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Skilling: Snowy, wet weekend ahead for Chicagoland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:01 GMT

Friday marked the 16th consecutive above normal day---a day which  has recorded 83% of its possible sun.Today's above normal temps (the day is likely to average 6-deg above normal) means January's opening 5 days have come in close to 7-deg milder than last year and over 5-deg ABOVE NORMAL---mild enough to rank among the 28% warmest January opens in 153 years of records.BUT BIG CHANGES LOOM—including 3 shots at sticking snow in the coming week—the first of them— just hours away, likely to commence in the city between 11 pm and 1am then continue quite steadily through the lunch hour Saturday and then occasionally inro early Saturday night. Temps above freezing mean some drizzle may mix in Saturday afternoon and night.The system behind our first snow is to spin up into a winter storm and bring the first major snow of the season to portions of the Mid-Atlantic states away from the coast and to New England, where Boston may be among the areas with a significant accumulation—per...

Service suspended temporarily at O'Hare Blue Line after body found on track

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:01 GMT

CHICAGO - An unresponsive body was discovered on the CTA Blue Line tracks near Terminal 5 at O'Hare International Airport. Chicago police told WGN News the discovery was made just before 3:30 p.m. in the 9800 block of Kennedy Expressway. Due to the service disruption, .shuttle buses will be available between Rosemont and O'Hare to provide connecting service through the affected area, a CTA spokesperson said. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines No further details were made available.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

'Lack of action': Congressman Garcia spotlights cracks in US immigration system

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:01 GMT

CHICAGO — As the new year rolls out, the City of Chicago continues to see an influx of asylum seekers being bused in from the southern border.On Friday, city officials said they anticipated the arrival of four buses carrying migrants, but, only one bus had the permit required to drop off asylum seekers at the designated landing zone in the South Loop. Clash over border security funding set to be first conflict for Congress in 2024 The Department of Homeland Security said the surge of migrants has been happening in other countries as well."We are seeing a level of migration that in some ways is unprecedented throughout the hemisphere," Department of Homeland Security Luis Miranda said. "We’ve seen Colombia for example has observed two and a half million Venezuelans. The last decade and a half, Venezuela has undergone a pretty massive economic collapse due to regimes in that country, that at times, have been undemocratic. You’ve seen that dynamic play out.”State funding has helped t...

Illinois iLottery player rings in new year with $583K jackpot prize

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:01 GMT

CHICAGO — The new year is off to a great start for one Illinois Lottery player who struck it big playing an online Fast Play game.The iLottery player hit a $583,264 jackpot prize while playing Twenty 20s, a progressive Fast Play game with a jackpot that grows each time a ticket is sold.According to the Illinois Lottery, the big winner claimed the prize while playing on New Year's Eve and it was just one of 5,000 tickets sold that day, which netted players over $820,000 in prizes. Illinois Lottery: Stories of life-changing wins and huge jackpots Twenty-20s cost $20 per ticket and players have a 1 in 3.27 chance of winning a prize, but the jackpot odds are much higher at 1 in 80,0000.The winner of the jackpot prize will take home about $414,408 after taxes, which equals out to about $139,983 in federal taxes and $28,872 in state taxes, according to Nerdwallet’s Lottery Tax Calculator.Twenty-20s is just one of 20 Fast Play games available in Illinois and while the jackpot ticket...

Adam Sandler plays pickup game before No. 10 Arizona faces Colorado

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:01 GMT

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Adam Sandler got in a little pickup game at Arizona’s McKale Center before the 10th-ranked Wildcats played Colorado.Wearing a Hawaiian-style shirt and turquoise shorts, the comedian played a game of 3-on-3 about two hours before Thursday night’s game.In a short video shot by a reporter for Arizona’s rivals.com fan site, Sandler flipped a pass over his head before playing defense. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines An avid basketball player, Sandler has a sister who lives in Tucson and has been spotted in the city numerous times.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Suspects from south Austin convenience store robbery remain at large, police ask for public's help

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:01 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department is searching for two suspects wanted in connection with a robbery that happened at a 7-Eleven in south Austin in November.Shortly after 5:30 p.m., Nov. 19, a man walked into the convenience store and stole merchandise while another man waited outside, according to an APD news release.A clerk working at the time confronted the man when he tried leaving the store with merchandise. Then, the man "attacked the woman" before running away with the man outside, police said.First suspect described by police as:Black manEarly 20s Between 5’ 4” and 5’5” tallMedium buildLong and curly hairHe was last seen wearing a green jacket and a light-colored undershirtThe Austin Police Department is looking for two suspects wanted in connection with a robbery that happened at a 7-Eleven in south Austin in November | Courtesy: APDSecond suspect described by police as:Black manApproximately 20 to 30 years oldBetween 5’ 8” to 6’0” tallThin buildHe was last ...

Five-year-old who perished in St. Paul blaze identified

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:01 GMT

A child who died in a fire that critically injured her mother and five siblings has been identified as 5-year-old Sivntxhi Vang by the Ramsey County medical examiner’s office.She died Wednesday at Regions Hospital after a fire broke out early that morning at her Payne-Phalen home. Along with her mother, she was one of six siblings, ages 1 to 6, who had not been able to escape the fire. When firefighters carried them out of the smoke-filled house they were all unconscious and immediately were administered CPR.Her father, Pa Cheng Vang Vang, wrote on a GoFundMe page that she was his oldest twin daughter.The fire department determined the fire on Arkwright Street near Maryland Avenue was accidental and the cause is under investigation, said Deputy Fire Chief Roy Mokosso.Firefighters were notified at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. A 911 call was believed to have come from inside the house. There were working smoke detectors in the home, but the occupants were likely unable to escape because...

PWHL’s inaugural game in Minnesota will be a monumental event for women’s hockey

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:01 GMT

Team Minnesota’s Professional Women’s Hockey League game against Montreal on Saturday afternoon at Xcel Energy Center is going to be a happening.A crowd in excess of 10,000 will be on hand for the first home game after Minnesota’s 3-2 victory in Boston on Wednesday in the franchise’s debut. It will be a celebration of those who have paved the way, and the beginning of an unprecedented opportunity for the women’s game.The State of Hockey is eager to welcome a new participant in the party, a fact that had coaches and players flushed with anticipation on Friday after going through a practice at the X.“The franchise’s goal is to be the No. 1 supported team,” head coach Ken Klee said. “Obviously, Minnesota is an unbelievable hockey market. That’s why I think there is a team here, because there are so many girls playing, women playing. As they watch us play the next 12 home games, I know they are going to be impressed.”There are 13 Minnesotans on the roster, each of them appreciativ...

Highway heroics: O'Fallon police rescue dog stranded along I-70

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:01 GMT

O'FALLON, Mo. - It was an early-morning call for the O'Fallon Police Department. Bryan Harr, Sgt. of OFPD said the station received several calls about a dog on the highway along the exit at TR Hughes Boulevard. "The dog was obviously scared by traffic on the interstate but allowed our officer to go over, pick him up, and get him out of the highway, which is a good thing for the motoring public and the dog," said Harr. Light rain and snow to impact Friday evening plans Somehow, a man's best friend, in this case a Rottweiler mix, was along a busy and dangerous stretch of the interstate."You don't want to be out on Highway 70 as a dog. It's busy and dangerous for pedestrians and dogs," said Harr.Officers were able to stop traffic, secure the dog, and eventually turn the canine over to the city's animal control. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News ...

Drought relief on the way as St. Louis braces for winter storms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:01 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The drought situation in the St. Louis area has been holding pretty steady lately, but upcoming storm systems bring some potential for improvement.While river levels look low, experts say there’s really no concern at the moment and that levels are around average.“I know it looks bad when you look at it, but its pretty much what they typically see this time of year," said Mark Fuchs, Senior Service Hydrologist with the National Weather Service in St. Louis. "The Mississippi at St. Louis in particular today is at the 55th percentile of all flows that are seen on January 5th. So that’s pretty good." St. Louis radar: See a map of current weather here In order to improve the drought situation, we want to see above-normal precipitation in a week. “And of course, above-normal precipitation is even better. And it gives us an opportunity to improve the drought monitor classifications when that happens,” said Fuchs. Late Monday into Tuesday, we expect significant precipitation...