Illinois
Illinois’ Bret Bielema Welcomes New Additions To Football Coaching Staff
The Illinois Fighting Illini recently announced two new additions to the football program.
On Thursday, Trent Harris was named assistant linebackers coach while Dele Harding takes over as assistant running backs coach.
Coach Bret Bielema welcomed both to the program.
“Couldn’t be more excitd to have you @trentharris33,” Bielema posted on his X page.
Couldn’t be more excited to have you @trentharris33 #famILLy #ILL https://t.co/F5Eqjf0LLe
— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) July 27, 2024
Harris played for the Miami Hurricanes from 2014-17 before a seven-year professional career in the NFL, XFL and UFL.
Welcome back @dele_harding #famILLy #ILL https://t.co/gyDTFEEGBp
— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) July 27, 2024
Harding returns after playing linebacker for the Illini from 2016-19. He began his coaching career as a defensive assistant for the Houston Texans in 2020 under former Illini coach Lovie Smith.
MCCRAY TURNING HEADS IN THE BACKFIELD
A healthy Josh McCray has Bielema excited about the running back position. Not because McCray is full strength but the unit has impressed as a whole.
“I would say I don’t think we have a 1A, I think we got a 1A, B, C, and D,” he said at Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis. “I’m super excited.”
Josh McCray is back after a season he played only five games before a neck injury caused him to miss the rest of the season.
“I think Josh McCray is the best he has ever looked,” Bielema said. “I’m really impressed with where he is at.”
The Illini also have Kaden Feagin, who is coming off a strong freshman season with 405 rushing yards.
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Illinois Fighting Illini On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
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Illinois
Lake County detectives rescue girl from man they say drove to Illinois from Georgia to meet her
Detectives from Lake County, Illinois, Sheriff’s office rescued a girl under 14 from a grown man who had traveled from Georgia to meet her this weekend, authorities said Sunday.
At 4:40 a.m. Saturday, Lake County sheriff’s deputies were called to unincorporated Gurnee for a report of a missing girl under the age of 14. Deputies learned the girl had never run away before, and it was especially concerning that she did so in the middle of the night, authorities said.
Sheriff’s detectives learned the girl’s cellphone was not functioning, and she could not be found through any of her electronic devices. Detectives also found that a 24-year-old man from Norcross, Georgia, named Jordy Alexis Fuerte Perez had been communicating with her, authorities said.
Detectives learned that Fuerte Perez had made plans to drive to Illinois from Georgia and pick up the girl, and evidence indicates he told the girl he wanted a “romantic relationship” with her, authorities said.
Detectives homed in on a vehicle that Fuerte Perez may have been driving, and found the vehicle at the Independence Grove Forest Preserve near Libertyville, authorities said. Both Fuerte Perez and the girl were in the car in a parking lot when detectives arrived at 6 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.
The girl did not appear to be injured, but was taken to the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center for specialized advocacy and attention, authorities said.
Fuerte Perez was charged with two counts of solicitation of child pornography, and one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, namely cocaine. More charges ar likely, authorities said.
“This type of case is a parent’s worst nightmare. Our Criminal Investigations Division took this case seriously and worked tirelessly from the moment the girl was reported missing until she was safely located,” Lake County Sherif John Idleburg said in a news release. “While there will undoubtedly be a long road to recovery and healing, I am grateful the victim was found safe and is physically okay. I am proud of everyone who played a role in rescuing this young girl and bringing the offender to the first steps of justice.”
Fuerte Perez was due in court on Sunday morning. The Lake County State’s Attorney’s office is asking to have him held while awaiting trial.
Illinois
Illinois Prison Closure Deepens Small Town’s Fears
In Lincoln, Ill., another pillar just fell. The New York Times’ Julie Bosman reports that the state plans to close Logan Correctional Center, a women’s prison that employs more than 500 people, stripping the Route 66 town of about 13,000 of one of its last major, stable job sources. State officials say the nearly century-old complex is too deteriorated to fix and will be replaced by a new, modern facility in Crest Hill, outside Chicago. Capitol News Illinois reports the Illinois Department of Corrections estimates it’ll take five years to build the new prison.
In Lincoln, where factories, a glass plant, and even a 157-year-old college have already called it quits, that decision feels like one more hit—and one that favors the Chicago area over downstate. Residents and local leaders, who spent years lobbying to keep the prison, now worry about a fresh wave of departures as families follow jobs elsewhere, further straining schools and small businesses already on the edge. For a look at what the loss of a single prison means for one Midwestern town—which takes particular pride in the fact it was uniquely named for Abraham Lincoln before he became president—read the full piece.
Illinois
Illinois GOP chair says Obama Center is political operation on public land | Fox News Video
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Bob Grogan says the Obama Presidential Center functions as a political operation and headquarters for the Obama Foundation rather than a traditional presidential library.
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Bob Grogan says the Obama Presidential Center functions as a political operation and headquarters for the Obama Foundation rather than a traditional presidential library. Grogan discusses public land, taxpayer-funded infrastructure, the Center’s endowment shortfall and why critics continue to oppose the project.
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