ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Statistics for April from the Rockford Police Department show violent crime is down 12% from the same time in 2023, but the city estimates 54% of that is domestic. The Mayor's Office of Domestic and Community Violence said they want that number to be high because it means that survivors are coming forward to report crimes and get help. In a new state report, it shows a disturbing spike in domestic violence calls as well. The data shows Illinois's hotline reported more than 47,000 contacts last year. That is a 27% increase over the previous year. The state has also recei ..read more

FREEPORT, Ill. (WTVO) — Some Freeport high school seniors rode their tractors or lawnmowers to class on May 10th. The Future Famers of America (FFA) encouraged students to drive their tractors and mowers over to Blackhawk Elementary where the younger kids could check them out. The seniors also talked with the younger students about FFA, what they do and how farmers are important to the communities they serve. "The big kids, I think are having fun because they get to interact with those younger students. I think they remember when they were younger students and fun things like this happened," s ..read more

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Rockford Police arrested Jamarious Shoulders, for allegedly punching, strangling and pulling a gun on a woman. On May 6th, around 1:26 a.m., police responded to the 200 block of Howard Avenue for a call about domestic violence. Witnesses told officials that four children under five years old were in the house and shoulders was armed. The victim walked out of the house and she and the witnesses were transported to the police station. The woman told authorities she and the witnesses came back to the 200 block of Howard Avenue when the suspect grabbed her by the hair as we ..read more

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Sunspot energy has produced a geomagnetic storm that has been upgraded to "severe" as solar flares intensify as they speed toward Earth. Sunspot AR 3664 has released at least five coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which caused the Space Weather Prediction Center to issue the upgraded rating of G4 on the geomagnetic storm scale, which consists of five levels (G1 through G5). The last time the SWPC issued a G4 rating was back in January 2005. The result will be northern lights visible in areas that don't normally see them as the radiation hits the Earth's magnetic field on F ..read more

CHICAGO, Ill. (WTVO) — McDonald's is working to create a $5 Value Meal to help offset slowing sales. According to a report by Bloomberg, the $5 meal will include four items: a McChicken or McDouble sandwich, four piece Chicken McNuggets, fries and a drink. The Chicago burger giant said inflation-weary customers are eating out less often in many big markets.  McDonald’s President and CEO Chris Kempczinski said during an investor call last month that the company needs a nationwide value message and marketing to back it up. In some areas, it’s losing out to competitors on customers’ percepti ..read more

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Last week, Mayor Tom McNamara made a trip to Italy to visit Rockford's sister city of Ferentino, to strengthen relationships between the two cities. Ferentino Mayor Antonio Pompeo invited McNamara and other dignitaries to participate in the celebration of Saint Ambrogio. McNamara said the cities have a thriving student exchange program, and he believes there are other opportunities for shared economic growth. "I believe we have some pretty great opportunities to partner and learn from each other from an economic development standpoint," McNamara said. "I think that it's ..read more

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Devonte Flint, 30, pled guilty to aggravated driving under the influence involving death and aggravated reckless driving for an offense that happened in 2021 on May 10th. Flint is facing 17 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. On April 25, 2021, the Winnebago Boone County Integrity Task Force was activated to investigate a vehicle crash that occurred at the intersection of 9th Street and Harrison Avenue. Police attempted to pull over a vehicle driven by Flint, but the suspect ran through a red light and crashed into a truck on 9th Street. The driver of the t ..read more

Sam Rubin, one of the most respected and connected entertainment anchors in the nation, died suddenly on Friday at the age of 64. The circumstances surrounding his death were not immediately released. Rubin joined KTLA 5 Morning News in Los Angeles in 1991, where he instantly made an impact with his unmatched, encyclopedic knowledge of film and television. Over the years, his reports and interviews informed and entertained millions of television viewers in L.A. and beyond. "The Sam that you saw on the air is the Sam that was off the air," Rubin’s longtime colleague and friend Frank Buckley sai ..read more

MACHESNEY PARK, Ill. (WTVO) — Construction crews will soon begin installing a fiber optic network in Machesney Park neighborhoods this summer. Residents will receive correspondence from Metronet Fiber in their mailboxes prior to the start of construction, the Village said Friday. Crews wearing uniforms and driving vehicles with the Metronet logo will perform both aerial and underground construction. Fiber can send data at about 70% of the speed of light, with transfer rates up to 10 gigabytes per second, compared to 25-300 megabytes per second transfer speed on copper cable. The Village added ..read more

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Rockford Police arrested Nathaniel Brown, 42, for the armed robbery of a Popeyes. On April 30th, around 10:43 p.m., police received a call from employees of Popeyes located in the 3600 block of Auburn Street reporting an armed robbery. They told authorities that the suspect left the store eastbound on foot after collecting money from the employees. Officials were able to use a K9 to track the suspect to the 1100 block of Irving Avenue and found an iPhone in a black and white case. The K9 did not alert them to any further on-foot movement, so police decided he must have ..read more