Thomas Kilbride is the chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. He said the murder of Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot days after singing at President Obama’s inauguration, could have been prevented.

Kilbride said one of the suspected shooters violated parole three times, and should have already been in custody.

“There are too many cases, with too few probation workers to handle the load, and this individual slipped through the system.”

The fastest a car is supposed to go in Illinois is 65 miles an hour.  Drivers could legally accelerate to 70 under a measure approved by the state Senate. The Senate easily passed the measure, 41 to 6.  Officials with the Illinois Department of Transportation say it could lead to more serious traffic accidents, because they say drivers will go even faster.

Populous counties, including Cook, the collar counties, Madison and St. Clair can keep the speed limits lower in their areas.

Federal budget cuts are expected to affect airports in Illinois. However, the scope of these reductions may vary. 

Lincoln Highway was America's first transnational highway. Stretching from New York City to San Francisco, it was completed at the dawn of the automobile age.

Universities will have to go beyond creating a disaster plan, they'll have to practice implementing it. The schools are participating in a new Illinois Emergency Management Agency program. Five years ago - five students were killed when a gunman opened fire in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University. Don Kauerauf heads the Illinois Terrorism Task Force:

When voters went to the polls last month, a majority chose Joe Boyer for Rock Run Township highway commissioner.  He passed away March 1. Stephenson County Clerk Vici Otte says by the time her office was made aware of the death, absentee voting had already started:

Some Illinois officials are pointing to recent torrential rains as a reason to upgrade the state’s underground infrastructure. A massive, car-swallowing pothole tore open a street on the South Side in Chicago. The culprit was an old water main from 1915.

Tom Powers, the city water commissioner, says when it broke during heavy rains, it washed out the street and soil, and the pavement couldn’t handle its own weight.