Wednesday, October 22

Illinois

Man fatally struck by vehicles on Airport Road in Peoria County
Illinois

Man fatally struck by vehicles on Airport Road in Peoria County

PEORIA COUNTY, IL – A 32-year-old man was struck and killed by vehicles while walking in the roadway on Thursday night, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded to the intersection of Airport Road and Monroe Road at approximately 9:30 p.m. on October 16, 2025, and located the man deceased in the roadway. Investigators believe he was struck by at least one, possibly multiple vehicles. Two vehicles that hit the man stopped at a nearby gas station and contacted 911. One of the drivers told deputies they did not see the man due to low visibility at night and his position in the roadway. The victim was a resident of Monroe Road. His identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin by the Peoria County Coroner’s Office. The incident remain...
New York man arrested after jet ski crash near Johns Pass injures two children from Illinois
Florida, Illinois, New York

New York man arrested after jet ski crash near Johns Pass injures two children from Illinois

MADEIRA BEACH, FL – A New York man has been arrested following a jet ski crash that left two children injured, one critically, on October 12, 2025, near Johns Pass in Madeira Beach, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies say 48-year-old Daniel Patrick Grubert, of Piermont, New York, was operating a rented 2024 Yamaha WaveRunner when he took his eyes off his direction of travel while racing another jet ski. Grubert turned around, saw the impending collision, and jumped off his WaveRunner. The unmanned jet ski crashed into another rented Yamaha operated by 45-year-old Walter Wodzien of Mt. Prospect, Illinois. Wodzien had two juvenile passengers onboard, ages 7 and 8. All three were ejected from the WaveRunner and rescued by the Madeira Beach Fire Department. Th...
Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos condemns Governor Abbott’s deployment of Texas National Guard
Illinois, Texas

Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos condemns Governor Abbott’s deployment of Texas National Guard

AUSTIN, TX – State Representative Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos (D–Richardson) issued a statement this week condemning Governor Greg Abbott’s decision to deploy the Texas National Guard to Illinois, calling it an “illegal, out-of-state military operation” that diverts resources from pressing needs within Texas. File Photo (September 2025) In her statement, Rep. Rodríguez Ramos criticized the Governor’s actions as politically motivated and harmful to working families already struggling with rising costs, healthcare inaccessibility, and underfunded schools. She stated that nearly 5 million Texans, including 13 percent of children, lack access to necessary healthcare while the state remains the most uninsured in the nation. “Instead of addressing these crises, Greg Abbott is demanding Te...
Suspect arrested in Moline bank robbery, facing extradition from Iowa
Illinois

Suspect arrested in Moline bank robbery, facing extradition from Iowa

MOLINE, IL – The Moline Police Department announced that Michael Schram has been arrested in connection with a robbery at Ascentra Bank. According to police, Schram entered the bank and committed the robbery before fleeing the scene. Detectives with the department’s Special Investigations Group pursued multiple leads and later located and apprehended Schram in Scott County, Iowa. He is currently being held at the Scott County Jail on robbery charges and is pending extradition to Illinois.
High-ranking members of Sinaloa Cartel indicted for drug trafficking and money laundering in Southern Illinois
Illinois

High-ranking members of Sinaloa Cartel indicted for drug trafficking and money laundering in Southern Illinois

EAST ST. LOUIS, IL – A superseding federal indictment unsealed today charges 26 individuals with participating in a large-scale drug trafficking operation allegedly connected to the Sinaloa Cartel, according to the Department of Justice. The indictment accuses the defendants of trafficking hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine from Mexico into Southern Illinois, and laundering proceeds back to Mexico through U.S. banks. According to court documents, the conduct occurred between January 2020 and July 2025. Two Mexican nationals, Prospero Coronel-Sanchez, also known as “Pro,” and Jose Luis Angulo-Soto, also known as “El Mi Nino,” face narcoterrorism charges and are accused of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Both are also cha...
Illinois State Police seek public’s help in 2023 homicide of Decatur man
Illinois

Illinois State Police seek public’s help in 2023 homicide of Decatur man

DECATUR, IL – The Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 5 is asking for the public’s assistance in the homicide investigation of 51-year-old James E. Taylor of Decatur. Taylor was reported missing to the Decatur Police Department on May 12, 2023, and was last seen alive on May 10 around 6 p.m. He was found deceased on May 19, 2023, in a rural area near his home. ISP Special Agents are treating the case as a homicide. According to ISP Lieutenant Chad Dumonceaux, investigators continue to pursue leads and encourage anyone with information — no matter how minor — to come forward. Decatur Crime Stoppers is offering up to $2,500 for information regarding Taylor’s death. Tips can be submitted anonymously through the following channels: Call Decatur Cri...
Leader of Sinaloa Cartel faction indicted on terrorism and narcotics charges
Illinois

Leader of Sinaloa Cartel faction indicted on terrorism and narcotics charges

CHICAGO, IL – A federal grand jury has indicted Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe, also known as “El Musico,” for terrorism, drug trafficking, and firearm offenses, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. According to a superseding indictment unsealed in the Northern District of Illinois, Gastelum Iribe, 50, of Sinaloa, Mexico, directed the Beltran Leyva faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, a designated foreign terrorist organization, in importing massive quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and other drugs into the United States. The shipments, often in the hundreds or thousands of kilograms, were distributed nationwide, including in the Chicago area. Prosecutors allege that after the arrest or death of the faction’s prior leaders, Gastelum Iribe assumed control, orderin...
DOJ challenges Illinois laws granting in-state tuition to illegal aliens
Illinois

DOJ challenges Illinois laws granting in-state tuition to illegal aliens

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The United States filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Illinois over laws granting in-state tuition rates and scholarships to illegal aliens, alleging the measures violate federal law and the U.S. Constitution. Photo Courtesy of DOJ via OPA (August 29, 2025) The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, names the State of Illinois, Governor J.B. Pritzker, the State Attorney General, and the boards of trustees of state universities. It seeks to block enforcement of laws requiring colleges and universities to provide in-state tuition to all aliens who maintain Illinois residency, regardless of immigration status. According to the Department of Justice, federal law prohibits institutions of higher education from providing benefit...