When police ran the license plate, they determined it fled from a local police department earlier in the day. It was determined the elderly driver was from Wisconsin.

Madison County eyes referendum

Organizers of a referendum from a southern Illinois county want to ask voters if they want to form a separate body of government separate from Chicago. The Madison County Board’s Government Relations Committee approved the referendum and will now go to the full county board for a vote.

Last November, officials from Jersey County asked if they could secede from Illinois and become part of Missouri, but the proposal was shot down by the Illinois Attorney General.