SPECIAL SESSION WILL COST IL TAXPAYERS
Illinois taxpayers will have to pay more than $30,000 for legislators' mileage reimbursement for this week's special session. But it could be worse.

Lawmakers get 50.5 cents per mile for business travel. An Associated Press analysis found they'll collectively travel 60,000 miles round trip in attending the legislative session called Wednesday and Thursday to iron out state budget problems.

The Internal Revenue Service increased the tax-deductible mileage allowance last month to 58.5 cents because of soaring gas prices.

But legislators may not claim that amount unless it's adopted by the federal General Services Administration. The GSA is studying whether an increase is justified.

Lawmakers also get $129 a day for lodging and meals for a two-day total of $45,000.

With the cost of operating state-owned aircraft and travel expenses for staff members, session expenses likely will top $80,000.

POLICE LOOKING FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT SUSPECT
Police are asking for your help. They're trying to find a suspect wanted for attempted sexual assault, which stems from an incident early Sunday morning.

It happened in the 500 block of East Healey Street.

A man threatened a 21 year old woman with both bodily and sexual harm.

The victim was able to yell for help which alerted some people nearby.

If you have any information on this case police urge you to call Crimestoppers at 373-TIPS.

CHIEF ILLINIWEK LOGO LAWSUIT
A spokesman for the University of Illinois said that the school is satisfied with a federal judge's decision to dismiss a lawsuit filed against it by the creator of the Chief Illiniwek logo.

Champaign graphic artist Jack Davis filed suit against the board in December. He wants to regain control of the image he created nearly three decades ago and wants the school to stop using the logo.

Judge Michael McCuskey in Urbana dismissed Davis' case Monday, ruling that his court did not have jurisdiction.

The school did away with the Chief Illiniwek mascot after being sanctioned by the NCAA. But a university spokeswoman says the school plans to keep its trademark on the design.

HURRICANE BERTHA GAINS STRENGTH
The first Atlantic hurricane of the season remains a powerful Category Three storm but forecasters look for it to weaken in the next couple of days.

As of 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Hurricane Bertha was about 675 miles east-northeast of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean and more than 1,000 miles from Bermuda.

It's churning out top sustained winds of nearly 120 miles-an-hour, with even higher gusts.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami expects Bertha to continue on course toward Bermuda but is not projecting when or even if it will make landfall.

The hurricane center predicts there will be 12 to 16 storms big enough to rate a name this year and says as many as nine of them could become hurricanes.

VILLA GROVE FIREWORKS INJURY
A tenth person was injured by fireworks this holiday weekend.

Authorities say the latest incident happened in Villa Grove Friday.

Thursday nine people were injured at a fireworks show in Monticello, and authorities say the company that put on the fireworks show in Monticello is the same that managed the fireworks show in Villa Grove.

In the latest incident officials say a 16-year old girl working with the fireworks company suffered extreme burns on her arm and face.

Villa Grove's Mayor Ron Hunt says the girl was airlifted to a Springfield burn unit.

The girl's name is not being released and there's no word on her condition.

ABANDONED HOME BURNS DOWN IN DANVILLE
The Danville Fire Department responded to a two alarm house fire Saturday afternoon.

Danville fire officials say, they were called to the scene just before four o'clock.

It happened at 1109 Chandler, in an abandoned home that was slated to be demolished next week.

Fire officials say, no one was living in the house, and no one was injured, but the house was totally destroyed.

It took firefighters about two hours to put out the blaze.

They cleared the scene around 6 o'clock.