
The bill to increase the speed limit on I-94 to 70 mph - from the Illinois state line to the Milwaukee County line - was passed into law on May 20. New signs will be posted soon. Look for Illinois to increase the current speed limit of 65 mph to 70 mph on Illinois' northern portion of I-94, as well. I recently drove on I-94, getting on at Gurnee and exiting at Kenosha. The toll alone - road tax - for driving a few minutes to the state line was $2.80! (When in Gurnee, take 41 instead.) I accelerated to 75 mph, going 10 miles over the limit, and most of the cars were still passing me by. When the speed-limit signs are increased by 5 mph, look for the cars to be speeding along at 80-90 mph and more. And the semis will be trucking at about 70 - 75 mph. My daughter, Ruth, didn't like to go on the highways as it was, and now with the increase, forget it! I don't blame her. Me? I'll be flying down the interstate with all the other risk-takers!

A salmonella outbreak has occurred in Kenosha. It originated at a grocery store called Supermercado Los Corrales, located on 52nd Street, near 39th Avenue. Nearly 100 people were affected. City officials closed up the meat and food prep areas at the store, awaiting further investigation.

Jones Decorah, 56, of Wisconsin Dells, was involved in a hit-and-run on May 13. When the police caught up to him, they gave Decorah a sobriety test which revealed a blood alcohol level of .380. That is nearly 5 times the legal limit! Come to find out, that was his 10th DUI offense! Can we finally lock him up for a while... before he hurts or kills someone?!

The Environmental Protection Agency has come up with a plan to remove the tar-like substance at Waukegan's lakefront. The nasty residue was left behind by North Shore Gas years ago, when coal was used as the primary source of energy. The cost of the clean-up? $10.6 million. North Shore Gas will have to pay for the clean-up, which will take 7 years to complete. One taxpayer commented that North Shore Gas "will raise the cost of gas to the consumers", and concluded that "You and I will pay." He took the words right out of my mouth.

By a 113-0 margin, the Illinois House has approved a proposal to ban powdered alcohol. That's right, no powdered alcohol allowed. What? Powdered alcohol? I didn't even know there was such a thing. Apparently it can be very dangerous when abused. What's next, powdered steak and potatoes? Oh, wait, there is such a thing as powdered potatoes. I want the real stuff!

It will once again be okay to hunt bobcats in Illinois after the measure was approved by the Illinois House and Senate. Bobcats? There are bobcats in Illinois? I never knew that. Former Governor Quinn vetoed the measure earlier this year, saying that the big cats still needed protection after a 40-year ban. The truth is: there's an overpopulation of them now. So, bobcats beware.

Priti Shah, of Des Plaines, was given 3 lottery scratch-off cards by her daughter on Mother's Day. Priti did not win anything with the first two, but she struck it rich with the last one. How much? $4 million!

A new report concerning the prevalence of allergies and asthma in cities nationwide has put Chicago near the top of the list. Chicago was ranked as the 6th "sneeziest and wheeziest" city in America. Chicago was also 6th in the country in a different survey last month. But this time it's favorable... 6th most "bikeable" city.