Illinois quick hits: Westbound side of $496.2 million I-270 bridge to reopen

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Westbound side of $496.2 million I-270 bridge to reopen

The Illinois Department of Transportation says the new westbound span of the Interstate 270 Chain of Rocks bridge is expected to open on Nov. 16 after officials held a ribbon-cutting on Monday.

Illinois and Missouri taxpayers split the $496.2 million cost of the two new Chain of Rocks bridges. The eastbound span opened in late 2024.

The new westbound bridge will initially carry two lanes of traffic over the Mississippi River, but a third lane is expected to open next construction season.

Bloomington man gets  25 years for attempted exploitation

A Bloomington man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison plus a lifetime term of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of a minor.

Prosecutors said Jason Alan Isaacson, 46, sent videos of himself to someone he believed to be 13 years of age and requested that she send him explicit pictures. U.S. Secret Service and Bloomington police investigated the case.

Ex-Woodstock counselor, coach charged with prostitution

A former Woodstock elementary school counselor and girls swim coach was arrested on Sunday and charged with prostitution after police said she offered sexual services for money in text messages and online.

The Lake & McHenry County Scanner reported on Monday that Renee J. Walker, 52, of Woodstock, was a counselor at Dean Street Elementary School in Woodstock and also coached high school girls swimming.

Solicitor general to argue against Chicago gun ban

The U.S. Supreme Court has granted a motion for the U.S. Solicitor General to participate in oral arguments in a case challenging gun bans in Cook County, Illinois, and Connecticut.

The consolidated case Viramontes v. Cook County is set to be heard Dec. 2 by justices on the high court. Late last month, an attorney for Cutberto Viramontes filed a motion to have his name dismissed from the case. According to the Oct. 29 filing, the case remains pending as to all other petitioners.

Greg Bishop contributed to this story