Police across Illinois will be stepping up efforts to catch drunk drivers over the St. Patrick's Day weekend.
In a press release Thursday, spokesmen for the Illinois Department of Transportation and Illinois State Police said hundreds of local law enforcement agencies will be on patrol.
They say St. Patrick's Day is a traditional day of celebration with family and friends, but too often those festivities lead to excessive drinking that can turn deadly.
The increased enforcement began Thursday night and will continue through Sunday. Officials expect more than 1,000 roadside safety checks and seatbelt enforcement zones will be conducted through the weekend.
The officials say 10 people died in vehicle crashes on St. Patrick's Day in the past five years, including three last year.
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Monday, February 25 2013 1:41 PM EST2013-02-25 18:41:37 GMT
Just as Oscar host Seth MacFarlane set his sights on a variety of targets with a mixture of hits and misses, the motion picture academy spread the gold around to a varied slate of films.
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Tuesday, February 5 2013 3:09 PM EST2013-02-05 20:09:54 GMT
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Friday, May 24 2013 11:00 PM EDT2013-05-25 03:00:57 GMT
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Friday, May 24 2013 10:16 PM EDT2013-05-25 02:16:28 GMT
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Friday, May 24 2013 5:40 PM EDT2013-05-24 21:40:48 GMT
Several military families were honored in Orland Park on Friday, and got to meet country music superstar Tim McGraw. Five of those families are from the Chicago area, and they were excited to meet him.
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