Illinois
Belvidere, Illinois goes from loser to winner with idled Stellantis plant reopening
![Belvidere, Illinois goes from loser to winner with idled Stellantis plant reopening Belvidere, Illinois goes from loser to winner with idled Stellantis plant reopening](https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/02/12/475db3a3-bfcb-4da1-97ec-2e4bf985cf4d/thumbnail/1200x630/41a364911ad0a5cc9e4f538600b124e7/belvidere-il.png?v=39487f160c45192867463e7cb2b51dad)
BELVIDERE, Ill. (CBS) — The year 2023 was a big one for labor – actors, pilots, delivery drivers, and maybe most of all, autoworkers.
By some accounts, no place in history has benefited from a new contract between the Big Three auto companies and the United Auto Workers than Belvidere, Illinois – about an hour and a half northwest of Chicago. Belvidere is a place that went from being the biggest labor loser to the biggest winner.
Belvidere, Illinois is the type of place where a human actually answers the phone at City Hall. It’s the type of place where Mayor Clint Morris has a Holy Bible on his desk, the Lord is his Shepherd, and professional wrestler Ric Flair is his spirit animal.
Mayor Morris is an independent, who emphasizes that didn’t take any outside money for his campaign. He agreed that this puts him on about an island of one in Illinois politics.
“And of course, with any money that anybody takes, there’s a certain amount of obligation,” said Morris, “and I don’t think anybody is a philanthropist that contacts elected officials, I don’t believe that.”
He won – and dealt with a disaster shortly into his first term.
“Well, I received a call first from Stellantis, their director of governmental affairs out of Washington, D.C., had called me and informed me that they were going to be, quote, ‘Idling the plant,’” said Morris, “and about the same time, actually, my other phone rang, and it was the governor’s office – Governor Pritzker’s office.”
Chrysler parent company Stellantis’ Belvidere Assembly Plant was indefinitely idled at the end of February of last year. More than 1,000 would be out of work.
The news in Belvidere, the City of Murals, was like bucket of paint tossed upon Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night.”
It was a gut punch for plant veteran Deanna Viel.
“This is my survival for me and my three boys,” Viel said. “It’s a lot of emotion. First, you had your whole world crash down. Then, we had the big, ‘OK, we’re going to make it.”
In late October, the announcement came down that the Belvidere plant would reopen after the UAW and Stellantis came to an agreement.
“We are one of the only plants that ever came out of being shut down to be brought back,” Viel said. “So it’s a big thing.”
She took a picture when President Joe Biden came to Belvidere.
With the new UAW contract, there was more news besides the plant reopening.
“We’re going to have a $100 million investment in a Mopar distribution site here, and also a battery facility,” said Mayor Morris.
The mayor himself agreed that he had never heard of a turnaround quite like what Belvidere experienced.
“It is exceptional. It’s the one singular story,” said University of Illinois professor Dr. Robert Bruno, who is also an industry expert and author.” It is truly the lone case in American economic and labor history.”
Nobody knows exactly what went down in the meetings, but Belvidere is strategically located – rail, interstate, on the river, dependable power, good workforce.
So who made the reopening happen?
“The workers made that happen,” said Bruno. “Never before has the UAW, through its collective bargaining process, been able to reopen a facility, pour millions of dollars into the facility and create thousands of jobs.”
Back to Ric Flair, the professional wrestler whose image graces Mayor Morris’ office. It came from his brother, Cliff, and Morris is quick to note that Flair is a winner.
“That’s how I look at this at Belvedere and what we have in the future,” said Mayor Morris. “Not only did we get a reprieve – our future’s a lot brighter here.”
Viel, the worker CBS 2 spoke with, hopes to also have a degree by the time she returns to work – in HR.
Meanwhile, the new UAW contract could bring more than 3,000 jobs to Belvidere, and billions in investment. Whispers are they’ll be making an EV, and potentially a hybrid version of a mid-size Ram pickup.
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Illinois
Vice President Harris calls family of woman shot to death in Illinois
![Vice President Harris calls family of woman shot to death in Illinois Vice President Harris calls family of woman shot to death in Illinois](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_nbcnews-fp-1200-630,f_auto,q_auto:best/mpx/2704722219/2024_07/1722036681736_nn_mve_sonya_massey_family_speaks_out_240726_1920x1080-svfbz0.jpg)
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Illinois
Sonya Massey, shot by Illinois sheriff’s deputy, died of gunshot wound to the head, autopsy finds
![Sonya Massey, shot by Illinois sheriff’s deputy, died of gunshot wound to the head, autopsy finds Sonya Massey, shot by Illinois sheriff’s deputy, died of gunshot wound to the head, autopsy finds](https://assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/07/22/b71eb768-5b0d-4ca9-a933-4f20dd0d8d32/thumbnail/1200x630/709a3e0c69bff9527fe55e9a5ed3fcb9/sonya-massey.jpg?v=5501038cbc281520ff9fdc308faab7dc)
CHICAGO (CBS) — Authorities in central Illinois on Friday released an autopsy report that confirmed 36-year-old Sonya Massey died of a gunshot wound to the head, after she was shot by a sheriff’s deputy in Springfield earlier this month.
According to the autopsy report from the Sangamon County Coroner’s office, Massey was shot just beneath her left eye, and the bullet exited the back of her upper neck. The bullet caused a skull fracture, perforated her carotid artery, and caused bleeding in her brain.
Massey also suffered minor blunt force injuries to her right leg.
Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in Massey’s death. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and is being held in the Sangamon County Jail while he awaits trial. He was fired by the sheriff’s office after the shooting.
After learning of the autopsy results on Friday, Massey’s family said they are still struggling mentally and emotionally nearly three weeks after her death.
“I haven’t been able to sleep for real. The only time I really feel comfortable sleeping is when I’m just on the floor. I can’t even sleep in my bed,” said her son, Malachi Hill-Massey. “I really don’t have words. Like I’ve been said, I don’t have words for real.”
Massey’s uncle, Raymond, said her daughter has been “having nightmares to the point where we have to check the room.”
“It just makes me so angry to see my family hurt as they do,” Raymond said.
Bodycam video shows sheriff’s deputy shooting Massey inside her home
Authorities said Massey, a Black mother of two, called 911 in the early morning hours on Saturday, July 6, to report a suspected prowler outside her house near Springfield, Illinois.
The bodycam video shows Grayson and his partner, who are both White, arriving at Massey’s home, and searching outside the house and talking to Massey at the front door. They are later seen inside her home, and Deputy Grayson instructs Massey to check on a pot overheating on the stove, saying they don’t need a fire in the house.
Massey went to turn off the flame and picked up the pot. She asked where the deputies were going, to which Grayson replied, “Away from your hot, steaming water.”
Massey replied, “Away from my hot, steaming water?” and then twice said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
“You’d better f***ing not. I swear to God, I’ll f***ing shoot you right in your f***ing face,” Grayson said. He then raised his gun and yelled at Massey to “drop the f***ing pot!”
Massey is seen apologizing and ducking for cover. Grayson opens fire—three shots are heard.
Massey’s family and friends claim authorities tried to cover up the fatal shooting
The family said if it weren’t for the bodycam video of the shooting that was released on Monday, no one would know the truth.
Massey’s friends and family have said police first suggested it was a neighbor who had a previous dispute with Massey who shot her, and then later suggested the shooting was self-inflicted.
Massey’s oldest son, Malachi, said no one from law enforcement ever told the family who actually shot Massey. He said he didn’t learn until he saw it on the news the next day.
Illinois
Sonya Massey shooting: Illinois State Police release bodycam
![Sonya Massey shooting: Illinois State Police release bodycam Sonya Massey shooting: Illinois State Police release bodycam](https://images.foxtv.com/c107833-mcdn.mp.lura.live/expiretime=2082787200/045f9857006d2eb25ae7074b1749b6a600ea53a841f23c4cc76101bb6923a28e/iupl/8AE/0F0/1280/720/8AE0F0486EE28D980F7D6F3489777EF8.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
National outrage continues after Illinois State Police released new bodycam video of a sheriff’s deputy fatally shooting a Black woman in her home. Two officers were at Sonya Massey’s home to investigate reports of a prowler in the neighborhood. Please be warned that the video may be disturbing for some.
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