Traffic cam enriches town; 14 dogs die of heat; female substitute-student sex
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Odd and interesting news from the Midwest.
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DETROIT (AP) — All lanes of Interstate 75 are back open after a semi-truck knocked a hole in a concrete wall on the Rouge River bridge and fell to the ground in southwest Detroit.
Michigan State Police say the driver of the semi sustained only minor injuries in the crash about 1 p.m. on Sunday and was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
The driver, who was heading northbound, said the crash occurred after he was cut off by a car.
All lanes were open Monday ahead of the morning rush hour period. The Michigan Department of Transportation spokeswoman said one lane of traffic had been closed Sunday afternoon as workers cleaned up debris and worked to install a guardrail.
- By MARK GILLISPIE Associated Press
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CLEVELAND (AP) — Two refrigerator trucks filled with cases of donated bottled water, sports drinks and corned beef sandwiches were being driven from a Cleveland police union hall to Philadelphia on Monday to give to law enforcement officers providing security during the Democratic National Convention in that city.
People donated thousands of cases of water, non-perishable food and sundries like suntan lotion last week at the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association hall for use by police in Cleveland last week during the Republican National Convention, union president Steve Loomis said.
"I've never seen anything like it," Loomis said as volunteers finished loading one of the trucks.
People began dropping off donations the Friday before the Cleveland convention's start on July 18, Loomis said. Volunteers handed out a truckload of water and sports drink to police and protesters alike on each day of the four-day Republican convention, Loomis said. A social media post thanking those who donated items to police prompted even more donations, Loomis added.
About 2,800 law enforcement officers from around the country supplemented 500 Cleveland officers during a convention that saw only two dozen arrests and no serious injuries.
Cases of snacks such as granola bars have been given to homeless shelters in Cleveland, Loomis said. Horses and police dogs working the convention weren't forgotten. People donated apples, a 50-pound bag of carrots for the horses and rawhide for the dogs.
Philadelphia might be known for its cheesesteak sandwiches, but officers working the Democratic convention will get a chance to try one of Cleveland's iconic foods -- corned beef sandwiches from Slyman's Deli, which has been visited by presidential candidates from both parties over the years.
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HARPER WOODS, Mich. (AP) — A dye pack has exploded inside a Detroit-area bank during an attempted robbery.
The Detroit News reports (http://detne.ws/2arAT4U ) that police arrested a woman Monday afternoon as she was trying to leave the bank in Harper Woods, northeast of Detroit.
The woman was armed with a knife and also tried to rob a bank customer.
Dye packs typically are included with cash taken during robberies from banks.
Police say the dye pack in Monday's holdup exploded and caused several officers, customers and employees to experience skin and lung irritation.
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Information from: The Detroit News, http://detnews.com/
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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A state lawyer says Iowa athletic director Gary Barta isn't a public official.
Assistant attorney general George Carroll made that claim in a filing last week. He's asking a judge to dismiss former senior associate athletic director Jane Meyer's request for an injunction blocking her layoff.
Meyer has been informed that her university job is being eliminated in September. She argues she's being punished for complaining to Barta about gender discrimination.
Barta reassigned Meyer outside of athletics in 2014, noting her partner, former field hockey coach Tracey Griesbaum, was planning to sue Barta over her firing.
Meyer is seeking to stop her layoff under Iowa's Whistleblower Act, which protects employees who disclose wrongdoing to public officials.
Carroll says Barta isn't a public official since he reports to the university president.
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CHICAGO (AP) — Gov. Bruce Rauner is renewing his call for term limits and says the General Assembly should vote on the idea in the fall.
Rauner delivered a campaign-style speech Monday in Chicago. Relying on a teleprompter, he spoke for less than 10 minutes and wouldn't take reporters' questions.
The first-term Republican says Illinois politics needs new ideas and faces. He says he'll be pushing term limits during a two-day state tour.
Rauner backed term limits in his 2014 gubernatorial campaign, but a judge found a signature-driven ballot question was unconstitutional. The same judge also threw out a measure proposing changes to how the state draws its political boundaries
A revamped redistricting measure is pending review by the Illinois Supreme Court after a Cook County judge found it unconstitutional for November's ballot.
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CHICAGO (AP) — Two separate efforts have arisen in Illinois that attempt to alter laws governing sex offenders in Illinois.
A group of five registered child sex offenders has filed a federal lawsuit in Chicago, saying Illinois sex offender laws are unconstitutional because they're too vague.
Separate from the legal challenge, the Illinois legislature is also tackling the issue of whether laws governing those convicted of sex crimes involving children need to be reconsidered. A bill passed by lawmakers and awaiting Gov. Bruce Rauner's consideration would form a task force dedicated to assessing whether sex offenders should be classified by the type of risk they pose.
The public's fear of such offenders means that any attempt to loosen restrictions is likely to face resistance, the Chicago Tribune (http://trib.in/2aaRGHK ) reported.
"My sympathies are limited," said Sean Black, spokesman for the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault. "I'm much more concerned about the victim than the offender. That doesn't mean there can't be tweaks to try to make it better and more rehabilitative."
Black said the organization believes sex offenders need to be monitored in order for the public to be safe, as many offenders have more than one victim.
A U.S. Department of Justice study in 2004 found that 5 percent of sex offenders were rearrested for another sex crime within three years.
Rep. Michael Zalewski, D-Riverside, said he supports sex offender laws, but that they might be burdensome for police to enforce. He said streamlining them could protect the public further.
"The one time that person reoffends, the hue and cry from the public will be, 'Lawmakers, you failed us,'" he said.
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Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com
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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The embattled board chairman of an Omaha community college said Monday that he won't resign but will not run for re-election in November.
Fred Conley repeated at a news conference Monday that he's done nothing wrong, according to the Omaha World-Herald (http://bit.ly/2arYoh1 ). Conley has served on the Metropolitan Community College board since 2005.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development banned Conley from participating in federal contracts for three years, saying he failed to disclose a potential conflict of interest while serving on the Omaha Housing Authority board. Conley has filed a federal lawsuit to overturn the Housing Department's action. His lawsuit says he had no conflict of interest in using a cubicle and an email address at the domain of the Davis Cos., which did business with the Housing Authority.
The Department of Education's Federal Student Aid Office told Metropolitan Community College last month that the school must remove any leader who is barred from participating in federal contracts in order to maintain its eligibility to receive federal student aid program funds. The college received $32.7 million in federal student aid in the 2014-15 school year.
Conley has been under pressure from fellow board members and others to leave the board, which has no power to remove him from his elected board seat. The board is scheduled to meet Tuesday and could vote on a resolution censuring Conley and asking him to resign.
He's also a member of the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District board. District officials have said they haven't been notified by any federal authorities that Conley's presence poses a funding or other issue.
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Information from: Omaha World-Herald, http://www.omaha.com
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GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — About two weeks before the next statewide election, those in charge of Wisconsin's new voting information website are making last-minute changes in order to ensure the site does what it's meant to do.
The Green Bay Press-Gazette (http://gbpg.net/2aaNfN8 ) reports that the month-old site, MyVote.Wi.Gov, was undergoing fixes and updates Friday afternoon before the Aug. 9 primaries. State Elections Commission officials say upgrades are likely to continue this week.
The largest repair on Friday fixed a glitch that made it so no one in Green Bay could look up his or her polling place on the website. Elections Commission officials worked with the Green Bay City Clerk's office to resolve the issue after a USA Today Network-Wisconsin reporter found that part of the site wasn't working for Green Bay residents.
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Information from: Press-Gazette Media, http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com
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DETROIT (AP) — Police say a decomposed body has been found wrapped in plastic and rolled into a carpet behind a home on Detroit's west side.
The Detroit News and WJBK-TV report the body was discovered early Monday and circumstances of the death weren't immediately known.
Detroit police Sgt. Michael Woody says the person's identity also wasn't immediately known.
The Detroit Free Press reports the body was so decomposed that investigators couldn't immediately determine the sex or age range. The body has been taken to the office of the Wayne County Medical Examiner, which says an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.
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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A former substitute teacher is accused of having sexual contact with a Cedar Rapids student.
Twenty-four-year-old Mary Haglin is charged with sexual exploitation by a school employee. She was arrested Friday. Online court records don't list the name of an attorney who could comment on Haglin's behalf.
Authorities say she had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old boy who attended Washington High School. Haglin told Cedar Rapids station KGAN (http://bit.ly/2arK2Ns ) that she regrets what took place.
The district says that after its investigation it barred Haglin from teaching at district schools. But the district also says that, because of a miscommunication with the substitute placement system, Haglin worked for a short time as an elementary substitute at the end of the 2015-2016 school year.
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Information from: KGAN-TV, http://www.kgan.com
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LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Lottery is offering a free online offer after a Michigan woman won $1 million online playing the multistate Powerball game.
Beginning at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, the Michigan Lottery is offering a promo code good for $5 in free play to new online players. Details will be posted Tuesday on its website.
Tammy Weadock of Onsted won a $1 million Powerball prize after her ticket matched the five white balls drawn in the July 13 drawing.
Powerball tickets cost $2 each and Weadock is the second player to win a $1 million prize through the Michigan Lottery's online game platform. Last year, Pamela Rawson of Allegan County won $1 million playing the online instant game Diamond Payout.
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Online:
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ATLANTIC, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say five people were injured when a carnival ride malfunctioned at the Cass County Fair in Atlantic.
Police Lt. David Erickson says the five were on the Octopus ride around 7:40 p.m. Sunday when the arms holding their cars slammed to the ground. A woman, three girls and a boy were taken to Cass County Memorial Hospital for treatment. Their names, ages and hometowns haven't been released.
Erickson says the ride was shut down and will be examined Monday by a state inspector.
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TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Toledo collected almost $630,000 during its first four months of using hand-held cameras to catch speeding drivers, providing a financial boost to a city facing budget troubles.
The program was expected to generate $800,000 in a year but is on pace to collect more than twice that amount, The Blade (http://bit.ly/2a5yiPS ) reported.
Officers using the city's four hand-held cameras have been stationed in marked cars and on motorcycles in school zones and under bridges on Interstate 475. Speeders captured on video are fined $120, and at least $90 of that goes to the city.
A portion of the fines goes to Redflex Traffic Systems, the Arizona firm that also maintains the city's system of 44 stationary speed and red-light cameras. The stationary cameras generated nearly $1 million for the city in the first half of this year, or about two-thirds of the expected annual amount.
Among the nearly 6,300 people ticketed using the hand-held cameras from March to June was Theresa Gabriel, the chairwoman of the City Council's public safety and criminal justice reform committee. She was surprised by the amount of money generated using the hand-held devices.
"I am sure the administration is looking at this as a good thing, and I am sure the taxpayers are looking at it as if they are victims, but if you are speeding, you are speeding," she said.
The city has been dealing with a tight budget and within the last year has increased trash collection fees and delayed hiring new police officers and firefighters.
Councilman Rob Ludeman said the goal of the speed cameras is to get people to slow down, not to raise funds.
"I congratulate the police department for being aggressive," he said. "I've never wanted it to be a revenue generator, but it will make our streets safe."
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Information from: The Blade, http://www.toledoblade.com/
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HILL CITY, S.D. (AP) — A couple playing the popular smartphone game Pokémon Go in Hill City helped recover a statue that had been stolen from Rapid City.
Pennington County Sheriff's Deputy Doug Kimball tells KOTA-TV that the couple was playing the game over the weekend when they noticed a bronze bust in some bushes and alerted authorities.
Kimball says the bust was of former Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce board chairman E.P. Howe. It had recently been taken from the chamber's board room.
KEVN-TV reports that the statue was in good condition and has been returned to the chamber. The sheriff's office is still investigating.
The "augmented reality" Pokemon go game layers gameplay onto the physical world and sends players to real-world locations to capture virtual creatures.
DETROIT (AP) — All lanes of Interstate 75 are back open after a semi-truck knocked a hole in a concrete wall on the Rouge River bridge and fell to the ground in southwest Detroit.
Michigan State Police say the driver of the semi sustained only minor injuries in the crash about 1 p.m. on Sunday and was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
The driver, who was heading northbound, said the crash occurred after he was cut off by a car.
All lanes were open Monday ahead of the morning rush hour period. The Michigan Department of Transportation spokeswoman said one lane of traffic had been closed Sunday afternoon as workers cleaned up debris and worked to install a guardrail.
- By MARK GILLISPIE Associated Press
CLEVELAND (AP) — Two refrigerator trucks filled with cases of donated bottled water, sports drinks and corned beef sandwiches were being driven from a Cleveland police union hall to Philadelphia on Monday to give to law enforcement officers providing security during the Democratic National Convention in that city.
People donated thousands of cases of water, non-perishable food and sundries like suntan lotion last week at the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association hall for use by police in Cleveland last week during the Republican National Convention, union president Steve Loomis said.
"I've never seen anything like it," Loomis said as volunteers finished loading one of the trucks.
People began dropping off donations the Friday before the Cleveland convention's start on July 18, Loomis said. Volunteers handed out a truckload of water and sports drink to police and protesters alike on each day of the four-day Republican convention, Loomis said. A social media post thanking those who donated items to police prompted even more donations, Loomis added.
About 2,800 law enforcement officers from around the country supplemented 500 Cleveland officers during a convention that saw only two dozen arrests and no serious injuries.
Cases of snacks such as granola bars have been given to homeless shelters in Cleveland, Loomis said. Horses and police dogs working the convention weren't forgotten. People donated apples, a 50-pound bag of carrots for the horses and rawhide for the dogs.
Philadelphia might be known for its cheesesteak sandwiches, but officers working the Democratic convention will get a chance to try one of Cleveland's iconic foods -- corned beef sandwiches from Slyman's Deli, which has been visited by presidential candidates from both parties over the years.
HARPER WOODS, Mich. (AP) — A dye pack has exploded inside a Detroit-area bank during an attempted robbery.
The Detroit News reports (http://detne.ws/2arAT4U ) that police arrested a woman Monday afternoon as she was trying to leave the bank in Harper Woods, northeast of Detroit.
The woman was armed with a knife and also tried to rob a bank customer.
Dye packs typically are included with cash taken during robberies from banks.
Police say the dye pack in Monday's holdup exploded and caused several officers, customers and employees to experience skin and lung irritation.
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Information from: The Detroit News, http://detnews.com/
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A state lawyer says Iowa athletic director Gary Barta isn't a public official.
Assistant attorney general George Carroll made that claim in a filing last week. He's asking a judge to dismiss former senior associate athletic director Jane Meyer's request for an injunction blocking her layoff.
Meyer has been informed that her university job is being eliminated in September. She argues she's being punished for complaining to Barta about gender discrimination.
Barta reassigned Meyer outside of athletics in 2014, noting her partner, former field hockey coach Tracey Griesbaum, was planning to sue Barta over her firing.
Meyer is seeking to stop her layoff under Iowa's Whistleblower Act, which protects employees who disclose wrongdoing to public officials.
Carroll says Barta isn't a public official since he reports to the university president.
CHICAGO (AP) — Gov. Bruce Rauner is renewing his call for term limits and says the General Assembly should vote on the idea in the fall.
Rauner delivered a campaign-style speech Monday in Chicago. Relying on a teleprompter, he spoke for less than 10 minutes and wouldn't take reporters' questions.
The first-term Republican says Illinois politics needs new ideas and faces. He says he'll be pushing term limits during a two-day state tour.
Rauner backed term limits in his 2014 gubernatorial campaign, but a judge found a signature-driven ballot question was unconstitutional. The same judge also threw out a measure proposing changes to how the state draws its political boundaries
A revamped redistricting measure is pending review by the Illinois Supreme Court after a Cook County judge found it unconstitutional for November's ballot.
CHICAGO (AP) — Two separate efforts have arisen in Illinois that attempt to alter laws governing sex offenders in Illinois.
A group of five registered child sex offenders has filed a federal lawsuit in Chicago, saying Illinois sex offender laws are unconstitutional because they're too vague.
Separate from the legal challenge, the Illinois legislature is also tackling the issue of whether laws governing those convicted of sex crimes involving children need to be reconsidered. A bill passed by lawmakers and awaiting Gov. Bruce Rauner's consideration would form a task force dedicated to assessing whether sex offenders should be classified by the type of risk they pose.
The public's fear of such offenders means that any attempt to loosen restrictions is likely to face resistance, the Chicago Tribune (http://trib.in/2aaRGHK ) reported.
"My sympathies are limited," said Sean Black, spokesman for the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault. "I'm much more concerned about the victim than the offender. That doesn't mean there can't be tweaks to try to make it better and more rehabilitative."
Black said the organization believes sex offenders need to be monitored in order for the public to be safe, as many offenders have more than one victim.
A U.S. Department of Justice study in 2004 found that 5 percent of sex offenders were rearrested for another sex crime within three years.
Rep. Michael Zalewski, D-Riverside, said he supports sex offender laws, but that they might be burdensome for police to enforce. He said streamlining them could protect the public further.
"The one time that person reoffends, the hue and cry from the public will be, 'Lawmakers, you failed us,'" he said.
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Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The embattled board chairman of an Omaha community college said Monday that he won't resign but will not run for re-election in November.
Fred Conley repeated at a news conference Monday that he's done nothing wrong, according to the Omaha World-Herald (http://bit.ly/2arYoh1 ). Conley has served on the Metropolitan Community College board since 2005.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development banned Conley from participating in federal contracts for three years, saying he failed to disclose a potential conflict of interest while serving on the Omaha Housing Authority board. Conley has filed a federal lawsuit to overturn the Housing Department's action. His lawsuit says he had no conflict of interest in using a cubicle and an email address at the domain of the Davis Cos., which did business with the Housing Authority.
The Department of Education's Federal Student Aid Office told Metropolitan Community College last month that the school must remove any leader who is barred from participating in federal contracts in order to maintain its eligibility to receive federal student aid program funds. The college received $32.7 million in federal student aid in the 2014-15 school year.
Conley has been under pressure from fellow board members and others to leave the board, which has no power to remove him from his elected board seat. The board is scheduled to meet Tuesday and could vote on a resolution censuring Conley and asking him to resign.
He's also a member of the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District board. District officials have said they haven't been notified by any federal authorities that Conley's presence poses a funding or other issue.
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Information from: Omaha World-Herald, http://www.omaha.com
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — About two weeks before the next statewide election, those in charge of Wisconsin's new voting information website are making last-minute changes in order to ensure the site does what it's meant to do.
The Green Bay Press-Gazette (http://gbpg.net/2aaNfN8 ) reports that the month-old site, MyVote.Wi.Gov, was undergoing fixes and updates Friday afternoon before the Aug. 9 primaries. State Elections Commission officials say upgrades are likely to continue this week.
The largest repair on Friday fixed a glitch that made it so no one in Green Bay could look up his or her polling place on the website. Elections Commission officials worked with the Green Bay City Clerk's office to resolve the issue after a USA Today Network-Wisconsin reporter found that part of the site wasn't working for Green Bay residents.
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Information from: Press-Gazette Media, http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com
DETROIT (AP) — Police say a decomposed body has been found wrapped in plastic and rolled into a carpet behind a home on Detroit's west side.
The Detroit News and WJBK-TV report the body was discovered early Monday and circumstances of the death weren't immediately known.
Detroit police Sgt. Michael Woody says the person's identity also wasn't immediately known.
The Detroit Free Press reports the body was so decomposed that investigators couldn't immediately determine the sex or age range. The body has been taken to the office of the Wayne County Medical Examiner, which says an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A former substitute teacher is accused of having sexual contact with a Cedar Rapids student.
Twenty-four-year-old Mary Haglin is charged with sexual exploitation by a school employee. She was arrested Friday. Online court records don't list the name of an attorney who could comment on Haglin's behalf.
Authorities say she had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old boy who attended Washington High School. Haglin told Cedar Rapids station KGAN (http://bit.ly/2arK2Ns ) that she regrets what took place.
The district says that after its investigation it barred Haglin from teaching at district schools. But the district also says that, because of a miscommunication with the substitute placement system, Haglin worked for a short time as an elementary substitute at the end of the 2015-2016 school year.
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Information from: KGAN-TV, http://www.kgan.com
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Lottery is offering a free online offer after a Michigan woman won $1 million online playing the multistate Powerball game.
Beginning at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, the Michigan Lottery is offering a promo code good for $5 in free play to new online players. Details will be posted Tuesday on its website.
Tammy Weadock of Onsted won a $1 million Powerball prize after her ticket matched the five white balls drawn in the July 13 drawing.
Powerball tickets cost $2 each and Weadock is the second player to win a $1 million prize through the Michigan Lottery's online game platform. Last year, Pamela Rawson of Allegan County won $1 million playing the online instant game Diamond Payout.
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Online:
ATLANTIC, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say five people were injured when a carnival ride malfunctioned at the Cass County Fair in Atlantic.
Police Lt. David Erickson says the five were on the Octopus ride around 7:40 p.m. Sunday when the arms holding their cars slammed to the ground. A woman, three girls and a boy were taken to Cass County Memorial Hospital for treatment. Their names, ages and hometowns haven't been released.
Erickson says the ride was shut down and will be examined Monday by a state inspector.
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Toledo collected almost $630,000 during its first four months of using hand-held cameras to catch speeding drivers, providing a financial boost to a city facing budget troubles.
The program was expected to generate $800,000 in a year but is on pace to collect more than twice that amount, The Blade (http://bit.ly/2a5yiPS ) reported.
Officers using the city's four hand-held cameras have been stationed in marked cars and on motorcycles in school zones and under bridges on Interstate 475. Speeders captured on video are fined $120, and at least $90 of that goes to the city.
A portion of the fines goes to Redflex Traffic Systems, the Arizona firm that also maintains the city's system of 44 stationary speed and red-light cameras. The stationary cameras generated nearly $1 million for the city in the first half of this year, or about two-thirds of the expected annual amount.
Among the nearly 6,300 people ticketed using the hand-held cameras from March to June was Theresa Gabriel, the chairwoman of the City Council's public safety and criminal justice reform committee. She was surprised by the amount of money generated using the hand-held devices.
"I am sure the administration is looking at this as a good thing, and I am sure the taxpayers are looking at it as if they are victims, but if you are speeding, you are speeding," she said.
The city has been dealing with a tight budget and within the last year has increased trash collection fees and delayed hiring new police officers and firefighters.
Councilman Rob Ludeman said the goal of the speed cameras is to get people to slow down, not to raise funds.
"I congratulate the police department for being aggressive," he said. "I've never wanted it to be a revenue generator, but it will make our streets safe."
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Information from: The Blade, http://www.toledoblade.com/
HILL CITY, S.D. (AP) — A couple playing the popular smartphone game Pokémon Go in Hill City helped recover a statue that had been stolen from Rapid City.
Pennington County Sheriff's Deputy Doug Kimball tells KOTA-TV that the couple was playing the game over the weekend when they noticed a bronze bust in some bushes and alerted authorities.
Kimball says the bust was of former Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce board chairman E.P. Howe. It had recently been taken from the chamber's board room.
KEVN-TV reports that the statue was in good condition and has been returned to the chamber. The sheriff's office is still investigating.
The "augmented reality" Pokemon go game layers gameplay onto the physical world and sends players to real-world locations to capture virtual creatures.
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