ROCKFORD Officials ushered in a new era for the City Council on Monday, bidding farewell to two long-serving aldermen and two others who didn t seek reelection while welcoming five new members.
Among those leaving City Council were Venita Hervey, D-5, who served for 12 years, and Ann Thompson-Kelly, D-7, who served for 20 years.
Mayor Tom McNamara said both were fierce advocates for their wards who pursued and won significant investment in infrastructure that included the reconstruction of South Main Street and West State Street.
McNamara said Hervey was known for her tough questions on the floor of council chambers that made us better and Thompson-Kelly set an example for other aldermen to follow.
ROCKFORD Residents are on edge ahead of a verdict in the Derek Chauvin murder trial, and local police say they have contingency plans in place in case of unrest.
Rockford activist Jay Ware said he is scared of how people might react if Chauvin is found not guilty and what it would say about justice in the United States. I am very apprehensive, Ware said. I think there is probably a 50-50 chance that justice is going to happen. I think the guy is guilty, but I just don’t have very much faith in the system.
Ware and other activists said a not guilty verdict in the face of what they view as overwhelming evidence against Chauvin the Minneapolis police officer who was accused of murder after he knelt on a handcuffed George Floyd s neck for more than 9 minutes as he died would signal that there is no justice in America.
ROCKFORD (WREX) A major change of leadership is underway in Rockford. Police Chief Dan O Shea says he will leave this year, but has not announced a date.
He did release a statement on Wednesday saying: “Ever since I was hired, 2021 was the year that I expected to leave. As of today, I have not announced a date. When I leave, I firmly believe that the Rockford Police Department will be in a far better position than when I arrived.”
The city says it hasn t received any formal notification from O Shea on his status as chief, but city leaders sat down with 13 News to look back at O Shea s tenure and what comes next.
ROCKFORD The City Council approved an ordinance this week regulating hookah lounges, including requiring installation of an exhaust system and installation of carbon monoxide detectors.
City Legal Director Nicholas Meyer said the ordinance should pave a way for officials to consider proposals for the establishment of hookah lounges that had been put on hold as the city developed its regulations. We had a couple businesses come through seeking a tobacco license, and we knew they were going to open a hookah lounge, and we wanted to make sure if they are going to do that, we were prepared to put some rules in place on what they were going to do, Meyer said. If we didn’t pass the ordinance, they likely would have been able to open without any oversight from the city at all.
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