Mission accomplished in war against Asian beetle

Someone is more likely to encounter another cougar in Illinois before they see a dreaded Asian longhorn beetle.

Federal, state and Chicago officials declared victory against the invasive bug at a news conference in the city's Ravenswood neighborhood Thursday. That's the area where the pest was first detected back in 1998.

Illinois is the first state to claim eradication of the non-native bug. It's been five years since anyone's reported seeing the tree-killing beetle.

Addison and Park Ridge also were affected by the critters during the infestation that caused more than 1,700 trees to be cut down.

"This successful eradication would not have been possible without the solid partnership between federal, state and local governments fighting ALB in Illinois," said Bruce Knight, a USDA under secretary.

The beetle is still a problem in parts of New York and New Jersey, federal officials said in a news release.

Meanwhile, officials are still trying to determine where a wild cougar, shot to death in Chicago on Monday, came from.