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WATCH LIVE | Brandon Johnson makes first trip to state Capitol as Chicago's mayor-elect

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:19 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson is traveling to Springfield Wednesday where he'll meet with legislative leaders and speak to a joint session of the Illinois General Assembly.Johnson has a day filled with spending time with lawmakers and addressing the needs of Chicago.This trip will be his first as mayor-elect, but it's not an unfamiliar territory. After addressing the Illinois General Assembly, Johnson will hold a press conference with Illinois House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch. He will also hold meetings with Welch and Senate President Don Harmon, as well as with the Black, Asian, Latino and moderate caucuses. Johnson said his time at the statehouse is about building a better, stronger and safer Chicago by establishing a strong foundation for collaboration.Now, Johnson has already built relationships with lawmakers. He has spent time working with Don Harmon as his constituent service director.He was also the chief of staff for...

'Gloriously gluttonous body': Fat cat up for adoption weighs 40 pounds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:19 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The fattest cat you've ever seen was recently put up for adoption by Richmond Animal Care and Control in Virginia.Patches weighs 40.3 pounds, Animal Care and Control said. He's on a diet and exercise plan to get that number down, and he has been neutered, tested and chipped. The enormous cat is "very sweet," they say. Richmond Animal Care and Control put up a post on social media asking people interested in adopting Patches to reach out. They were looking for a new owner who would be committed to helping the cat reach a "safe and healthy weight." A domestic cat's ideal weight depends on its breed and sex, but you should usually be able to feel its ribs and see its waist from above, Purina says. Your veterinarian can help you determine if your cat is in a healthy weight range. The Facebook post about Patches quickly racked up hundreds of comments and shares. In an update Wednesday, the group said an adoption is pending. (Photo courtesy of Richmond Animal Care ...

Sheriff reflects on Waco siege's anniversary: Won't 'ever totally get over it'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:19 GMT

McLENNAN COUNTY, Texas (KWKT) - April 19, 2023 marks 30 years since the end of a 51-day standoff between Branch Davidians and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation outside Waco, Texas. David Koresh, also known as Vernon Howell, and his followers imprisoned themselves in the Mount Carmel complex on Feb. 28, 1993 after a deadly ATF raid. Four federal agents were killed, and 14 other agents were wounded. Federal law enforcement agencies camped outside, attempting to lure them out as people around the world watched. Branch Davidian Raid: 30 Years Later The complex was the headquarters for the Davidians, who had split off from the Seventh-day Adventists decades earlier. During the 25th anniversary of the events, in 2018, former Waco cult member Marc Breault was interviewed by FOX News about his experiences with David Koresh - and how he was able to escape from the events.“Koresh and I were at odds,” Breault told FOX N...

Why Jake Burger's homer Tuesday was a memorable one for the White Sox

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:19 GMT

CHICAGO — It's certainly been an uneven start to the 2023 season for the White Sox, with one of their most consistent players not even playing at the major league level the entire season.But when Jake Burger has been with the big league club, he's made the most of it with his power. On Tuesday, he made his latest homer even more unique than the rest. In the first inning of Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Phillies, the infielder smashed a pitch from Bailey Falter deep into the left field seats for a three-run homer. It was the only runs that the White Sox would need in a 3-0 triumph over Philadelphia that was boosted by an impressive one-hit pitching performance by the club. Yet Burger's 417-foot shot was very notable for the White Sox since statistically it was the hardest hit ball by a player for the club in eight years. Per Statcast, the home run had an exit velocity of 118.2 miles per hour, which is the highest for the White Sox since that service made its debut in the MLB b...

Meta to begin newest round of mass layoffs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:19 GMT

(The Hill) -- Meta is set to start cutting jobs on Wednesday as part of its round of layoffs it announced in March, as the company seeks to eliminate up to 10,000 jobs in a move to cut costs.The round of cuts on Wednesday affected employees across a number of the company’s products, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, according to Bloomberg, which cites a memo the outlet reviewed. The cuts will also affect parts of the company’s virtual reality team.The layoffs stem from an announcement last month that Meta was looking to cut 10,000 jobs, with its CEO Mark Zuckerberg telling employees the company was trying to become more efficient by also not filling 5,000 open roles.  Almost 120M Americans exposed to air pollution that can shorten lives: research Meta told The Hill that it did not have a comment on the reported layoffs on Wednesday, but pointed to the announcement from Zuckerberg in March that said the company expected “restructurings and layoffs in our tech group...

Almost 120M Americans exposed to air pollution that can shorten lives: research

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:19 GMT

(The Hill) -- More than a third of Americans are exposed to potentially life-shortening air pollution, according to the American Lung Association’s (ALA) 2023 State of the Air report.About 119.6 million Americans, or 36 percent of the population, live in areas the association assigned a failing grade to for particle or ozone pollution. This is a reduction of about 17.6 million people that were exposed to air pollution in 2022, with the ALA attributing the improvement primarily to success in reducing ozone pollution.Despite this, the report found a record-high number of people living in counties with failing particle-pollution ratings, at just under 64 million. There are major gaps in the data, predominantly for rural counties, as the majority of areas in the U.S. do not monitor data for the pollutants in question. About 264 million people, or around 79 percent of the U.S. population, live in the 922 counties covered by the data.As in previous reports, the 2023 edition found already-...

Elderly man dies following crash in north suburbs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:19 GMT

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. — An elderly man died Tuesday afternoon following a two-vehicle crash in the north suburbs.Just before 2 p.m., authorities responded to the area of Route 173 and Mill Creek Road, located in Wadsworth, on the report of a crash with "significant damage."Police believe a driver of a 2018 Hyundai Elantra, a 45-year-old Milwaukee woman, was traveling north on Mill Creek Road. Police said the driver of the Hyundai failed to stop at a stop sign as she approached Route 173.As the Hyundai entered the intersection, it was struck by an eastbound Volkswagen GTI, driven by a 39-year-old Lake Villa man.A 76-year-old man, of Mexico, was a passenger in the back seat of the Elantra and died as a result of the crash. Two other passengers in the Elantra, a 23-year-old woman and a 18-year-old man, suffered minor injuries. The driver of the Elantra also suffered minor injuries.The driver of the Volkswagen was not injured.

City warns of potential blue-green algae on Lady Bird Lake

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Austin’s Watershed Protection Department said it saw a lot of green algae Monday on Lady Bird Lake, but warned there might be blue-green algae mixed in.While the department said it had not yet tested the algae, people should assume the algae might be toxic and avoid it.According to the city, a harmful algae bloom occurs when Cyanobacteria, also called blue-green algae, produces toxins. PAST COVERAGE: Toxic blue-green algae: Is this the new normal for Austin dog owners? “Lady Bird Lake experienced a harmful algae bloom in 2019, which sickened and killed several dogs. There have been harmful algae blooms on Lady Bird Lake every year since then,” the city said.In addition to Lady Bird Lake, the city also advised avoiding algae on Lake Austin as well.Watershed Protection’s routine algae sampling has been focused on the traditional algae growth seasons of summer and fall and is paused during winter and spring to allow staff time to process data and adju...

UT Austin Launches pilot housing scholarship program

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The University of Texas at Austin launched a pilot housing scholarship program to offset student housing costs up to $1,800 per academic year, with a priority on first-year students. Eligible students are those qualified for free or reduced tuition through Texas Advance Commitment (TAC) and elect to live in the university residence halls.“We have already made progress in reducing and, in some cases, eliminating the cost of tuition for our students who can least afford it, through programs such as the Texas Advance Commitment,” said UT Austin President Jay Hartzell. “Now we are actively working to identify new and more expansive solutions to mitigate the rising cost of Austin’s housing market, which has become a more acute financial barrier. This pilot program is the next step in our strategic effort to support our students in new ways.” The scholarship is available to offset housing costs for an estimated 3,500 eligible students. Scholarships will be awarded in order...

MDH: Test water from private wells for contamination if flooded

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:19 GMT

The Minnesota Department of Health is advising owners of private water wells to take precautions against floodwater contamination.If floodwater has reached a well, do not use the water for drinking, cooking or brushing teeth until the floodwater recedes and the well is disinfected and tested.If floodwater has come within 50 feet of a well, but did not reach the well, homeowners still might want to have well water tested for coliform bacteria as a precaution, health department officials advise.Once floodwaters recede from a well, homeowners should prepare to have it disinfected and tested.According to the National Weather Service, the St. Croix River is expected to crest at Stillwater at 7 a.m. Sunday about 2 1/2 feet above flood stage.The Mississippi River at St. Paul is expected to reach major flood stage on Thursday and crest about three feet above that by Sunday.For more information about flood precautions for private wells, go to https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/enviro...