CHICAGO (CBS) — Two bodies were found in the Chicago River about an hour apart Friday morning, about two miles away from each other.

Police said the Marine Unit found the body of an unidentified male near the Damen Avenue bridge around 6:40 a.m.

Around 7:50 a.m., the Marine Unit found a man’s body floating in the river near the Halsted Street bridge. Police said that body was too decomposed to identify.

Police were conducting death investigations in both cases. It was not immediately clear if there was any connection to the two bodies, other than both were found in the river.

CHICAGO (CBS) — CBS 2 is sponsoring a great event this weekend.

The African Festival of the Arts kicks off Friday in Washington Park

Not only can you take in all the culture and music, the CBS pop-up experience will be there Saturday.

CBS 2’s own Mugo Odigwe, Irika Sargent and Pam Zekman will be there.

Taking the stage on Saturday will be Nigerian-American actor, singer and model Olurotimi Akinosho, known professionally as Rotimi. He is known for his roles on two Starz series — Boss and Power — and his 2017 single, “Want More” with dancehall artist Kranium.

Rotimi will be joined by rapper Wale, known for his song “Dig Dug.”

The festival kicks off at 1:00 Friday afternoon and runs through Labor Day. The Ohio Players will headline the finale on Labor Day, Monday Sept. 2.

Tickets start at $5 for children and $20 for adults.

Lineup: 

Friday Aug. 30 – “Steppin’ Under the Stars”

Steppers Set with Ken Bedfor and Marzette Griffith

DJ Sam Chatman

Saturday Aug. 31 – “Afro Fusion”

Rotimi

Wale

Chai Tulani and Cald B (Band_

Melody Angel

Sunday Sept. 1 – “Into the Spirit”

Donnie McClurkin

Pleasant Green Choir

Chicago Mass Choir

The Kinsmen

Tim Branch and the New Generation AFRO JAZZ

Monday Sept. 2 – “The Soul of African Fest”

Ohio Players

Terisa Griffin

AFRO B

Tracye Eileen

CHICAGO (CBS) — Police in unincorporated York Township are searching for the hit-and-run driver who struck and killed a man who was crossing the street overnight.

The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office said a man was crossing the street at the intersection of Illinois Route 38 and Addison Avenue just after midnight, when a white Ford F-250 pickup truck hit him. The truck, which had yellow roof lights, fled east on Route 38.

(Source: DuPage County Sheriff)

The victim was taken to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He has not yet been identified.

Anyone with information about the crash should call the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office at 630-407-2400.

CHICAGO (CBS) —  A woman is found covered in blood in the backyard of home.

Deputies said she was shot multiple times.

But by who and why?

CBS 2’s Vi Nguyen has the story from the Will County Sheriff’s Office with new details on the investigation

Investigators said they don’t believe this was a robbery. Because nothing was taken from the victim. She was at a friend’s house when several people saw her stepping outside and a short time later, shots were fired.

It was around 12:30 Friday morning when deputies were called to a home on Riverview Avenue in unincorporated Lockport Township. In the backyard, they found a 52-year-old woman shot multiple times.

She was airlifted to a Chicago hospital in critical but stable condition.

A man told CBS 2 off-camera the victim is a family friend. He and several other people, including the victim, were over at his grandmother’s house Thursday night.

They were watching the Bears game and celebrating a friend’s birthday. He said the victim went outside for a smoke then moments later they heard gunshots.

Investigators had the home surrounded with yellow tape as they searched for evidence and potential suspects. The sheriff’s office said three people were brought in for questioning, but have since been released.

Investigators are calling it an isolated incident and said there’s no need for neighbors to be concerned. Authorities are still waiting to talk to the victim to try to figure out what exactly happened.

CHICAGO (CBS) —  You’d think Chicago Bears’ fans biggest concerns about next week’s season opener would be the Green Bay Packers.

Or maybe a kicker.

For some, it’s a mobile app.

CBS 2’s Megan Hickey has a look at the problem and how the Bears are hoping to fix it.

Fans who had ticket issues during the preseason are already stressing about next Thursday’s game against the Green Bay Packers. So what are the Bears planning to do about it?

New season. New policy. Mobile tickets only.

The problem?

“I think its going to be a disaster trying to get in,” said Mason Friedman who attended the first preseason game this year with his family. He said the mobile tickets caused confusion and longer lines.

“It was just adding so much extra time and I was thinking in the back of my head if this isn’t a regular season game, I can’t imagine what its going to be like when were playing the Packers,” Friedman said. “It’s going to be horrible.”

And he’s far from alone.

“Chaos.”

That’s how fan Marshall Janevicius described his preseason ticketing experience, even though he prepared ahead.

“Some people couldn’t find it on their app and had to scroll through multiple tickets,” Janevicius said.

The Chicago Cubs instituted mobile tickets two years ago and a spokesperson told CBS 2 they had few issues.

The White Sox started requiring mobile tickets this year. The organization told CBS 2 complaints have been at a minimum, in part thanks to help desks installed around the ballpark.

But both teams acknowledge that their ballparks are two-thirds the size of Soldier Field.

“I’m going to get there an hour and a half before then to make sure I can get it,” Friedman said.

On Friday, the Bears told CBS 2 their phones have been ringing off the hooks with questions.

They plan to send out another blast of reminder emails this week and they’re setting up three WiFi hotspot tents to help with last-minute downloading issues.

But the team’s number one word of advice:

“Allow yourself a little extra time. That way if something happens or is there’s a question that needs to be resolved, then we have the time to help resolve those before kickoff,” said Lee Twarling. SVP of sales and customer service for the Chicago Bears.

The gates will open at 5:20 on Thursday for the 7:20 game.

The Bears recommend getting to Soldier Field as early as possible especially if you’ve got questions about the mobile tickets.

CHICAGO (CBS) — A South Haven family is demanding their neighbor face charges after they say he beat their dog, causing it to lose an eye.

“His spirit is just broken,” said the dog’s owner Courtney Gutowski. “He didn’t deserve this.”

Courtney and Ron Gutowski were out of town this week. They arrived home Friday morning and found their one-year-old dog, Echo, in a battered state.

He wasn’t himself.

“When I held him he was very jumpy, and he was trembling,” Gutowski said.

Wendy Miller is a family friend and was house sitting. On Wednesday morning she let Echo out in the yard, and moments later, she heard him bark. She went outside and says she saw the neighbor hitting the dog.

“The guy was leaning halfway over the fence and beating Echo with this stick on the head,” Miller said. “I seen him hit him twice on the head. I’m not sure how many times before that.”

She rushed Echo to the veterinarian.

His eye socket was shattered, and his right eye had to be removed.

“I was scared, and I didn’t know if he was going to live or die,” Miller said.

This isn’t the first time this happened.

The family said that back in March the neighbor threw chunks of ice at Echo. Fortunately he wasn’t injured.

“It all could have been prevented had the police taken me seriously back in March the first time he was attacked,” Gutowski said.

CBS 2 tried to find out from police whether the neighbor has been questioned but was told no one can talk about it until next week.

CBS 2 was also unable to contact the neighbor to hear his side of the story.

“This was barbaric, and I hope he’s ashamed of himself,” Gutowski said.

Echo’s family said it will take at least six months for the dog to recover.

CHICAGO (CBS) — The City of Chicago is staring down a nearly $1 billion budget gap. To bridge that gap, Mayor Lorie Lightfoot is exploring a new possible source of revenue that might impact any driver trying to reach the heart of the city.

Better known as congestion fees, they are meant to reduce traffic by charging a toll to access certain neighborhoods.

“Well, it could mean a lot of things,” said Laurence Msall with the Civic Federation.

Lightfoot hasn’t completely articulated the concept, but imagine an area like the Loops was defined as a restricted zone, where drivers pay a fee to enter.

Gridlock along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile might be eliminated in much the same way.

Motorists could be charged on a device like an iPass and violators fined through a process like the city’s red light camera system.

The idea is no longer a new one.

For example in New York, congestion pricing has already been approved, and it is going to take effect there in 2021.

The area includes Manhattan’s business and financial districts. The daily fee is expected to cost between $10 and $15 with an exemption for residents. It could generate $15 billion.

Across the pond in London, they’ve been using a system of congestion pricing since 2003.

Drivers there pay about $14 to access the business district. It’s led to a 15% reduction in traffic and a 30% drop in travel delays.

In Stockholm, Sweden, they started their system of congestion pricing in 2006 but with some different parameters.

In a city accessed by bridges, drivers there pay about $2 a crossing. Traffic there has been reduced by 20%.

“Certainly the unknown is the greatest anxiety most of us have,” Msall said.

Msall says following hefty property and state income tax increases, the concept can’t overburden the public.

“There is a lot that could be done that would not be onerous for people coming into the Loop as long as you provide alternatives for people who have to be coming in,” he said.

Exceptions for congestion pricing could also be made for those with lower incomes as well as discounts offered to those taking public transportation.

PORTAGE PARK, Ill. (CBS) — Gov. JB Pritzker has granted clemency to U.S. Army veteran Miguel Perez Jr., who immigrated to Illinois as a child, the governor’s office said Friday. Perez served 7.5 years for a “non-violent offense” and was deported to Mexico in 2018.

Miguel Perez (Photo supplied to CBS)

Perez joined the Army in 2002 and served two tours as a Special Forces mechanic in Afghanistan, where he suffered a traumatic brain injury after being injured in an explosion, according to Pritzker’s office.

He still requires medical treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder following his service. That led him to make some poor decisions, his attorney Chris Bergin said in 2017.

Perez was a legal resident, and his service was supposed to provide him an expedited path to citizenship under a 2002 Executive Order by President George W. Bush, but that did not happen “due to oversight,” according to a release from the governor’s office.

After Perez was released from prison for a felony drug conviction in September 2016 he petition the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, arguing that a pardon might prevent his deportation. According to Pritzker’s office, the board recommended clemency in April 2017, but then-Gov. Bruce Rauner denied the petition in February 2018.

“Perez was deported in March 2018 without prior contact with his family, left at the Mexican border nearly penniless without clothing or shelter,” the release stated.

He had not been back to Mexico since he entered the U.S. when he was 8 years old.

“Miguel Perez should not have been deported. The bigoted immigration policy of President Trump and failed leadership of former Governor Rauner have caused unfortunate circumstances for a U.S. veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan,” said Gov. JB Prtitzker. “In evaluating this request for clemency, I recognize this pardon is not a perfect solution, but it is the most just action to take to allow a U.S. veteran the opportunity to be treated fairly by the country he served.”

Perez’s family, including two children and parents, live in Illinois and are U.S. citizens, according to Pritzker’s office.

“I’m crying a lot, a lot,” said Perez’s mother, Esperanza Perez. “Sometimes I’m very angry.  say, ‘God, when? When?'”

But her answer may be close after the governor’s decision.

“This opened the door for my son,” she said.

Perez Jr.’s criminal slate has been wiped clean in Illinois, but his conviction still stands federally because it is drug-related. This means there are more hurdles for him to climb before coming back to America.

“It’s just indescribable,” Perez Jr. said. “Being away from my family and everything that I love, my community, my home. It’s just like being trapped. I fought for my homeland, which is America, which is Chicago, which is Illinois. Now, to be sitting here, it’s just … no.”

Perez Jr.’s attorney said he has a meeting with federal officials set for Sept. 3. as they continue to fight for his return.

CHICAGO (CBS) — A former substitute teacher and teaching assistant at Middlefork School in Northfield is facing child pornography charges, according to a letter sent out by the District 29 superintendent.

George Gemeinhardt, 64, of Northfield, was arrested Thursday and charged with one count of possession of child pornography depicting a child under 13 and one count of possession of child pornography depicting a child under 18, Northfield police confirmed.

George Gemeinhardt, 64, of Northfield, was arrested and charged with one count of possession of child pornography depicting a child under 13 and one count of possession of child pornography depicting a child under 18, Northfield police confirmed.

School officials said Gemeinhardt was employed by the school as a substitute teacher from March to June of 2018 and as a teaching assistant from September 2018 to March 2019.

In the letter to parents, the superintendent emphasized that police “are not aware of any evidence” that the conduct happened at the schools, utilized any school networks or involved any Northfield children.

School officials were alerted about the investigation on March 20 after a tip came in to police from the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children and say Gemeinhardt did not return to the school after that day and submitted his resignation March 22.

The letter also says police asked school officials “not to interfere with the investigation by either questioning Mr. Gemeinhardt, or by discussing the matter with parents or staff prior to formal charges being filed.”

Police said Gemeinhardt said he “likes teenage girls” in March during an interview at his Happ Road home, which is also where he was arrested this week.

“I still think this is an amazing school district, and I think people who commit crimes are drawn to all sorts of areas,” said parent Patrick McCarthy.

Gemeinhardt allegedly admitted to looking at 30 to 40 pictures and 10 to 12 videos of child pornography on his personal computer.

A forensic search of his electronic devices turned up nine images of child pornography. Police said most were of girls under 13.

“I imagine there are a lot of meetings going on about it right now,” said McCarthy.

Gemeinhardt’s bond was set at $30,000, and he will be back in court in October.

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (CBS) — It’s being called a sand emergency. Record high levels and erosion have taken a toll on a popular beach in Highland Park.

CBS 2’s Tara Molina has learned plans are in the works to spend a pretty penny to fix it.

Erosion at Rosewood Beach can easily be seen.

“It’s beautiful. It’s a beautiful beach,” said Highland Park resident Ryan Eagle.

Eagle and his  family are some of the many regulars at the popular beach.

But it’s not just the beautiful lakefront they’ve noticed lately. It’s the lack of it.

“The whole beach is, it’s fallen down,” Eagle said. “It’s nonexistent. It’s gone. It’s just straight to the water.”

Like so many others in the Chicago area, parts of the beach are shrinking — eroding — dramatically.

But what’s different?

The Park District of Highland Park is sounding the alarm.

“We’re looking to expedite the permitting process,” said Rebecca Grill, natural areas manager with the park district.

They’re seeking emergency approval from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to add thousands of cubic feet of sand and protect the beach.

“Thissand that we’re proposing to apply, it’s called birdseye. It’s a larger grain, a little bit heavier,” Grill said.

She said it will cost about $190,000 to buy, transport, and spread the sand, and the money will come out of their capital fund.

“The $190,000 will cover the sand and the plan that we’ve laid out for this cove and the cove behind me,” said said.

The goal is to get the project approved and completed before winter and storms that will only make the issue worse.

“I’d like them to preserve it,” Eagle said. “My daughter comes here. She was begging to come to the beach. I’d like it to be here.”

A spokesperson for the Army Corps of Engineers said they are reviewing the permit for the project right now.

CHICAGO (CBS) — The Chicago Bears have not yet listed any of their player cuts, but they have to get the roster down from 90 to 53 by 3 p.m. Saturday.

However, some of the names have started to leak out.

According to various sources, receivers Marvin Hall and Tanner Gentry have been let go. Tight end Hinsdale Central alum Ian Bunting failed to make the team along with tight end Jesper Horsted, who had two touchdown catches in the preseason. Cornerback Clifton Duck has been waived. And outside linebackers Chuck Harris and Matt Betts are gone.

CHICAGO (CBS)– A chance to say goodbye today, for people who want to honor the life of an Illinois state trooper killed in the line of duty.

A visitation for trooper Nick Hopkins will take place in western Illinois Saturday night.

Illinois State Police Trooper Nicholas Hopkins was fatally shot after executing a search warrant Friday, Aug. 23, 2019, ISP confirmed. (Credit: ISP)

The 33-year-old was was shot and killed just over a week ago, while serving a warrant in East Saint Louis.

A police procession brought his body home on Monday.

Hopkins was a ten-year-veteran of the department, a husband and a father of four-year-old twins and a newborn at the time of his death.

He’s the fourth Illinois state trooper to die this year.

CHICAGO (CBS)– A teen was killed and a man wounded in a shooting in Humboldt Park early Saturday morning.

According to Chicago police, the two people were shot in the 3200 block of West Le Moyne Street around 4:40 a.m.

Police said the shots were fired from an unknown offender in a vehicle.

The 17-year-old was shot in the chest and was transported to Cook County Hospital where he was later pronounced dead, police said. The 23-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound and was transported to Norwegian Hospital in serious condition.

No one is in custody and police said Area North detectives are investigating.

WASHINGTON (AP) — E-cigarette giant Juul Labs is facing mounting scrutiny from state law enforcement officials, with the attorneys general in Illinois and the District of Columbia investigating how the company’s blockbuster vaping device became so popular with underage teens, The Associated Press has learned.

The company’s rapid rise to the top of the multi-billion dollar U.S. e-cigarette market has been accompanied by accusations from parents, politicians and public health advocates that Juul fueled a vaping craze among high schoolers. In addition to the ongoing inquiries in Illinois and the district, which had not been publicly disclosed before, four other state attorneys general are probing or suing Juul.

The company also is being investigated by members of Congress and federal health regulators and faces separate lawsuits from Juul users, both teens and adults.

Juul’s top executives have disputed allegations that they’ve marketed their products to teens, declaring that they’ve taken unprecedented steps to combat underage use of its e-cigarettes. The company has shut down its Facebook and Instagram pages and pulled several of its flavored products out of retail stores. Juul also backs federal legislation to raise the minimum age to purchase all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to 21 nationwide.

Juul spokesman Ted Kwong declined to answer specific questions about the investigations in an emailed statement but reiterated past company steps to prevent youth use. Juul announced Thursday that 50 retail chains have pledged to adopt the company’s age-verification system, which requires sellers to scan a customer’s ID before selling Juul products.

A senior Illinois law enforcement official described to AP a wide-ranging inquiry being conducted by the office of Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul that is centered on whether Juul violated state consumer fraud laws and other statutes by designing and marketing its products to appeal to underage teens. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.

Marrisa Geller, a spokeswoman for District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine, confirmed in an emailed statement an investigation of Juul is underway. She said Racine is concerned about “the dramatic increase in the use of vaping products by district youth” as well as the policies and practices employed by e-cigarette manufacturers to prevent minors from using their products.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CHICAGO (AP) — The case of a suburban Chicago teenager who killed himself after being confronted at his high school about whether he made a video of himself having sex with a classmate raised uncomfortable questions about how aggressively school officials should question kids suspected of wrongdoing and whether they should wait until a parent arrives.

A wrongful death lawsuit brought by the parents of 16-year-old Corey Walgren that focused on those questions has been resolved, with the city of Naperville expected to approve a settlement on Tuesday in which it and the local school district each agree to pay the Walgren family $125,000.

Walgren’s death on Jan. 11, 2017, three hours after a dean and in-school police officer at Naperville High School told the honor-roll student he might face child pornography charges also prompted a change in Illinois law.

As of August, a parent, guardian, family lawyer or designated advocate must be present before police can begin questioning students at school who are younger than 18 and suspected of crimes, unless they pose an imminent threat.

“The Corey Walgren story hits at every single parent’s heart,” Democratic state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, who introduced the legislation, said Friday. “We need to recognize that the brains of young people are not fully developed and they need to be dealt with differently. … What happened to Corey should never happen again.”

The most sensitive question surrounding the tragedy — whether school authorities shared responsibility for what happened to Walgren — was addressed by the federal judge in the civil case. Her answer: They weren’t legal liable for his death, including because they couldn’t have known Walgren was suicidal.

That finding this year by U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood prompted her to toss the suit. But the family hoped the 7th U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago would revive it. The sides agreed to settlement terms while that appeal was still pending, rendering the appeal moot.

While Wood concluded officials hadn’t broken the law, she said that determination shouldn’t be construed as condoning how they dealt with Walgren, especially telling him he could be charged and may have to register as a sex offender. The judge said child pornography was not found on Walgren’s phone as suspected and that officials had falsely accused him.

“Faced with the implied threat of such consequences, it is perhaps unsurprising that a previously well-adjusted teenager’s emotional state could deteriorate to such a point that he would contemplate taking his life,” Wood wrote in a 22-page written opinion.

She added that while the officials’ conduct “was problematic and had tragic consequences,” it didn’t make them liable for Walgren’s death.

Among the claims Wood rejected was that school authorities were “deliberately indifferent” to signs of emotional distress. There were no outward signs Walgren was in a fragile mental state, and he had no history of harming himself, Wood wrote.

Legal liability, she went on, required conduct “so extreme as to go beyond all possible bounds of decency and to be regarded as intolerable in a civilized community.” And while the deans’ and the in-school officer’s “interrogation tactics were harsh and aggressive, they were nonetheless ordinary police interrogation tactics.”

The suit named the city of Naperville, the Naperville Community Unit School District 203, two deans and the in-school officer as defendants. Wood’s ruling dismissed the allegations against them all. The defendants do not admit wrongdoing in the settlement, which ends all legal action against them by the Walgren family.

A Naperville spokeswoman said the city would not comment on the proposed settlement until all the parties had approved it. Lawyers for the defendants and the Walgren family didn’t return messages seeking comment.

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CHICAGO (CBS)– Chicago police have reported 12 arrests on illegal gun charges and 40 illegal gun seized after deploying 1,000 additional officers citywide.

On Friday afternoon, Supt. Eddie Johnson announced the decision to deploy 1,000 additional officers for each night of the weekend as part of the city’s plan for crime-fighting and safety over Labor Day weekend.

There have been six shooting incidents and three murders since 6 p.m. Friday, according to Anthony Guglielmi, Chicago police chief communications officer.

Credit: CPD

Guglielmi said on the West Side, four guns were seized from the 11th District and one gun was seized from the 15th District. He said the guns were recovered after “an encounter with a notable person of interest with suspected ties to street gang activity.”

In the 14th District, Chicago police reported a person of interest in connection with a robbery was located on the 606 trail and was taken into custody.

Police said in the central and downtown areas, arrests were made by officers after observing a video of an offender armed with handguns on the basketball courts in the 2900 block of South Dearborn Street.

“While touring the area CPD officers located the men and 3 loaded handguns on State Street,” Guglielmi stated in a press release. “Two subjects known to police are now in custody under investigation for illegal gun charges.”

A raid in Marquette Park, executed by multiple CPD units, led to the recovery of  “approximately, 300 counterfeit merchandise items” along with 2 handguns, 1 replica handgun, numerous rounds of ammunition and approximately $5000.00  (pending official bank count),” Gugliemi reported in a press release.

This is a developing story.

CHICAGO (CBS)– Saturday marks Dukes Drive In’s last day at their location on Harlem Avenue after 44 years in Bridgeview, the owners confirmed in a Facebook post earlier in August.

Dukes Drive In has been located at 8115 S. Harlem Ave. for the last 44 years. On Aug. 31, the owners said the drive in will be open for one last day as part of their car show weekend.

However, this may not be the end for Dukes Drive In.

“We are planning on relocating and we are going to do everything in our power to stay in the general area,” the owners stated in a Facebook post.

The owners encourage customers to visit and share their memories and get a poster or t-shirt.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana has launched a $2.1 million campaign to educate young people on the dangers of vaping and to encourage them to stop.

The social media, text and school-based “What’s Beyond the Haze” campaign launched Thursday comes as about 200 people nationwide have been stricken by a mysterious vaping-related illness that has claimed at least one life.

“Part of it is just the awareness that what we are peddling and what we are sharing and getting people addicted to is harmful so this is a full court press and it starts today,” Gov. Eric Holcomb said. “We know we have our work cut out for us as vaping continues to grow. This will be a real blitz, making sure we’re reaching out to every corner of the state.”

State health officials said the 24 sickened in Indiana are all ages 16 to 29, including four under 18.

The plan also entails encouraging teens to join the Truth Initiative’s “This is Quitting” text-to-quit program. State health and education officials will develop a toolkit of educational materials on vaping for students, parents, and educators.

Nearly 20% of all high school students currently vape, a 2018 State Department of Health survey showed.

The study also revealed nearly 35,000 more teens vaped in 2018 than in 2016.

“Vaping has put nearly 35,000 young people in harm’s way,” said State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box. “Our job is to keep our kids out of harm’s way.”

One Juul electronic cigarette contains as much nicotine as a whole packet of regular cigarettes, Box added.

On Thursday, Juul, an industry leader, announced a new effort to prevent underage youth from purchasing its tobacco products. Retailers must now scan and confirm that a customer buying a Juul has authorized identification before completing a sale. Customers are also restricted in the amount of product that they can buy at one time in an effort to curtail resales to minors. The minimum age to buy tobacco and tobacco products in Indiana is 18.

“Youth use of vapor products is detrimental to JUUL Labs’ mission, and to our business,” the company said in a news release.

Indiana Sen. Todd Young has introduced legislation that would increase the federal legal age for buying tobacco to 21.

Holcomb, who supports Young’s proposal, said that he’s had ongoing discussions with his legislative colleagues about potentially raising the legal age in 1.

“It becomes harder and harder to stop, so the best thing we can do is make sure that they never start,” Holcomb said.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CHICAGO (CBS)– In Chicago, ComEd crews are preparing for the drive to Georgia, to help with potential power outages and damage caused by Hurricane Dorian.

The company is sending more than 400 employees and contractors to help with the Hurricane Dorian restoration efforts.

Officials said crews will stop in Georgia, due to the direction of the storm. While in Georgia, ComEd crews will wait to see if they are needed in Florida, where the storm was originally expected to hit.

ComEd employees first had to do a safety briefing before heading out to help those affected by Dorian.

In Florida, people are already being asked to get ready for Hurricane Dorian. The Florida governor says people should have seven days worth of food, medicine and water.

Flooding could affect millions of people for days.

Fuel shortages at some gas stations have been reported and authorities are bringing in more fuel from out of state.

There is also the issue of power outages.

ComEd’s Vice President of Distribution Operation Vito Martino said the crews are anticipating helping with downed wires and police as well as “rebuilding infrastructure.”

Crews will begin the restoration process after Hurrican Dorian makes landfall.

CHICAGO (CBS)– An Indiana man was arrested after responding to an online advertisement to meet with a minor in the South Shore neighborhood, Chicago police reported.

According to police, Mitchell Mace, 53, of Southbend, was arrested after he was “positively identified as the individual” on August 30 “who responded to an online advertisement, in which he wanted to have sexual relations with an unknown 14 year old female.”

Credit: CPD

During an undercover investigation, police said Mace was observed arriving in the 2500 block of East 71st Street and exiting his vehicle.

“Upon exiting his vehicle he was placed into custody by Special Investigation Detectives and members of Organized Crime,” Chicago police stated in a press release.

Mace was charged one count of traveling to meet a minor,  indecent solicitation and criminal sexual abuse.