McHenry County Blog

Mike Tryon told me that teens are the ones most likely to be “crammed” on their cell phones.

A press release from State Rep. Mike Tryon:

Governor Signs New Law that Prohibits Third Party Fees on Phone Bills

SPRINGFIELD….. A phone bill scamming practice known as “cramming” will no longer be allowed under legislation signed into law in Illinois this week.

State Rep. Mike Tryon (R-Crystal Lake), a co-sponsor of House Bill 5211, said the new law makes it illegal for third party vendors to bill consumers for goods or services on their phone bills.

“This is a follow up to a bill I previously passed which added clarity for services that appear by third parties on phone bills,” Tryon said. “This bill takes phone bill clarity to a next, logical level.”

According to Tryon, the charges are often unwanted or the result of consumers who not did not have a full understanding for services they signed up for.

“Too often vendors fail to tell consumers about all of the fine print associated with their services, and a ‘free trial offer’ turns into a vague monthly fee on phone bills,” Tryon said.

“This new law should address a great deal of this practice.”

The bill had the full support of the Illinois Attorney General’s office, which filed 30 lawsuits in recent years against third party companies accused of cramming. The new law takes effect January 1, 2013.

A press release from the Crystal Lake Police Department:

The Crystal Lake Police Department Completes Click It or Ticket Crackdown to Save Lives

Construction zone warning not to use cell phones on Rakow Road.

The Crystal Lake Police Department recently has completed its participation in the Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT) Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program conducted for the Memorial Day holiday. Law enforcement agencies throughout Illinois participated in this statewide effort from May 11th to May 28th to save lives by encouraging more motorists to buckle up during late-night hours. During this period, the Crystal Lake Police Department participated in two separate enforcement campaigns to increase safety on our community’s roadways.

During the mobilization, The Crystal Lake Police Department:

• Stopped 131 motorists for traffic violations
• Issued 46 safety belt citations
• Issued 1 child safety seat citation
• Issued 12 citations for uninsured motorist
• Issued 12 citations for speeding
• Issued 56 citations for use of an electronic communication device in a construction zone

In addition, two adult males were each arrested for no valid driver’s license and one adult male was arrested for driving while license suspended.

The recent law enforcement crackdown was funded by federal traffic safety funds through IDOT’s Division of Traffic Safety and is part of the statewide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled over” and “Click it or Ticket” campaigns.

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Sgt. Dan Hulata reports, “All of the 56 citations issued for use of an electronic communications device were written within the Rakow road construction zone between May 11th and 28th by grant funded officers.”

I’m told that cars were lined up on the side of Rakow Road west of Route 31 being ticketed for drivers using cell phones while a sign on the side of the road says no cell phones should be used.

Wish I could have gotten a picture of it, but a friend of McHenry County Blog said there were a lot of folks pulled over.

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed something that looked new while entering the courthouse.

A woman lawyer was asked to open her cell phone.

Later I talked to a courthouse employee and was told a new screening procedure had been implemented.

So, whether you are a judge or a clerk, if you work in the main government center building, you are presumably safer now than you were two weeks ago.