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Mother of child killed in Uvalde mass shooting visits Highland Park ahead of run for mayor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:55 GMT

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — A mother of one of the children killed in the Uvalde mass shooting was in Highland Park Wednesday, looking to gather support from a community that also has scars from a mass shooting, as she runs for mayor in the Texas town."When I heard she was running for mayor, I thought we have to support her in anyway we can," said Stephanie Jacobs, a Highland Park resident. "Our community and her community are tied by tragedy."Jacobs spoke of Kimberly Rubio, whom she met while the two were in Washington D.C., lobbying for change when it comes to gun violence.Rubio's 10-year-old daughter Lexi was one of the 19 children and two school staff members who shot and killed in Uvalde on May 24, 2022. "I lost my daughter, Lexi, she was 10 in the Robb Elementary school shooting," Rubio said. "She was in Mr. Reyes' class, 111, and he was the only survivor so, all 11 students in that classroom died that day." More from Alyssa: ‘We complied’: More North Side armed robberies reported...

Doctor, retired music teacher team up to bring healing music to suburban hospital

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:55 GMT

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — A retired music professor and a cardiologist have formed an usual, but popular duo at Edward Hospital in Naperville.At the hospital, there's a volunteer music program called, Music from the Heart, which makes what unfolded in the lobby this year even more poignant.Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, Philip Spencer's fingers dance across the piano keys in hopes it brings a little joy to the patients and medical staff passing by. More from Erin: Suburban choir shares joy of music by giving ukuleles to kids in hospitals "Playing here really demonstrated the power of music to do more than entertain,” he said. "How music can help them celebrate, help them grieve. It can help them learn.”During one day’s performance, a cardiologist by the name Dr. David Kim found himself drawn to that piano."I mustered up enough courage to go up to him and ask him if he knew a song in a certain key," he said.And that was beginning of perhaps the most unusual musical duo the hospital h...

RV destroyed in fire at suburban gas station

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:55 GMT

STICKNEY, Ill. — Emergency crews are on the scene of a fire at the gas station in the southwest suburbs.Fire trucks and EMS responded to the gas station in the 3800 block of South Cicero in Stickney near the border of Cicero and Chicago around 3:30 p.m.Southbound Cicero Avenue is shutdown at Pershing as crews continue to investigate. Heavy delays are reported in both directions. No other details are available at this time.This is a developing story. Check back for details.

3 Illinois sheriff's deputies suffer burns in dynamite disposal operation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:55 GMT

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — Three northern Illinois sheriff's deputies injured while disposing of dynamite in neighboring Wisconsin remained hospitalized with burns Monday, authorities said.The deputies are being treated for burns described as non-life-threatening, said Cori Hilliard, a spokesperson for the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office.The deputies were called out Saturday morning to help the Rock County Sheriff’s Office in Wisconsin on a report of dynamite in a trailer in Beloit, the Winnebago sheriff's office said. An Abe Lincoln photo made during his 1858 ascendancy has been donated to his museum in Illinois The property where the dynamite was found had been sold at auction and was in the process of having its ownership transferred, Capt. Josh Lund, of the Rock County Sheriff’s Office, said.The dynamite had been on the property “for quite some time,” Lund said.It wasn't clear how the deputies sustained the burns.

Unseasonably hot weather for the last few days of September

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:55 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Isolated thunderstorms brought a few communities heavy rainfall on Wednesday, mainly in the Hill Country. One LCRA rain gauge tallied 0.81" of rain 12 miles northwest of Fredericksburg.Thursday, dry weather returns as a heat dome influences our weather from northern Mexico. Unseasonably hot, mainly dry weather persists this weekend including for the Texas home football game on Saturday when high temperatures reach 95 degrees in Austin.Preliminary data shows that Austin is currently in the midst of its hottest year to date on record, tied with 2011.Wetter weather possible next weekWe are expecting a large trough of low pressure, a stormy weather pattern, to move onto the West Coast early next week. While it won't be in a hurry to get to Texas, its slow approach next week will gradually increase the chance of rain locally.Rain and storms may become more likely late next week into part of Austin City Limits Music Festival weekend one. A cold front is possible at the en...

Water reuse in Hill County imperative to combat water scarcity, report says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:55 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) –  In a new report, the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance (GEAA) detailed the importance of utilizing water reuse, or recycled water, to combat water scarcity in the booming Hill Country counties. The Texas Hill Country region, due to its unique environment, is already vulnerable to water shortages caused by drought and water contamination from water disposal practices. On top of this, the region has seen unprecedented growth in recent years, prompting officials to come up with solutions for challenges brought on by population growth and water scarcity, as well as preserving existing water supplies.  MORE: Texas Hill Country water crisis may be approaching ‘tipping point,’ experts warn “Water reuse – using reclaimed and treated wastewater – is an integral step in ensuring that counties in the Hill Country will have the water supplies they need to ensure the health, safety, and quality of life of residents in the years to come,” the GEAA wrote in a ...

As more migrant buses arrive, Gov. Abbott visits New York City to talk border policy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:55 GMT

NEW YORK (Nexstar) — On Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott traveled to the city that Texas has sent the largest number of migrants to, part of his signature policy he said helps border communities dealing with illegal immigration.The Texas Republican visited New York City to speak about the ongoing border crisis in a fireside chat with the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, on Wednesday. More buses arrived from the state during Abbott's visit, according to a source familiar with the matters in the governor's office. "What you're dealing with in New York, what you are seeing and witnessing in the state is a tiny fraction of what is happening every single day in the state of Texas," he said. Since starting the busing initiative in April 2022, Texas has sent more than 15,800 immigrants to New York City — and sending more than 25,000 immigrants to Washington D.C., Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and Los Angeles total. According to a August 2023 poll from the Texas Politics Project a...

Three biggest questions facing Timberwolves entering training camp

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:55 GMT

Another Timberwolves season unofficially kicks off Thursday with the team’s media day at Target Center as this year’s oroup pf players is essentially introduced before the squad departs for its preseason trip to Abu Dhabi, where the team will play a pair of exhibition games against the Dallas Mavericks.Media day comes just five months and three days since Minnesota’s season ended in a Game 5, first-round playoff series loss in Denver.The NBA winds of change have swirled since then, culminating with the Damian Lillard blockbuster trade that sent the all-star point guard to Milwaukee on Monday.Minnesota, though, largely stood pat this offseason. The Timberwolves acquired a few ancillary pieces, but their biggest splash of the summer was bringing back reserve center Naz Reid. The front office essentially bet on its current roster.Will that bet — which is a continuance of the team going “all in” on Rudy Gobert a year ago — pay off? That’s the ultimate...

Progressive St. Paul City Council Member Jalali faces conservative challenger in Bushard in Ward 4

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:55 GMT

Mitra Jalali has garnered a reputation as arguably the most outspoken progressive voice on the St. Paul City Council. An advocate for rent control and tenant protections, limiting or reducing police budgets in favor of shifting funding into community public safety programs, increasing housing density and building new bikeways, Jalali, 37, won the Ward 4 seat in a special election in 2018 and was then re-elected to a full term in 2019.“We are in a real climate crisis, and we have to do something about it — yesterday,” said Jalali, who lives at the edge of Hamline-Midway and Merriam Park, at a recent candidate forum organized by the League of Women Voters St. Paul. “I have embraced a comprehensive public safety approach that really puts racial justice and racial equity at the center to make sure we have safer neighborhoods for everybody.”Undated courtesy photo, circa September 2023, of Mitra Jalali, candidate for re-election to the St. Paul City Council i...

In role reversal, fan-favorite receiver Adam Thielen will try to beat Vikings this weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:55 GMT

Adam Thielen was grinding film this week figuring out ways to potentially beat Harrison Smith downfield.Wait. What?It doesn’t make much sense to Thielen either as he prepares for the Carolina Panthers to host the Vikings on Sunday afternoon in an NFL matchup he has had circled on the calendar for quite some time.“It’s crazy to be game-planning against guys that were my teammates for a long time,” Thielen said. “It’s going to be different as far as that goes.”After spending the better part of a decade with the Vikings — making a name for himself with a Cinderella story that has been covered ad nauseam — Thielen got released this spring in a salary-cap move. He signed a 3-year, $25 million deal with the Panthers a week a half later.It marked the first time in Thielen’s life that he has lived outside his home state of Minnesota. He grew up a few hours from the Twin Cities, played collegiately at Minnesota State Mankato, and of course, eve...