Salem Burglary Broken Up Tuesday Night

Salem Police arrested a 25-year-old Salem woman on several charges when she allegedly in the process of breaking into a neighbor's home. Ashley Allison of South Lincoln had allegedly broken a window in the front door and was trying to pry open the door at the George Snodgrass home on South Lincoln Street when police arrived. Allison was arrested for alleged possession of burglary tools, criminal damage to property and failure to appear in court on a reckless driving charge. Bond on the warrant is set at $10,000. Police had responded to the Snodgrass home when a witness called to report the alleged burglary attempt. The incident occurred at 10:06 Tuesday night. - http://goo.gl/OxYRv

Lawmakers Look To Reduce All-Time High Prison Population

Springfield, IL -- More people are gettinglocked up in Illinois and now lawmakers must find a way to cut the costs,. John Maki, with the John Howard Association, says the answer is to only imprison violent offenders and seek diversionary programs for others. "Prisons are best served if we use them to place violent people, people who pose real violent threats to public safety. Most people who have drug problems or who have mental illness, they can be dangerous, but prison is not the best place for them", said Maki. The Inmate population is at an all-time high with corrections facilities at 144-percent over capacity. Representative Art Turner has proposed a bill that would begin to address the issue. - http://goo.gl/otVr8

Security guard shoots man at St. Louis MetroLink station

PAGEDALE, Mo. -- Police are investigating after a security guard at a St. Louis County light rail station shot a man who was involved in a scuffle.

The shooting happened Tuesday evening in Pagedale. The security guard, employed by a private company that contracts with Metro, saw two men involved in a disturbance. One of the men had a gun.

Police say the guard shot the armed man. He is hospitalized but his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. His gun was recovered at the scene.

Names of the guard and the man who was shot have not been released. - http://goo.gl/d84Ka

New Ill. law: Schools have to redesign report cards for parents

CHICAGO -- Schools and districts will have to offer parents more user-friendly reports with academic information, demographics and education statistics under a new law signed by Gov. Pat Quinn.

Schools already have to send so-called report cards, but advocates of the legislation say they're hard to read, long and not easy to compare to other schools.

Examples of the revamped reports were printed in color and featured pie charts.

The law takes effect immediately. The report cards will be available in the 2013 to 2014 school year for elementary, middle and high schools.

Quinn signed the law Tuesday.

He says he didn't think there would be any additional costs occurred in implementing the bill. - http://goo.gl/sJqKe

Ill. man with revoked license gets 4 years in prison for driving mower

ALEDO, Ill. -- A judge in western Illinois has handed down a four-year prison sentence for a man caught driving a riding lawnmower with a revoked license.

Mercer County Judge Greg Chickris sentenced 43-year-old William White on Tuesday. It's the sixth time White has been sent to prison.

Defense attorney Dan Dalton argued that he'd never seen someone sent to prison for driving a mower. But the judge countered that he'd considered a variety of factors, including White's prior crimes.

The Rock Island Argus reports that White has 57 previous felony and misdemeanor convictions, starting when he was 15 years old. Court records show the latest was White's eleventh conviction for driving on a revoked license. He's also been convicted six times for driving under the influence of alcohol. - http://goo.gl/yMRd1

University of Illinois President Apologizes About Emails

URBANA, Ill. (AP) - University of Illinois President Michael Hogan has apologized for anonymous emails sent to faculty from his former chief of staff's computer. Hogan told faculty leaders Monday he regrets that the emails embarrassed the university. The News-Gazette in Champaign reports that Hogan says the emails were his responsibility as president. When questioned about whether there was an ethical lapse on his part, Hogan pointed to a recent report that found no evidence he did anything wrong. The report found former chief of staff Lisa Troyer wrote emails signed as if they came from an anonymous faculty member. The emails were intended to sway faculty on an enrollment management plan that some have opposed. Troyer resigned but has denied writing the emails. - http://goo.gl/ocaEh