Northern Illinois sheriff halts New Year's Eve ride program

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - Anyone celebrating on New Year's Eve in northern Illinois' Winnebago County can forget about counting on the sheriff's department for a ride home this year.

The (Rockford) Register Star reports that Sheriff Gary Caruana says that the current budget crunch makes the department's annual New Year's Eve Ride Home Program impossible this year.

Caruana says the program that would have been in its 37th year had to be discontinued. Caruana has also had to take a number of dramatic steps to comply with a $4.3 million budget reduction, including laying off 10 corrections officers and 64 reserve deputies.

Caruana is urging those who are out drinking to have a designated driver, or call a cab or ride-sharing service.

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Information from: Rockford Register Star, http://www.rrstar.com