Illinois quick hits: Midway Blitz nabs nine drunk drivers; Madigan prosecutor to depart

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

Midway Blitz nabs nine drunk drivers

The Department of Homeland Security has released the names of nine foreign nationals arrested during Operation Midway Blitz who had convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol.

A statement from the department described all nine as criminal illegal aliens. DHS dedicated Operation Midway Blitz to Katie Abraham, who was killed in Illinois last January in a crash involving a drunk driver who was in the country illegally.

Madigan prosecutor to depart

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago is losing another of the leading prosecutors who helped bring about the conviction of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Sarah Streicker is leaving the office by the end of the year. When fellow Madigan prosecutor Amarjeet Bhachu left in March, Streicker replaced him as head of the office’s Public Corruption and Organized Crime Section.

Carbon monoxide awareness

During National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Month this November, the office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal is urging residents to recognize the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning, which claims hundreds of lives and sickens thousands each year across the United States.

In 2024, Illinois fire departments responded to 9,860 carbon monoxide (CO) related calls across the state. In Illinois over the past decade, an average of 20 people per year have died from accidental CO poisoning.