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Officials Sued for Denying Residents Gun Rights

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The heads of the Illinois State Police and the state’s Firearms Services Bureau are being sued for allegedly denying residents their Second Amendment gun rights.

The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by the Second Amendment Foundation on behalf of the Illinois State Rifle Association and four individuals.

It names as defendants Brendan F. Kelly, the director of the state police, and Jarod Ingebrigtsen of the Firearms Services agency.

“Illinois was the last state in the country to establish a licensed concealed carry program because we sued them in federal court and won,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb.

“The legislature passed a law requiring the ISP to either approve or deny an application within 90 days if the applicant supplies fingerprints, or 120 days if fingerprints are not submitted.” (Read more from “Officials Sued for Denying Residents Gun Rights” HERE)

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Woman Mauled to Death by Her Rescue French Bulldog

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An Illinois woman was likely viciously mauled to death inside her home by her own rescue French bulldog, according to authorities.

Lisa Urso, 52, was found dead at her home in Ingleside, located in the northern part of the state about 60 miles from both Chicago and Milwaukee in opposite directions.

Officers who responded to the scene after 4:43 p.m. Saturday found her mutilated body on the back porch, Fox Lake Police Chief Jimmy Lee said.

An autopsy confirmed she died from injuries sustained when her dog attacked her. The coroner’s office said the attack began inside the home but Urso managed to make it out to the porch, where she died, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

The coroner said the rescue dog had previously been used to fight, according to WGN. (Read more from “Woman Mauled to Death by Her Rescue French Bulldog” HERE)

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Carjacker Steals Car With Three Kids Sleeping Inside and Threatens to Shoot Them, but They Fight Back Instead (VIDEO)

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A 16-year-old is being hailed as a hero for fighting back when a carjacker stole her father’s car while she and her siblings slept inside. . .

Imama Muratab’s father left his three kids napping in their car to step out for a second and pick up pizzas at a Domino’s pizza store. . .

Muratab told NBC5-TV that she awoke to discover that someone other than her father was driving the car. Next to her were her 9-year-old brother and her 4-year-old sister. . .

She says that despite being scared, she grabbed the suspect by the neck and reached to seize her father’s phone. The other children jumped into the fight as well.

After the suspect realized she was calling the police, he jumped out of the car and into another vehicle.

(Read more from “Carjacker Steals Car With Three Kids Sleeping Inside and Threatens to Shoot Them, but They Fight Back Instead” HERE)

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9-Year-Old Charged with First-Degree Murder in Illinois (VIDEO)

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A 9-year-old child has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder, two counts of arson and one count of aggravated arson in connection with a mobile home fire that claimed the lives of five people in Illinois. . .

On April 6, a 1-year-old, two 2-year-olds, a 34-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman died of smoke inhalation from a home fire near Goodfield, Illinois, USA Today reported. Katrina Atwood, 27 at the time, survived, along with one of her children.

Now, authorities say, a 9-year-old is responsible for sparking the blaze, and should be held accountable for the deaths of the victims. According to the Woodford County coroner, the fire was set intentionally.

“It was a heavy decision,” Woodford County State’s Attorney Greg Minger told NBC News on deciding to move forward with prosecution. “It’s a tragedy, but at the end of the day, it’s charging a very young person with one of the most serious crimes we have. But I just think it needs to be done at this point, for finality.”

But proving that the accused child set the fire with the intent to kill could be a difficult task for the prosecution, juvenile defense attorney Gus Kostopoulos told the outlet. “Nine-year-olds don’t know that Santa Claus doesn’t exist,” Kostopoulos argued. “They don’t know people die and don’t come back to life. I don’t know if a 9-year-old can form intent to commit murder.”

(Read more from “9-Year-Old Charged with First-Degree Murder in Illinois” HERE)

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WATCH: FBI Raids Offices of Dem Senator as Part of ‘Ongoing Criminal Investigation’

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The offices of Illinois state Sen. Mark Sandoval (D) were raided by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents on Tuesday, as part of an “ongoing criminal investigation.” . . .

The FBI did not disclose any details of the investigation, but told the Chicago Tribune that the raids on Sandoval’s district office and at the Illinois State Capital Building involved agents conducting “authorized law enforcement activity.”

According to the Associated Press, “Several men in dark suits and ties could be seen walking from the Senate Democrats’ side of the Capitol, carrying the bags and boxes of materials. The word ‘evidence’ could be see written across at least one of the bags.” The Tribune reported that one agent appeared to be carrying a desktop computer wrapped in plastic.

The Daily Mail reported that the “new investigation comes off the heels of a string of alleged corruption at Chicago’s City Hall,” citing a number of ongoing federal probes launched against Illinois officials.

Sandoval has served in the Illinois Senate since 2003, and currently serves as chairman of the Transportation Committee. The senator was also behind pushing through an initiative that doubled the state’s gas tax to 38-cents a gallon this year. The new tax went into effect in July as part of an effort to raise $45 billion for an infrastructure plan. (Read more from “WATCH: FBI Raids Offices of Dem Senator as Part of ‘Ongoing Criminal Investigation'” HERE)

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New Law Requires LGBT History to Be Taught in Schools

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Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law legislation that requires all state-recognized public schools to include in their curriculum the study of historic contributions that members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community have made for the state and the country.

The law mandates that “Each public school district and state-recognized, non-public school shall, subject to appropriations for that purpose, receive a per pupil grant for the purchase of secular and non-discriminatory textbooks.” The state’s Board of Education will publish an annual list of “approved textbooks.”

One of the main supporters of the bill, State Sen. Heather Steans (D), said the reason for the bill is because “one of the best ways to overcome intolerance is through education and exposure to different people and viewpoints.” . . .

“It is my hope that teaching students about the valuable contributions LGBTQ individuals have made throughout history will create a safer environment with fewer incidents of harassment,” she continued. “LGBTQ children and teenagers will also be able to gain new role models who share life experiences with them.”

While the LGBT curriculum is limited only to public schools, the bill also mandates that private and Catholic schools expand their history lessons to include “a study of the role of labor unions and their interaction with government in achieving the goals of a mixed free enterprise system.” It also requires the teaching of contributions from numerous ethnic and immigrant groups. (Read more from “New Law Requires LGBT History to Be Taught in Schools” HERE)

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State Legalizes Abortion Until Birth

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Illinois governor JB Pritzker signed the nation’s most permissive abortion bill into law Wednesday, as part of an effort to make abortion a “fundamental right” in the state.

The legislature passed the sweeping abortion bill last month in a whirlwind session that saw massive tax hikes and huge expansions in government in addition to this most recent abortion bill.

As The Daily Wire reported then, Pritzker’s landmark abortion bill repeals the state’s ban on “partial birth abortions,” legalizing the procedure all the way through pregnancy and up until the moment of birth. The bill utterly ignores the concept of viability, a particularly shocking development given that most states currently passing abortion-related regulations are greatly restricting the practice, not expanding it.

The bill also removes licensing requirements for medical professionals conducting abortions, mandates that all insurance providers within the state pay for abortions in full — even Christian health-share insurance options — and permanently repeals protections for doctors and other medical professionals who refuse to take part in performing abortions. It also strips away any remaining licensing and inspection requirements for abortion clinics in the state — even though several have been targeted for unsafe practices — and repeals penalties for providing abortion services without a license.

Worse, the bill changes the legal language of the state’s bevy of laws on “reproductive rights” in an effort to ensure that abortion is treated as a “fundamental right” by the Illinois constitution and legal code. Without any specifications on what constitutes a “fundamental right,” it is likely only a matter of time before the new law is used to challenge existing parental notification laws and mandatory reporting laws.

The ACLU has already indicated that it will use the new bill to challenge any remaining abortion restrictions in Illinois. (Read more from “State Legalizes Abortion Until Birth” HERE)

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Great Plan, Guys! Dems Vote to Replace Armed Security at Schools with Mental Health Workers

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By Bizpac Review. The Illinois House of Representatives has come up with a brilliant plan to secure the safety of children in the state’s school system.

The plan is brilliant for Democrats, of course, who lead the state governing body as it calls for replacing armed police officers in schools with mental health professionals – who are unarmed, according to an Associated Press report.

The Democratic-led House in Illinois voted 64-25 on Friday in favor of the plan which seeks to set up a grant program rewarding schools for hiring the social workers.

Hillside Democratic Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch removed part of the proposed legislation after opposition from police over language that withheld funding from schools which hired armed security officers.

The measure comes in the wake of the mass shooting at a Parkland, Fla. high school in February and amid renewed calls for increasing security in public schools. (Read more from “Great Plan, Guys! Dems Vote to Replace Armed Security at Schools with Mental Health Workers” HERE)

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Illinois House Oks Amended Plan Adding School Therapists

By AP. A plan to replace armed security officers with unarmed social workers got a House OK with substantial changes . . .

Police had objected to the idea because schools could only get money if they stopped funding police officers. Hillside Democratic Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch removed that part.

Chicago Democratic state Rep. Juliana Stratton countered that putting police officers in schools aren’t the only way to keep kids safe. (Read more from “Illinois House Oks Amended Plan Adding School Therapists” HERE)

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Surveillance Footage Reveals Murder-Suicide in Illinois House Fire

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When Pamela Ringenberg awoke to the frightening sound of a smoke alarm in her Bloomington, Illinois home, she had no idea the horror that awaited her.

According to a statement by police, Ringenberg “frantically searched for her family members but was unable to find them.” She then fled to get help from her neighbors.

It wasn’t until later, when home surveillance camera footage was viewed, that the true horror was apparent: Her husband, Eric Ringenberg, 33, had allegedly been the culprit.

According to police, the 33-year-old father of two hid the family cellphones in the kitchen cabinets, returned to the basement where he had been with his sons, and murdered them.

He then hanged himself, setting the house on fire immediately beforehand. Firefighters found all three bodies as they rushed into the home Tuesday morning.

It was later confirmed through an autopsy that Eric Ringenberg’s death was from suicide and that both boys had been strangled. Pamela Ringenberg was hospitalized for smoke inhalation.

After such an extreme loss, she issued a statement to her friends and family on Facebook, asking for prayers and that they “refrain from judgement and understand this is a very difficult time.”

This is a difficult time that far too many parents go through.

By definition, filicide is the killing of one or more children by a parent, stepparent or other parental figure.

A study in the Forensic Science International journal published over three decades worth of data regarding this crime, reporting devastating results: The average number of kids killed by their parents every year totaled 500.

In 72 percent of recorded cases, the children were six years old or younger. One-third of the victims were under one year of age.

The study’s objective is to generate research that “may help identify at-risk populations and improve prevention and treatment.”

(For more from the author of “Surveillance Footage Reveals Murder-Suicide in Illinois House Fire” please click HERE)

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FUNNIEST CHART THIS YEAR: Illinois Obamacare Premiums to Skyrocket up To… 90%

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The hits just keep on coming in the deep blue state of Illinois.

There are the public sector union pension plans, which are simply bankrupting the state.

There are the ever-increasing property, income and sales taxes.

Oh. And then there’s the ultimate irony: the health care system in the state that gave us Barack Obama is going to be — yes, you guessed it — financially eviscerated:

Although [Obama] frequently promised ObamaCare would reduce health insurance premiums by $2,500 for the average family, health insurance costs continue to rise for everyday Illinoisans.

According to new data released Aug. 24 by the Illinois Department of Insurance, premiums for the cheapest silver-level plan on the ObamaCare exchange are set to rise by an average of 45 percent next year. The cheapest bronze-level plans will rise by an average of 44 percent, and the cheapest gold-level plans will rise by 55 percent… In some regions of the state, premium increases will soar far higher…

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…If skyrocketing premiums weren’t bad enough, tens of thousands of Illinoisans will also see their plans canceled at the end of the year. UnitedHealthcare and Aetna, two of the three largest insurers in the country, previously announced they were pulling out of Illinois’ ObamaCare exchange altogether. And even the insurers who are staying are canceling many of their existing offerings. Notices for these cancellations will go out in fall 2016.

Come to think of it, this little economic “turbulence” couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of statists. (For more from the author of “FUNNIEST CHART THIS YEAR: Illinois Obamacare Premiums to Skyrocket up To… 90%” please click HERE)

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