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6-year-old Illinois boy dies of balloon-related suffocation, officials announce

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6-year-old Illinois boy dies of balloon-related suffocation, officials announce


A 6-year-old boy died due to balloon-related suffocation last month in Mt. Carmel, according to preliminary findings from the Wabash County Coroner’s Office.

County Coroner Shaun Keepes responded to “the tragic accidental death of a juvenile” at a Mt. Carmel residence May 29, according to the report.

An autopsy conducted the next day in Springfield found the cause of death to be suffocation due to a Mylar-helium filled balloon. Officials announced his cause of death Wednesday.

The boy, identified by his family as Gunner Hyatt, was described as the “craziest, most loving little boy,” on a GoFundMe created to support his family. The fundraiser, created last week, has garnered over $20,000.

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The coroner’s report, published on Facebook, noted the potential danger of large Mylar balloons. The balloons are commonly used decorations known for their shiny appearance. They’re made from plastic and often coated by a thin layer of metal.

“While often seen as harmless decorations, these balloons can pose serious risks — particularly to young children — including the rare but devastating possibility of suffocation and/or helium toxicity,” the coroner’s office said.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported six balloon-related deaths in children 12-years-old and younger between 2020 and 2023.

An investigation involving the Mount Carmel Police Department and the Illinois State Police Child Death Task Force is ongoing. Additional testing and toxicology will be done before determining the final cause of death, according to the coroner’s office.

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No further information was released.



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4 shot in Rockford, suspect in custody; police ask public to avoid area

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4 shot in Rockford, suspect in custody; police ask public to avoid area


ByABC7 Chicago Digital Team

Saturday, July 18, 2026 11:43AM

ABC7 Chicago 24/7 Stream

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WLS) — Rockford police are investigating a quadruple shooting on Saturday.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

The shooting happened near Island and Clifton Avenues, police said.

Police said four people were shot. All injuries appeared to be non-life-threatening, police said.

The shooting suspect was in police custody.

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No other information was immediately available.

The public is asked to avoid the area as they continue to investigate.

Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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Produce Recall Issued In Parasite Outbreak Hitting IL

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Produce Recall Issued In Parasite Outbreak Hitting IL


A number of Taco Bell locations have posted signs announcing they are “currently unable to sell Lettuce, Cilantro Onion, Pico de Gallo, and Guacamole due to a nationwide recall,” according to Detroit-area news radio outlet WWJ.

Taco Bell told the Post it would keep monitoring the situation and follow authorities’ guidance.

Taco Bell Lettuce Linked To Growing MI Parasite Outbreak: FDA

“Public health officials have not confirmed a link to Taco Bell or any specific ingredient, supplier, restaurant or retailer,” the company told the Post. “While authorities continue their broader review, Taco Bell has voluntarily and temporarily removed limited ingredients at select restaurants as a precautionary measure.”

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In Michigan, where cases have been concentrated, media reports said notices were posted at some Detroit-area Taco Bell restaurants last week telling customers the chain was “currently unable to sell Lettuce, Cilantro-Onion, Pico de Gallo, and Guacamole due to a nationwide recall.”





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Illinois GOP trails badly in midterm cash

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Illinois GOP trails badly in midterm cash


The Illinois Republican Party filed its quarterly campaign finance report on the July 15 deadline. The party reported having just $223K in the bank. The next day, the party sent a letter to the Illinois State Board of Elections saying they were “reconciling” their records after a leadership change, and then noted that their actual end balance was $101K higher than it had reported the day before.

But that bit of found money was basically the end of the “good news” for the GOP last week.

Republicans no longer have a pet billionaire. Bruce Rauner and Ken Griffin have fled the state. The legions of wealthy business titans who once contributed and raised money have either retired to sunnier climes or passed away. Several prominent party members have publicly shunned labor unions and their hefty political war chests, although the state GOP legislative leaders have at least tried to rebuild ties to trade unions and even the Illinois Education Association. But the heavily gerrymandered legislative map combined with the current political climate means they’ll mostly receive scraps.

And, yes, the House Democrats are struggling this month with scandals, including a state representative who resigned under pressure and another who was indicted. I’m not trying to downplay that at all. But Democrats have the national political environment, the local infrastructure and tons of cash behind them. The Republicans have little to none of that.

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The GOP’s gubernatorial candidate, Darren Bailey, raised $1.3 million in the second quarter, which ended June 30. That sounds like a lot, but he spent almost all of that on direct mail fundraising costs. The huge expenditures do give him a prospect list for future fundraising, but he ended the quarter with a mere $128K in the bank. That was still a whole lot more than the rest of the statewide ticket.

Attorney General nominee Bob Fioretti, a perennial candidate, raised $31K, spent $39K and had $28K on hand at the end of the quarter along with almost $15K in recent debt. Secretary of State candidate Diane Harris raised $6K, spent a bit over $4K and had a paltry $1,816.42 in the bank. Treasurer candidate Max Solomon, who ran as a write-in during the primary because the party failed to recruit anyone, raised less than $3K, reported no spending and ended the quarter with less than $8K. Comptroller candidate Bryan Drew raised $30K and received $47K in in-kind contributions from a company owned, ironically, by independent gubernatorial candidate Collin Corbett, spent less than $3K, ended with $54K and had $25K in debt from earlier this year.

Man, that’s just downright pathetic.

But I suppose it doesn’t really matter anyway unless we see a massive sea-change in national opinion in the coming months or the federal government finds a way to not certify certain election results. Regardless of where individual candidates are at this moment, they’ll have the money to compete. Unlike the Republicans, the Dems do have a pet billionaire (JB Pritzker) and, I assume eventually for most of them, organized labor.

The Republican legislative leaders have tried to scrape and claw as much as they can, but they’re vastly outgunned. Senate Republican Leader John Curran raised just $75K in the second quarter. He spent $71K and reported having a bit more than $3 million in the bank. His caucus committee reported having $160K in the bank.

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Leader Curran has three Republican-held districts to defend in the Chicago media market that have all trended Democratic in the last three cycles. Depending how bad things get, he could be defending a couple, two or three more.

The Senate Democrats have a ton of money to do whatever they want. Senate President Don Harmon has about $20 million in his personal campaign account and $1.7 million in his caucus account.

Over in the House, Republican Leader Tony McCombie has at least four Democratic-trending or swingy districts to defend and just $1.3 million in her personal campaign account and another $363K in her caucus account so far.

In contrast, House Speaker Chris Welch had $11.4 million in his personal account and $1.2 million in his caucus account. Like Senate President Harmon, he has more than enough money already, but more is never enough when there’s so much out there, so those numbers will likely rise by November.

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.

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