When Gregory L. Fraase described the conditions that women working in his Asian massage parlors endured when they were growing up overseas, his words highlighted the way he and others may have taken advantage of their desperation. “Most of these girls coming over, they don’t even have a shower in their house,” Fraase, 61, told […]
Illinois state police
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A decade later, still trying to clear his name
The Harbor Freight Tools parking lot where James Foster of Springfield was alleged to have sold a coworker one ounce of marijuana. Foster was acquitted of the charges, but lost his state job anyway. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE A decade ago, $100 apparently bought one ounce of marijuana. That’s how much pot James Foster of […]
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Minorities disproportionately stopped and searched
A study of traffic stop data released by the Illinois Department of Transportation shows minority drivers in Illinois and in Springfield are more likely than white drivers to be stopped and searched by police. Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union is pushing the federal government to investigate racial bias in traffic stop searches. The IDOT […]
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Pair freed from prison, but still not in the clear
In 1986, newlyweds Dyke and Karen Rhoades were murdered and their bodies burnt in their Paris, Ill., home. Police arrested Randy Steidl and Herb Whitlock for the murders, and the two men each spent many years in prison before their cases were overturned. Now, the DNA evidence in that double murder is being retested, and […]
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State Police can’t keep track of their stuff
An audit of the Illinois State Police released April 7 shows problems with inventory control, information security and more, but ISP says it lacks the resources to address some problems. Meanwhile, a report on the University of Illinois released the same day shows recurring problems with oversight of credit cards issued to university employees, among […]
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Independent watchdog warns: Illinois needs better accountability
You could call him an immovable object. He has outlasted three governors, called countless state agencies to task, and even survived an attempted hostile takeover of his constitutional office. Illinois Auditor General William “Bill” Holland spoke Oct. 23 to the Citizens Club of Springfield at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, addressing questions about his […]
