Calling it "just a small token of appreciation," Chicago aldermen on Thursday gave preliminary approval to an ordinance that would provide a property tax break to the spouses of police officers, firefighters, and paramedics who die in the line of duty. The measure sponsored by Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11th) would allow those spouses to apply for a waiver of the city's portion of their property tax bill for as long as they remain unmarried, and stay in the home where they lived with their wife or husband. The Illinois legislature authorized the tax breaks in a 2012 state law that allows local and county governments to offer a tax abatement to the families of fallen first responders. The tax exemption would apply only to Chicago's share of property tax bills, which usually make up 20% to 25% of the overall amount due.  

Hundreds of downstate and suburban pension funds should be consolidated to improve investment returns and ease the burden on local property taxes, a state task force recommended Thursday. The report from the Illinois Pension Consolidation Feasibility Task Force only made recommendations for 649 local police and fire pension systems scattered around the state. It did not make recommendations that affect the woefully underfunded five state pension systems or those operated by the city of Chicago. But Gov. JB Pritzker, who formed the task force in February, said the recommendations for the police and fire funds represented "monumental progress" in the state's effort to get control of spiraling public employee pension costs. "One of the most critical, long-term fiscal challenges is the need to address unfunded pension liabilities for local governments and the surging property tax burdens that they create," Pritzker said.  

A man died in a house fire Thursday morning in southwest suburban Bolingbrook, according to police. A neighbor called about 6:50 a.m. to report smoke coming from a single-family home in the 400 block of Navajo Court, according to Bolingbrook Police Lt. Anthony Columbus. Firefighters and police offices arrived and found smoke coming from the home's kitchen, Columbus said. The fire was limited to the kitchen and possibly the attic, but the main issue was smoldering material and smoke, he said. Inside, authorities found an unconscious 54-year-old man, Columbus said. The man, who was the only person inside the home, was pronounced dead at the scene. The fire was extinguished by 7:05 a.m., Columbus said. No foul play was suspected, although an investigation into the cause of the fire was ongoing, he said.  

The Decatur Fire Department and Decatur Police Department were on scene of a traffic crash on Thursday afternoon. A WAND-TV crew was on the scene and saw a Jeep Compass and a sedan were involved in the crash at Main Street and Garfield. It happened around 3:15 p.m. Firefighters told the station two adults went to a hospital for evaluation. Crews did not have to extricate anyone from either of the vehicles. Both vehicles sustained heavy damage. It's not clear if anyone was injured in the crash. The airbags did deploy in the sedan. All lanes of traffic are back open Thursday night.  

About 23,000 homes -- involving roughly 100,000 people -- have been told to evacuate in the northern Los Angeles area because of the Saddleridge Fire, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said Friday. At least 25 homes, many in the Porter Ranch area, have been damaged, Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said. Moore again pleaded with people to leave if they're told to do so. "I saw people firsthand (in evacuation zones) attempting to fight the fire with garden hoses," far outmatched by the flames, he said. "Those individuals placed not only themselves in imminent peril," but also first responders "because of our need and desire to try to rescue them." Besides burning in northern Los Angeles, the fire also is moving north toward the city of Santa Clarita, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Deputy Dave Richardson said. Classes in the Santa Clarita area are being canceled, an official said in a news conference.  

Calling it "just a small token of appreciation," Chicago aldermen on Thursday gave preliminary approval to an ordinance that would provide a property tax break to the spouses of police officers, firefighters, and paramedics who die in the line of duty. The measure sponsored by Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11th) would allow those spouses to apply for a waiver of the city's portion of their property tax bill for as long as they remain unmarried, and stay in the home where they lived with their wife or husband. The Illinois legislature authorized the tax breaks in a 2012 state law that allows local and county governments to offer a tax abatement to the families of fallen first responders. The tax exemption would apply only to Chicago's share of property tax bills, which usually make up 20% to 25% of the overall amount due.  

A proposed new ordinance aimed at improving safety at Erie day care facilities could be on Erie City Council's agenda by the end of November. City Council President Jim Winarski, at a Thursday evening study session at City Hall, said the panel wants to finalize the ordinance as soon as possible. Council heard from Erie Bureau of Fire Chief Guy Santone and Andy Zimmerman, the city's code enforcement manager, regarding the ordinance just hours after the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms' Thursday morning announcement that an Aug. 11 fire in the early morning hours of Aug. 11 that killed five children at Harris Family Day Care, 1248 W. 11th St., was caused by a faulty extension cord. The fire, which has been ruled an accident, prompted the city to pursue new rules regarding city day care facilities.  

A decorated Merced County Cal Fire captain was laid to rest Thursday after a traditional processional through the city of Merced and services at St. Patrick's Catholic Church. Capt. Paul Rotondaro died in a traffic crash on Highway 140 near the Gustine airport, according to the California Highway Patrol. Rotondaro had left the Gustine Cal Fire Station 74 and was heading to another station when the head-on collision occurred, Merced County Cal Fire spokesperson Scott McLean said. Rotondaro started his Merced County firefighting career in 2006. He was selected as the 2018 Merced County Firefighter of the Year, according to the Merced County Office of Emergency Services. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who attended Thursday's service, issued a statement honoring Rotondaro, calling him "a man who dedicated his life to protecting his fellow Californians. We extend our deepest condolences to his wife and children, family, friends, and colleagues. His contribution to his community will not be forgotten."  

Major fires, explosions, mine accidents and other North Jersey disasters of the 20th century will be brought back to life through a Morris County Historical Society exhibit at its Morristown museum. The photo-driven exhibit takes a look at 12 fires, mine accidents, explosions, aircraft crashes and disasters from 1910 to 1989. Titled "Up in Smoke: Northern New Jersey's Worst Man-Made Disasters," the exhibit will be on display through April 26, 2020, at Acorn Hall on Morris Avenue in Morristown. With the exhibit open, we combed through old newspapers to look back at six significant 20th-century disasters across Bergen, Passaic and Morris counties. The Kingsland explosion took place during World War I at the munitions factory in Lyndhurst on Jan. 11, 1917. The fire at the sprawling munitions plant in the Meadowlands sent hundreds fleeing from their homes under a rain of 3-inch shells.