Better crosswalks for spot where officer killed
Two months after a popular Cook County correctional officer was struck and killed as she crossed a busy stretch of roadway at 29th and California en route to the jail where she worked, city and county officials are poised to announce improved crosswalks in the area and markings aimed at slowing down drivers.
Nikkii Bostic-Jones, 37, was struck by a van as she crossed the street in the 2900 block of South California Avenue on a rainy night July 18, officials said.
In the aftermath, concerns were raised about how dark the area was and how difficult it could be to cross both California Avenue and neighboring California Boulevard to the east.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle will be on hand Tuesday morning to announce new crosswalks on the boulevard and avenue, complete with raised medians, giving pedestrians a refuge between the northbound and southbound lanes of traffic.
Republicans decry Chicago politics
Will County Republicans rallied around the courthouse Monday to declare their independence from Chicago-style politics and fire up supporters for the Nov. 6 election.
Thirty-nine Republican candidates and elected officials signed an oversized copy of the declaration, which stated the “inept and often corrupt leadership of Chicago and Cook County has caused significant damage not only to their own county, but the entire state.”
Chicago Democrats have “conspired essentially to colonize the County of Will for the benefit of themselves,” the declaration continued.
The event, co-sponsored by the Will County Republican Party and the Will County Tea Party, was triggered, in part, by a redistricting map that split Will County into six congressional districts.
“With redistricting, the Chicago Machine has sliced Will County into six pieces, half of which belong to Chicago Democrats,” Republican Party Chair- man Ed Ronkowski said in a pre-event statement. “Will County Democrats stood by silently and allowed this to happen, essentially turning Will County into ‘Will Colony.’”
Eight people were injured in a CTA bus crash late Monday morning in the Gage Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side.
A northbound No. 49 Western bus was stopped at the intersection of 54th Street and Western when it was hit from behind by a truck, officials said.
The injured were listed in serious condition with non-life-threatening injuries. Four people were taken to Saint Bernard Hospital and four to Holy Cross Hospital.