Illinois prisons and mental health facilities are already overcrowded and Gov. Pat Quinn plans to close several facilities due to budget constraints. Employees and communities impacted by the impending closures are worried about what will happen to the people living in the closing mental health and jail facilities.  The state is considering housing the inmates in gymnasiums. One correctional officer recalled when the state tried housing inmates in gyms in the ‘80s: "I can't tell you the numerous fights, inmate assaults, and staff injuries when this did take place," Randy Hellmann said.

Times are tough for restaurateurs and one suburban businessman is hoping his customers will rally behind him and help him keep his pizza place open. The owner of Nick’s Pizza & Pub in Crystal Lake is sending email to customers, asking them to dine more often at his place because he’ll go out of business if they don’t.

Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles was hit with a $28.5 million foreclosure claim this summer. The lender who filed a foreclosure notice on Pheasant Run Resort now  wants a judge to appoint a receiver to run the property, according to court records.

Frozen beef in the freezer? Check the labels. The Kane County Health Department sent a public alert that Tyson Fresh Meats Inc., an Emporia, KA, establishment, is recalling approximately 131,300 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

Evanston police arrested a 36-year-old woman and charged her in connection with a stabbing that occurred at Evanston Township High School during a football practice on Sept. 27. The victim sustained three non-life threatening stab wounds.

Penmanship used to be a staple of the curriculum. Palos Patch Moms Talk wonders if cursive is a dying art as schools across the country are spending less time on penmanship and more on computer lessons.