Federal disaster declaration for Cook County
President Joe Biden has signed a disaster declaration allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to offer assistance to residents in Cook County who were impacted by severe weather in July.
FEMA’s Individual Assistance program could include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the storms.
Beginning June 29, several rounds of severe storms passed through Illinois producing heavy rainfall, flash flooding, hail, tornadoes and straight-line winds.
Group pleads for fewer shootings
An Illinois-based community outreach group is making a plea to gangs.
Native Sons in Rogers Park said it’s seeking support for their summer initiative called the “People’s Ordinance.” The goal is to save youth from violence.
Specifically, the group is asking gang members to refrain from shooting firearms between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. in order to reduce the risk of innocent people getting hurt.
Man sentenced for arson
A man who set a fire at a Planned Parenthood clinic in central Illinois has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
Tyler Massengill admitted using a homemade explosive to set a fire at a Peoria clinic in January, just a few days after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law that gave additional legal protections for abortion procedures. No one was inside the clinic when the fire happened.
