CHICAGO (AP) – Higher prices and fewer choices on the Illinois “Obamacare” marketplace will make choosing a health plan for 2017 a potentially frustrating experience for families who buy their own coverage. The Illinois Department of Insurance released information Wednesday on rates it submitted to federal officials. Statewide, the average rate increase for a typical…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A federal judge presiding over the wrongful-death lawsuit brought by Michael Brown’s parents declined to expand the number of people who can see sensitive grand jury details related to Brown’s 2014 death in Ferguson. U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber on Tuesday rejected a request by Brown’s mother, Lezley McSpadden,…
CHICAGO (AP) – Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration says a pending move by Illinois’ largest public-pension fund could increase the state’s required payment by hundreds of millions of dollars. It says that would have a “devastating impact” on education and social services. The Teachers Retirement System board is scheduled to vote Friday on whether to adjust…
CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) – An organization that advocates for walkers and bicyclists in the St. Louis region is pushing for stiffer penalties for drivers who strike pedestrians. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Trailnet wants more to be done to make sober drivers more accountable. The non-profit is specifically scrutinizing the deaths of 19-year-old LaTonya…
East St. Louis, IL (KTRS) The East St. Louis Jail is closed following a report of a potential health hazard. This comes after an unidentified officer filed a complaint Monday. City manager Courtney Logan told the Belleville News-Democrat on Tuesday that the complaint is unfounded and under investigation, but the employees and prisoners were moved…
WASHINGTON (AP) – Ohio’s elections chief has cleared the way for Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson to appear on fall ballots in the critical swing state. Johnson’s ballot access had been in question after party activists submitted paperwork and voter signatures earlier this month on behalf of a different candidate. They said they planned to…
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) – Thieves who stole 15 bottles of laundry detergent from a Massachusetts home have made a clean getaway. New Bedford police Lt. Amos Melo says the homeowner called police Saturday night after returning home and finding that someone had used the stairs leading to the room where the laundry detergent was…
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – An astronaut has set a U.S. record for most time spent in space. Jeffrey Williams, commander of the International Space Station, marked his 521st day in orbit Wednesday, a number accumulated over four flights. That surpasses the 520-day record set by Scott Kelly, whose one-year space station mission ended in…
