Aurora is considering using funds from a previously accepted grant to upgrade cameras in the Aurora Police Department headquarters, replace aging traffic cameras, install new license plate readers and get new equipment for the police digital forensics lab.
The proposal, which would be fully funded through the $2.28 million COPS Technology and Equipment Program grant, was unanimously recommended by the City Council Finance Committee on Thursday. It must now make its way to the full Aurora City Council for final approval.
The Aurora Police Department’s headquarters on East Indian Trail Road needs an upgrade to 90 closed-circuit cameras, according to Aurora Police Lt. Andy Wolcott.
He told Finance Committee members that the cameras would be located primarily within the booking and jail areas of the building. They are necessary to make sure detainees are being taken care of properly and are not harming themselves, officials said.
The police department, in collaboration with the city’s traffic engineers, is also asking for 18 new traffic cameras to be set up at intersections throughout the city. Wolcott said these will replace older traffic cameras, some upwards of 15 years old, that are out of date and not always useful for solving crimes due to the quality of their video.
“If its a black car, you can see a black blur going across the screen. Well, that doesn’t do anybody any good,” he said.
The new cameras would have live feeds and recordings of all parts of an intersection at once, as well as allow officers or city traffic engineers to zoom in or look in a particular direction of interest, according to Wolcott.
He said the upgrades would help police better solve car accidents and identify suspects’ vehicles while also helping traffic engineers monitor streetlights and backups at the monitored intersections.
The proposal also includes the purchase of license plate readers, which Wolcott said are set to go around Fox Valley Mall.
The Aurora Police Department already has license plate readers along entrances to the city, along Route 59 and in key areas like downtown and the Chicago Premium Outlets mall, he said.
These readers have already been useful in solving crimes, according to Wolcott.
He said a car was stolen along Orchard Road late Tuesday night, and those inside were later seen flashing guns at passersby. That car was tracked using existing plate readers, which led to the arrest of five suspects, he said.
The Aurora Police Department also requested a number of hardware and software upgrades for its digital forensics lab.
According to Digital Forensics Investigator Jacob LaShure, digital exploitation of children has “skyrocketed” since the COVID-19 pandemic, as children are online more than ever before.
He said some of the requested equipment, such as a standalone desktop dedicated to such investigations, would help in these investigations.
The department is also requesting a new MacBook Pro, as its current iMac is over 10 years old; lockable evidence cabinets that charge devices or block radio signals; and a TD4 Forensic Duplicator, which helps to acquire data from computers, LaShure said.
On the software side of digital forensics, the lab is requesting software that securely holds and transfers evidence through cloud storage, a smartphone data extraction tool, a “digital forensic triage tool” and Chainalysis Reactor, which helps investigators investigate cryptocurrency-related crimes, according to a presentation on the requests.
LaShure said cryptocurrency-related scams have been on the rise in recent years, particularly targeting the senior community. Some in Aurora have seen their life savings taken through complex online or phone scams involving cryptocurrency, he said.
The grant would still have around $1 million remaining if the proposal is approved by the Aurora City Council, according to Finance Committee Chair Ald. Carl Franco, 5th Ward. Walcott said the police department is still working on the best ways to spend those funds.
Photos from the Chicago White Sox’s 10-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. It was the 12th consecutive defeat for the Sox, who fell to 27-78.
White Sox right fielder Tommy Pham fields a two-run single by Mariners first baseman Jason Vosler in the first inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)White Sox starting pitcher Drew Thorpe walks back to the mound after giving up a two-run single to Mariners first baseman Jason Vosler in the first inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
White Sox starting pitcher Drew Thorpe walks back to the mound after giving up an RBI double to Mariners catcher Mitch Garver in the first inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Mariners third baseman Josh Rojas holds a trident through the dugout after hitting a three-run home run against the White Sox in the first inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Mariners shortstop Dylan Moore holds a trident through the dugout after hitting a home run against the White Sox in the first inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
White Sox starting pitcher Drew Thorpe wipes off sweat as Mariners center fielder Victor Robles rounds first base after hitting a home run in the first inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)White Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi watches fans reach for a home run ball by Mariners shortstop Dylan Moore in the first inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Mariners center fielder Victor Robles holds a trident through the dugout after hitting a home run against the White Sox in the first inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Bubble gum is tossed at Mariners center fielder Victor Robles as he holds a trident through the dugout after hitting a home run against the White Sox in the first inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)White Sox catcher Korey Lee, left, talks with starting pitcher Drew Thorpe after Thorpe loads the bases in the first inning against the Mariners on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)White Sox infielders gather after starting pitcher Drew Thorpe is taken out of the game the first inning against the Mariners on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. Thorpe gave up eight runs in two-thirds of an inning. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
White Sox manager Pedro Grifol, second from left, talks with catcher Korey Lee after taking starting pitcher Drew Thorpe out of the game the first inning against the Mariners on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Fans reach for a two-run home run ball from Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco in the fourth inning against the White Sox on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco celebrates after hitting a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the White Sox on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby winds up for a pitch in the fourth inning against the White Sox on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby gives a thumb’s up after White Sox shortstop Paul DeJong strikes out to end the fourth inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Mariners left fielder Luke Raley (20) raises his hands as fans reach for a ground-rule double from White Sox second baseman Brooks Baldwin in the fifth inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn (25) trots out of the way as Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco completes a double play to end the eighth inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)White Sox right fielder Tommy Pham swings for a double against the Mariners in the eighth inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)White Sox right fielder Tommy Pham (28) beats the throw to Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco for a double in the eighth inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
White Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi strikes out swinging in the ninth inning against the Mariners on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet high-fives teammates before a game against the Mariners on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Kaleb Harmon balances his 5-month-old daughter, Emily, on his hands as his wife, Stacey, watches before a game between the White Sox and Mariners on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. This was Emily’s second baseball game. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago police searched for a missing boater Friday night after a vessel carrying more than a dozen passengers capsized just off 31st Street Beach.
The boat flipped near the 3100 block of DuSable Lake Shore Drive around 7:30 p.m., according to police. According to Chicago Fire officials, 12 people rescued refused first aid, while three were taken to University of Chicago Hospital.
As of 9 p.m., police said the marine unit’s search remained active and Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said around 9:15 that the person remained missing.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love has agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension worth $220 million, a person familiar with the deal said Friday.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced.
Love’s new deal includes a $75 million signing bonus and $155 million in guarantees.
The new deal comes after Love led the NFL’s youngest team
to a 10-9 record and playoff berth last season in his first year as a starter while stepping up to the challenge of replacing four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers, who was traded to the New York Jets
in April 2023.
NFL Network
first reported Love’s deal. ESPN
first reported the amount of the signing bonus and guaranteed money.
Reports of Love’s extension came the same day that Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa
agreed on a four-year extension worth $212.4 million. Detroit’s Jared Goff
signed a four-year, $212 million extension with $170 million guaranteed, and Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence
agreed to a five-year, $275 million extension with $142 million guaranteed earlier in the offseason.
The 25-year-old Love hadn’t been practicing with the Packers in training camp this week while the contract talks were unresolved, though he had been attending workouts and was participating in all other team activities. Love’s contract had been set to expire at the end of the upcoming season.
The Packers are betting on the promise Love showed during his late-season surge last year.
Green Bay had signed Love to a one-year extension
in May 2023 that included $13.5 million in guaranteed money with another $9 million in incentives. That deal gave the Packers time to evaluate Love as he entered his first season as a starter after Rodgers, a four-time MVP, was traded to the Jets.
Love responded by completing 64.2% of his passes for 4,159 yards with 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season while improving dramatically as the season wore on.
He threw 21 touchdown passes with only one interception during a nine-game stretch that culminated with a 48-32 upset
of the Dallas Cowboys in a wild-card playoff game. Love did throw two second-half interceptions
the following week in a 24-21 loss
to the San Francisco 49ers.
The only other quarterbacks ever to throw for at least 4,000 yards and 32 touchdowns in their first season making multiple starts were Kurt Warner in 1999 and Patrick Mahomes in 2018. The only quarterbacks to throw more than 32 touchdown passes in their first season with multiple starts were Mahomes (50), Warner (41) and Daunte Culpepper (33 in 2000).
Love’s 32 touchdown passes ranked second in the league, behind Dallas’ Dak Prescott (36).
Love had made only one career start before last season. After the Packers traded up to select him out of Utah State with the 26th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Love spent his first three seasons backing up Rodgers.
Abbott Laboratories must pay $495 million in damages in the case of a girl who developed a serious gastrointestinal disease as a premature infant after consuming Abbott formula, a Missouri jury decided Friday evening.
The jury awarded the girl $95 million in compensatory damages and said the company must pay $400 million in punitive damages, half of which will go to the girl and half of which will go to the state of Missouri, said attorneys representing the family.
The lawsuit is one of hundreds against north suburban-based Abbott and Mead Johnson alleging that their formulas for premature infants cause necrotizing enterocolitis, a disease of the intestinal tract, in which tissue lining the intestine becomes inflamed and dies.
This was the first case against Abbott over the issue to go to trial. In a similar case that went to trial earlier this year in Illinois against Mead Johnson, a jury awarded $60 million in damages to a woman whose son died of NEC after consuming Mead Johnson’s cow’s-milk-based premature infant formula.
The Abbott trial began earlier this month in Missouri Circuit Court in St. Louis after Illinois resident Margo Gill sued the company. Gill alleged her daughter Robynn Davis was given Abbott’s cow’s-milk-based infant feeding products as a premature infant, which caused her to develop NEC. Davis, who was born in 2021, had to undergo extensive surgery because of her NEC diagnosis and continues to suffer from long-term health issues.
“Despite knowing of the risk of NEC, Abbott did not warn of the significantly increased risk of NEC (and resulting medical conditions, and/or death) associated with its products, or of the magnitude of this increased risk,” the lawsuit alleged.
Abbott lawyers argued that the girl’s condition was caused by trauma at birth, before she consumed the formula, Reuters reported.
Abbott said in a statement Friday evening: “We strongly disagree with the verdict which was not unanimous, and continue to believe that Robynn’s condition is a tragedy for which no one is to blame. We will pursue all avenues to have the erroneous decision overturned.”
Abbott said in the statement that there is no scientific evidence showing that Abbott’s preterm infant products cause or contribute to NEC.
“Specialized formulas and fortifiers, like the one in this case, are part of the standard of care by the medical community and, along with mother’s milk and donor human milk, are the only available options to feed premature infants,” Abbott said in the statement.
Abbott also said the verdict “has no bearing on any future cases.”
According to the National Institutes of Health, preterm and low-birth-weight babies are at higher risk of developing NEC, potentially because of their immature digestive systems, and about 15% to 40% of infants with the disease die.
Davis, who is now 2 years old, had about 75% of her intestine removed after she was diagnosed with NEC, and she sustained brain damage from the illness, according to attorneys for the family. They said she has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, cannot walk or talk and is fed through a tube.
In 2011, the U.S. surgeon general acknowledged that formula feeding was associated with higher rates of NEC for premature infants. The American Academy of Pediatrics in its March 2012 policy statement supporting breastfeeding also noted that studies have shown that feeding preterm infants human milk is associated with a significant reduction in incidences of NEC. The AAP formally recommends breastfeeding or human donor milk to reduce the chance of NEC in premature babies.
