Stolen vehicles recovered
Using a grant from the Illinois Secretary of State, Illinois State Police have been targeting vehicle theft, carjacking and related violent crimes. The agency received a $10 million Illinois Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Council grant. ISP reports from April through June, they have recovered over 200 stolen or hijacked vehicles and made 35 arrests.
Instagram settlement
Millions of Instagram users in Illinois may be eligible for a cut of a $68 million class-action lawsuit settlement. The lawsuit alleges facial recognition technology was used in the app, which violates the state’s strict Biometric Information Privacy Act. Any Illinoisan who used Instagram between Aug. 10, 2015, and Aug. 16, 2023, will be eligible for a portion of the settlement once it is approved. Attorneys for the plaintiffs estimate around 4 million Illinois residents could be eligible.
Obama reads books
Former President Barack Obama released a letter this week detailing his opposition to book bans, and now he is taking part in a TikTok campaign involving the Kankakee Public Library. Obama is seen in the video reading a book and sipping from a mug with the library’s logo on it. Obama reportedly agreed to appear in videos with numerous libraries to promote books and reading, with the Kankakee Public Library his first selection.
