WLIP Voice of Lake County 2/25/19

Wauconda Man Federal Weapons Charges

Vander Tuuk 2-25-19

(Chicago, IL) A Wauconda man is facing charges, for reportedly trying to sell weapons and weapons parts to undercover officers on several occasions both last year and this year. Gregory Domenico is facing federal charges of illegal possession of an unregistered machine gun and three silencers, as well as illegal possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. Domenico was taken into custody after a joint sting operation by several law enforcement agencies including Wauconda Police, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the local branch of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The 35-year-old is due in court on Wednesday.

Lakemoor Man Child Porn

Vander Tuuk 2-25-19

(Lakemoor, IL) A Lakemoor man has been arrested, after reportedly receiving nude images of an underage girl. Police say they were contacted by authorities in Rochester, Minnesota, who had learned of alleged correspondence between the girl and Thomas Zurawski. The 27-year-old was taken into custody on February 15th, and has since been charged with one count of soliciting child pornography, and two counts of soliciting images, though more charges could be forthcoming. Zurawski is being held in neighboring McHenry County on a 250-thousand-dollar bond.

Illinois colleges look to overcome enrollment declines

Associated Press 2-25-19

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) Colleges and universities in Illinois are struggling to combat a trend of declining enrollment that’s been spurred by low unemployment rates, a shrinking population, unstable funding sources and increased out-of-state competition. Data shows that the state’s community colleges and state universities had a decline of nearly 100,000 students from 2008 to 2018. The bulk of the losses were seen at the community college level, which lost 75,000 students. The University of Illinois System has seen some success over the past decade, with a 23 percent growth in enrollment at the Chicago campus. Barbara Wilson is the system’s executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs. She says the system has done well because of aggressive recruitment, outreach, financial aid and sheer size.

Illinois lawmaker stresses importance of marijuana bills

Associated Press 2-25-19

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) An Illinois lawmaker has stressed the importance of efforts to legalize recreational marijuana during a community forum, saying the industry could drive economic growth. Democratic State Rep. Carol Ammons was one of the speakers during a recent panel discussion about legalizing recreational cannabis. She says marijuana legalization is “one of the most pressing things” she’ll face in her legislative career. Ammons has studied the regulation and taxation of marijuana since 2004. She says revenue from taxing marijuana could be reinvested and used to improve communities. Democratic State Sen. Heather Steans is behind one of the bills that would legalize recreational cannabis. Her bill would allow those age 21 and older to possess up to 30 grams of marijuana.