Illinois quick hits: Fatal police-involved shooting investigated

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

Fatal police-involved shooting investigated

Illinois State Police say they are investigating an officer-involved fatal shooting that took place Sunday night in East St. Louis.

According to ISP, troopers tried to stop a reported stolen vehicle when the driver put the vehicle in reverse, struck an ISP squad and drove at a trooper, who discharged his firearm.

The driver, Rachel E. Tarrence, 40, of Mayville, was pronounced dead at an area hospital.

ISP said no troopers were injured. The trooper involved was placed on administrative status pending the outcome of the investigation.

Labor law updates

The Illinois Department of Labor says a new amendment to the Victims’ Economic Security and Safety Act clarifies that employees may use an employer-provided device to document or record evidence of violence affecting themselves and or their family.

IDOL said workers who use a business-owned device to record or preserve evidence of domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking may not be disciplined or retaliated against for that use.

The amendment took effect Jan. 1, 2026.

CTA must pay $3 million

The Illinois First District Appellate Court has ruled that the Chicago Transit Authority must pay nearly $3 million to a woman who was struck by a bus, even though jurors were blocked at trial from learning the woman was sentenced to 58 years in prison for murdering and dismembering her landlord.

The three-justice panel refused the CTA’s bid to undo the verdict in favor of Sandra Kolalou, named in court documents as “Sandra White.”

Kolalou had filed suit against the CTA and a bus driver in 2019, about a year after she was allegedly struck by a CTA bus and injured on Chicago’s North Side.

Jonathan Bilyk contributed to this report.