CHICAGO, IL - Leaving your kids home alone this Christmas to stop by the neighbors’ for eggnog could still bring the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services knocking on your door.
Unlike the parents in the Chicagoland Christmas classic “Home Alone,” Illinoisans can face investigation, arrest and even loss of custody of their children for leaving a minor home unsupervised for too long or unprepared.
Illinois had the highest home alone age in the nation until last year. Most states don’t see a need to legally define when it is OK to leave a child unattended, but Illinois was one of five with statewide laws on the books.
Under the previous state law, it could be considered neglect or abuse when any minor under the age of 14 years was left without supervision for an unreasonable period of time without regard for their mental health, physical health, safety or welfare.
But an amendment to the criminal code clarifies leaving any minor under the age of 18 unsupervised is no longer considered neglect if the child is engaging in independent activities, such as staying at home alone, unless it is for an unreasonable period of time or the conditions constitute an “unreasonable risk” of harm.
The amendment that went into effect June 2023 also no longer specifies an age to determine reasonableness for allowing minors to stay home alone in Illinois. Click here to read more.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF - An estimated 8 million illegal aliens live in so-called sanctuary cities and states across the United States that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement agents, an estimate from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) indicates.
The estimate from CIS relies on a previous analysis from the center that approximated that the total illegal alien population present in the United States is roughly 14 million, with CIS positing that over half of the illegal alien population resides in sanctuary jurisdictions.
“Although there is much imprecision in the data, the bottom line is that close to eight million illegal aliens, equaling 56 percent of the estimated nationwide total, live in sanctuary jurisdictions,” CIS says in its analysis.
The center also details the specific sanctuary states and cities, along with the estimates of how many illegal aliens live in each. CIS estimates that a whopping 3 million illegal aliens reside in California while about 868,000 are believed to live in New York state. Just over half a million illegal aliens are believed to live in Illinois with another 372,000 believed to live in Washington state. Click here to read more.
SACRAMENTO, CALIF - California Governor Gavin Newsom appears to be missing the days of having unlimited power, so he’s decided to fire up the masses about the possible spread of Bird Flu in California despite such incidents never occurring.
On Wednesday, Newsom declared a state emergency, ordering more “monitoring” and “tracking” resources with the seeming hopes of dialing up another PCR testing pandemic. California will now deploy the largest testing and monitoring system in the nation to hunt down the Super Bird Sniffles.
"This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak," Governor Newsom said in the statement Wednesday.
"Building on California’s testing and monitoring system — the largest in the nation — we are committed to further protecting public health, supporting our agriculture industry, and ensuring that Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information," he added. "While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus."
The news came on the heels of the CDC reporting the first “severe” Bird flu case in the United States, reporting that an undisclosed individual in Louisiana has been hospitalized after being potentially exposed to questionable poultry. The CDC said its viral genome data showed a strain unrelated to the bird flu cases documented in cattle. Click here to read more.
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan’s animal shelters have come a long way in the last 15 years. In 2009, the grim reality was that more than 32,000 dogs and nearly 71,000 cats were euthanized statewide. That’s more than 100,000 animals that didn’t get a second chance at life.
Fast forward to the statistics for 2023, and those numbers have plummeted to 6,999 dogs and 4,371 cats who were euthanized at Michigan animal shelters. This big drop reflects years of effort, innovation, and cooperation among shelters, rescue groups, and communities.
According to data from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), which regulates and oversees the state’s animal shelters, 37,749 dogs and 50,746 cats were adopted out in 2023. The 2024 numbers should be available in the spring of 2025.
However, while adoption rates continue to climb, some shelters still face significant challenges.
The shelter with the highest percentage of dogs euthanized in 2023 according to our Michigan News Source analysis* was Detroit Animal Care and Control (42.9%) in Wayne County. Following close behind were: Kalamazoo County Animal Services and Enforcement (42.2%), Calhoun County Animal Center (41.8%), Eaton County Animal Control (40.1%) and the Ingham County Animal Control & Shelter (39.9%). Click here to read more.
REDFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. - A family is taking legal action after a Detroit-area funeral home mistakenly cremated a woman’s body weeks before they were supposed to.
The woman died late last month.
The visitation was scheduled for Dec. 16, with the funeral set for the next day, but the body was cremated at the beginning of December and the family wasn’t notified until more than a week later.
“I’m supposed to be at a viewing looking at my mom and I can’t,” Saijae Hollis, Rhonda Hollis’ daughter, said.
Saijae Hollis said the visitation for her mother, who died unexpectedly on Nov. 23, was supposed to be on Monday, Dec. 16.
The funeral was scheduled to take place the day after, and then her mother was supposed to be cremated after that.
“The family could say their goodbyes and we’ll be able to cope from there, but it didn’t happen like that,” Saijae Hollis said.
Instead Saijae Hollis says her grandmother, Kathy Hollis, received an unexpected call from Fisher Funeral Home. Click here to read more. Click here to read more.
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