Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report, Two Big Warrant Arrests

Vander Tuuk 2-20-19

(Waukegan, IL) Two bigger warrant arrests have been announced as part of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office weekly arrest report. Oscar Ruvalcaba was taken into custody back on Valentine’s Day on an outstanding warrant for violating probation. The 33-year-old Waukegan man is being held on a 250-thousand-dollar bond, and is due in court at the end of the month. Christopher Turner of Round Lake Beach was taken into custody on February 17th on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear on a domestic battery charge. The 39-year-old was also hit with a new charge of obstruction…his bond was set at 500-thousand-dollars.

Fox Lake Man Gets Prison for Incident in McHenry County

Vander Tuuk 2-20-19

(McHenry, IL) A Fox Lake man is on his way to prison, after an incident that took place in McHenry County. Austin Billa pleaded back in December to one count of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. The charge stemmed incidents back in 2013 and 2014 in Lake in the Hills, and was said to involve a child under the age of 13. In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors dropped several assault and abuse charges. Billa’s sentencing took place late last week…the 28-year-old was given 7 and a half years behind bars.

Governor signs measure to hike Illinois minimum wage to $15

Associated Press 2-20-19

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed a measure gradually hiking the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, the highest in the Midwest. It was one of the governor’s top campaign promises. Illinois is on track to be the first state in the Midwest to push its base wage to $15. It increases from $8.25 by $1 on Jan. 1, and jumps to $10 on July 1, 2020. Then, it increases $1 each Jan. 1 until 2025. Business groups opposed the plan, wanting a longer phase-in and a regionalized approach with lower minimum wage levels for areas outside Chicago. Pritzker noted there are payroll tax credits in the law to ease the transition for employers.

Chicago judge OKs Obama library lawsuit

Associated Press 2-20-19

CHICAGO (AP) A judge has given the green light to a lawsuit from a parks-advocacy group that wants to stop Barack Obama’s $500 million presidential center from being built in a Chicago park beside Lake Michigan. The judge heard arguments last week in the Protect Our Parks suit, and rejected the city’s request to dismiss on Tuesday. The ruling doesn’t mean the group will necessarily prevail, but confirms the suit poses a formidable threat to the project in Jackson Park. Another lawsuit in 2016 helped scuttle a $400 million plan by “Star Wars” creator George Lucas to build a museum on public land near Chicago’s lakefront.