Updated: 11:25 PM Racine's recidivism rate is only 15.5%, compared to a national rate of 25%.

Updated: 11:33 PM Illinois became the first state in the nation to sell lottery tickets online starting March 25, 2012. But only 157,000 people played online in the first three months - and the Illinois lottery was hoping for at least 600,000 players.

Updated: 10:56 PM The Rockford Housing Authority now has a garden or a farm site at all of its family properties.

Updated: 6:19 PM Talk to any farmer in the area and they'll tell you this has been an especially rough year. But it won't be a total loss for some farmers.

Updated: 11:15 PM A new video tells people what they should do when a shooter opens fire in a public place.

Updated: 11:47 PM Republican Candidate for Winnebago County State's Attorney Glen Weber says incumbent Joe Bruscato is unqualified for the job because he dropped the ball in the case of Melvin Perkins.

Posted: 10:46 PM Diane Balcom's home was destroyed by the mobile park owner on Aug. 2, before her three daughters, ages 8, 13, and 16 had a chance to remove their personal belongings.

Updated: 11:16 PM A backlog in Illinois state crime labs means in 2012 it has taken State Police nearly four months, on average, to process DNA cases.

Updated: 7:06 PM With so many out of work, Illinois just a launched a new program to help connect residents to thousands of jobs.

Updated: 6:58 PM Governor Pat Quinn says he wants to push forward with "full-scale" pension reform. He's calling lawmakers back into session on Aug.14 to discuss the state's $83 billion debt.

Updated: 11:26 PM This summer domestic violence has become an epidemic in Winnebago County. In June Rockford Police say there were 419 reported incidents of abuse - in other words, someone got hurt by a loved one every two hours.

Updated: 11:29 PM Finding out how bad crime is in your neighborhood just got a lot easier.

Updated: 11:29 PM Winnebago County Correctional Officers say they want a $2.00 per hour pay raise because they are paid less than their counterparts in neighboring counties - and those counties don't have to deal with jail overcrowding and dangerous inmates.

Updated: 11:30 PM The Winnebago County Forest Preserve District Board asks President Randy Olson to resign.

Updated: 12:12 AM Operation Clean Sweep started in October, 2012. Hundreds of law enforcement officers and their agencies joined forced to serve warrants, check on parolees, and find drug dealers.

Updated: 9:00 AM Flames engulfed two house fires in Loves Park Thursday afternoon.

Updated: 9:32 AM Veteran Rockford Police Officer Steve Tomasino has filed a lawsuit against the city of Rockford and Police Chief Chet Epperson for what he calls an abuse of authority and retaliation.

Updated: 11:50 PM If you recently heard President Obama would fork out up to $1000 of your utility bills - watch out. It's just a ploy to steal your personal information.

Updated: 10:42 PM A 5th grader says she was molested at Freeport Middle School, and wants to stop it from happening to other girls.

Updated: 7:22 AM A music video made in Rockford and posted on YouTube has been viewed more than 4,500 times in the last week. It's a re-make of the famous NWA song "F*** tha Police," except local rappers re-wrote the lyrics about incidents that have happened in Rockford over the last few years, including police-involved shootings.

Posted: 10:39 PM A local man has been arrested more than 60 times over the course of his life..and he's just 60 years old.

Posted: 8:49 PM Caught on Tape: Do you recognize these suspects?

Updated: 5:47 PM 23 News Operation Safer Streets teams up with Rockford Police to bring you Cops on the Block on Wednesday afternoons throughout the summer.

Updated: 10:34 PM Winnebago County Recorder Nancy McPherson says Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac owe Winnebago County $26,000 in unpaid real estate transfer taxes.

Posted: 7:00 PM A Loves Park mom says her son was wrongly accused of shoplifting at a local Walgreens. 23 News Reporter Meghan Dwyer has more on why she's calling it racial discrimination.