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Skilling: Cloudy, possible wet Thursday for Chicagoland

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:19 GMT

IT FELT 21-DEG WARMER  WEDNESDAY THAN YESTERDAY when both the temperature and wind chill are taken into account---A BIG CHANGE!Wednesday's temp recovery included an end 65 consecutive sub-freezing hours which began at 6pm Sunday, ran through Monday and Tuesday, and finally ended when the city's official O'Hare temp surged above freezing late Wed morning.Temps rose slowly last night, moving from 19-deg at 11pm Tuesday night to 28 by 8am this morning as the milder air filtered in to the Chicago area—and by mid afternoon had reached 40-deg at O'Hare.  It wouldn't be surprising to see the day's maximum reading top out at 41 before sunset brings on a nocturnal cooling.Dominance of Chicago's weather pattern shifted Wednesday from arctic-origin air to MILDER Pacific air Wednesday as a result in a shift in upper steering winds at the jet stream level.  For several days, those important, weather-guiding winds blew into the Midwest from the northernmost reaches of North America.  With th...

Ed Burke Trial: Prosecutors, defense attorneys continue battle over Old Main Post Office allegations

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:19 GMT

CHICAGO — The trial of longtime Chicago alderman Ed Burke continued Wednesday, with testimony centered around the Old Main Post Office and more secretly-recorded video of conversations centered around Burke, fellow former alderman Danny Solis, and a post office developer.One of the conversations presented was from 2017 when Solis asked Burke about a potential kickback, and if he could persuade a post office developer to hire Burke's property tax law firm."The last time we met, you got me thinking," Burke said. "My son is at Ignatius and I have a big mortgage. If there's any thought you have on that.""If you can tee him up, you can be our consultant," Solis said. "That would be okay? No legal problems?""You're not going to get into any trouble and I'm not going to get into any trouble at this stage in the game," Burke replied. More from Dana: Scientists have identified a new way to treat lung cancer — and more Another recording showed Solis and Burke met with Harry Skydell, the pro...

NASCAR reaches $7.7B deal with streaming platforms, major networks

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:19 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WGHP) — NASCAR has announced their new media partners for a $7.7 billion media rights deal.The media rights deal includes Fox, NBC, Amazon, and Warner Bros., and will begin in the 2025 season.NASCAR did not reveal monetary figures at the news conference held at the Music City Center one day before its season-ending awards ceremony. The Athletic reports that the deal is worth $7.7 billion — when the previously announced $1.1 billion agreement with The CW is included — and will run for seven years. In 2022, The CW Network was acquired by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns this news station.NASCAR races were already televised by Fox Sports and NBC Sports. With the new deal, NASCAR's coverage will expand to The CW, TNT, Amazon Prime, and B/R Sports on the Max streaming platform, formerly known as HBO Max.The Cup Series will include existing partners Fox Sports and NBC, which will feature a mix of broadcast and cable events. Five races will be on Fox a...

Footlong cookies are coming to Subway restaurants nationwide

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:19 GMT

ST. LOUIS (KTVI) -- Subway is known for its footlong sandwiches. Now, the fast-food chain is planning to add footlong cookies to the menu. The company announced Wednesday that the cookies will be available at restaurants nationwide in 2024, but some cities will get a chance to try them before the official launch. If you're in Chicago, Dallas, Miami, or New York, select Subway restaurants will turn into "Cookieway," where you can get a free footlong cookie with the purchase of any footlong sub. A $16 McDonald’s meal is going viral again. Here’s why On Dec. 4, which happens to be National Cookie Day, customers can visit the following locations from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. local time to get a free footlong cookie, while supplies last: Chicago: 604 S Wabash Ave., Suite D, Chicago, IL 60605Dallas: 1222 Commerce Street, Suite 150, Dallas, TX 75202Miami: 2795 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33140New York City: 545 8 Ave., New York, NY 10018Subway said that last year’s limited run of footlong cook...

Las Vegas police release images in attempt to ID body found in barrel in Lake Mead

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:19 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Police and officials with the Clark County coroner’s office released images Wednesday in an attempt to identify a man found deceased in a barrel in Lake Mead last year.On May 1, 2022, boaters discovered the unidentified man’s body concealed in a barrel near Hemenway Harbor. County officials said the man died from a gunshot wound, with the manner of his death being homicide. Nexstar's KLAS first reported the discovery.More than a year later, DNA testing has yet to reveal the man’s identity.Police and the coroner's office released three images of a composite face the FBI created.Police and officials with the Clark County coroner’s office released images Wednesday in an attempt to identify a man found deceased in a barrel in Lake Mead last year. (Clark County coroner's office/LVMPD/KLAS)Metro police suspect the man was killed in the 1980s based on personal items in the barrel. The victim was wearing clothing and shoes sold at Kmart stores in the mid-to-late 1970s.Hom...

Biden confirms second American hostage released by Hamas

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:19 GMT

(The Hill) — President Biden on Wednesday confirmed that a second American hostage has been released by Hamas amid the fragile pause in fighting in the Middle East.Biden told reporters that Liat Atzili, an Israeli-American, is “safe in Egypt just across the border.” The president added that he has spoken with Atzili’s mother and father.“Things are moving well,” Biden said, adding that Atzili “should be home soon.” The American-Israeli citizen was taken by Hamas following the group’s brutal and deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7. She is a mother of three from Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel, according to the Times of Israel. Mediators eye Gaza truce extension Her release comes during a temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which has been extended to allow for the release of hostages taken by Hamas.Biden earlier this week announced that 4-year-old American Israeli citizen, Abigail Idan, was among the 13 hostages released Sunday from Gaza. The president has p...

Power plants in Texas caused 27K deaths nationwide, UT says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A group of researchers from the University of Texas Austin, along with others from six universities, found that coal-fired power plants have harmed the United States -- causing more than 103,000 deaths nationwide in coal-fired power plants since 1999, according to a news release from UT.The team found that the coal electricity-generating emissions caused approximately 460,000 deaths from 1999 to 2020 in the Medicare population from 480 coal-fired power plants in the U.S., the release said.The highest death rates from coal in 1999 decreased about 95% by 2020, Cory Zigler, senior author and associate professor for UT's Department of Statistics and Data Science noted in the research.Co-author Jessica Roberts, assistant professor in the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, created an online tool that allows comparison of deaths from each power plant. It shows that the power plants in Texas caused 27,000 deaths nationwide during the study, majorit...

Leander ISD parents push back against attendance zone changes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:19 GMT

LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — Leander ISD is considering boundary changes for several of its elementary school campuses. As rezoning discussions continue, parents said they're worried their children will have to start over at a new school once again."Our children have been required to move three times in four years," Leander parent Makenna Burke said.Burke said her neighborhood's attendance zone was adjusted a few years ago and her children were moved to the newly-built North Elementary.She said there were obvious signs from her children that they were saddened by the transition."At first they didn't want to come to school. It was hard for them to connect with new kids, it was hard for them to attach to faculty the way they had done at their previous school," Burke said.Allison Burskind's child was also moved to North Elementary in this rezoning. She said the latest proposal from Leander ISD would also move her child into a new building for a second time."The first year was really about ...

Federal appeals court questions new Texas law targeting 'explicit' books

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:19 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (Nexstar) — Federal appellate judges questioned a new Texas law in court on Wednesday, which aims to get rid of "sexually explicit" books in public school libraries. Federal judges inquired about the definitions outlined in House Bill 900, also known as the READER Act, which requires book distributors to rate books based on if they are deemed "sexually explicit," "sexually relevant," or give the book "no rating." How new Texas law restricting some books stacks up nationwide The law broadly defines “sexually explicit” as material that “describes, depicts, or portrays sexual conduct in a way that is patently offensive.” In September, a U.S. District Judge blocked the enforcement of a new Texas law saying it violated free speech. The judge said the court did not dispute the state’s interest in protecting kids, but said the law was unconstitutionally vague. "READER is not a book ban," said Kateland Jackson, Texas's assistant solicitor general. "The new law simply protects ...

F.D. Flam: It’s past time scientists admitted their COVID mistakes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:19 GMT

During the pandemic years, Americans’ trust in scientists fell, according to a Pew poll released this month. In 2019, only 13% of Americans were distrustful enough to say they weren’t confident in scientists to act in the public’s best interest. Now that figure is 27% — despite recent triumphs in astronomy, cancer research, genetics and other fields.It’s reasonable to assume the problem stems from COVID-era public health missteps. Some public health agencies took years to admit what had quickly become obvious: that the virus was airborne. Others suggested precautions, closing playgrounds and beaches, where any benefit would have been minimal. Some promoted policies, like sustained social isolation, that were hard to implement and endure — even for the prominent epidemiologists promoting them.Public health researchers and officials seem to think that rebuilding trust is just a matter of clearer, more persuasive communication. That would help, but i...