Illinois
Illinois advances bill to ban hidden fees across consumer goods, services
Illinois advances bill to ban hidden fees across consumer goods, services
One day after the Biden administration announced it is putting an end to junk fees in air travel, Illinois lawmakers are one step closer to sweeping legislation that puts an end to hidden fees on just about everything residents buy in the Land of Lincoln.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – One day after the Biden administration announced it is putting an end to junk fees in air travel, Illinois lawmakers are one step closer to sweeping legislation that puts an end to hidden fees on just about everything residents buy in the Land of Lincoln.
With inflation showing no signs of letting up, Illinois lawmakers are pushing legislation designed to offset rising prices at the pump, the grocery store, and everywhere else Illinois residents find goods and services.
State Rep. Bob Morgan is the sponsor of the “Junk Fee Ban Act.”
“This last weekend I was at a restaurant and ordered a burger and it was $12. I paid it. I knew what I was getting, but then when I got the check there was a 3-percent mandatory surcharge on there and when I asked what it was for, they said it was the service fee and I said service for what?” Morgan said.
The sweeping legislation covers what some describe as “stealth inflation” padding restaurant bills with additional fees, concert tickets, and rideshare totals — anything that includes a surcharge that customers can’t see until after they order goods or services.
“Give me the choice as the customer, the consumer to decide whether or not to pay that money,” Morgan said.
If the bill is signed into law, the savings for a family of four in Illinois averages $3,000 per year.
“Inflation is a global pressure right? These are services and goods that we know the costs are going up. What we expect though and demand is that there is transparency. Let me make the choice when I’m going to buy an airline ticket, concert ticket, that I know what the actual price is the true price,” Morgan said.
The legislation passed in the House and is now on its way to the Senate. If signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker, it would take effect in January 2025.
Illinois
Man charged with trespassing at Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s home in Chicago on July 4: documents
CHICAGO (WLS) — A man has been charged with trespassing at Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s home in Chicago, court documents show.
The incident happened around on July 4 on the city’s North Side.
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A suspect was arrested by police around 10:06 p.m. after he was allegedly seen on camera jumping over a fence and trespassing in the backyard of Pritzker’s house in the Gold Coast neighborhood.
Dwayne Cortez Milton has been charged with trespassing, Cook County court documents showed.
The suspect was ordered to be released from custody in this case pending his trial, but he was been ordered to not return to the property.
However, Milton pleaded guilty in a separate theft case on July 7, and he is currently in custody for that case, documents show.
Milton is scheduled to appear in court again July 27 for the trespassing case.
No further information about the trespassing incident was immediately available.
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An 18-year-old man is hospitalized after he was found shot in Joliet, Illinois, on Saturday evening.
Joliet police said around 6:46 p.m., officers responded to the area of East Benton Street and Polson Place for a report of a man shot.
Upon arrival, officers found the victim suffering from gunshot wounds to his back and left arm. Police said officers immediately rendered medical aid until Joliet Fire Department paramedics arrived.
The victim was taken to Silver Cross Hospital with life-threatening injuries before later being transferred to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood for further treatment.
Spent shell casings were found after detectives canvassed the area.
Police said there is no description of a suspect and the shooting remains under active investigation.
Anyone with video footage or information related to this shooting is asked to contact the Joliet Police Department Investigations Division at 815-724-3020. Anonymous tipsters can contact Will County Crime Stoppers at 800-323-6734 or submit a tip online at crimestoppersofwillcounty.org.
YORKTOWN, Va (WAVY) — A 31-year-old Illinois man has been sentenced after pleading guilty to exploiting a York County child online.
According to the York County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, Andres Arreola pleaded guilty to enticing a minor to perform child sexual abuse acts and using a communication system to facilitate certain offenses involving a child.
The case began in April 2025 after the parent of a 9-year-old child called the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office about inappropriate messages they found from Arreola to the child on an online chat platform.
Investigators determined Arreola sent sexually explicit messages and images to the child and persuaded the child to send explicit images in return, knowing the victim was a 9-year-old.
Detectives were able to identify Arreola in Illinois, where he was taken into custody. He was then extradited him to York County where he remained behind bars without bond. Detectives also recovered electronic evidence supporting the charges.
A judge ultimately sentenced Arreola to 40 years in prison, suspending 31 years and six months, leaving him with an active prison sentence of eight years and six months.
After his release, Arreola will serve 20 years of supervised probation. He cannot have unsupervised contact with minors and will be required to register with Virginia’s Sex Offender and Crimes against Minors Registry.
“The exploitation of children—whether in person or online—will not be tolerated in York County,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Krystyn Reid in a statement.
Reid goes on to praise the investigators, prosecutors and the “the young victim and the victim’s family throughout this case. Anyone who seeks to harm a child, regardless of where they are located, should expect to be identified, brought before the court, prosecuted, and held accountable.”
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