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Friday fundraiser in Irving Park aims to help families of fallen Chicago firefighters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

CHICAGO — A week after the Chicago Fire Department and the city bid a final farewell to two city firefighters, an overwhelming response and outpouring of support continue with a fundraiser set for Friday to help the families of Jermaine Pelt and Lt. Jan Tchoryk.Tony Martin, the Chicago Fire Department’s EMWQ Retirees’, Widows’ and Children’s Fund, joined WGN Evening News to speak about the event set to take place on Friday, April 21. The fundraiser will be held at Leona’s Pizzeria & Restaurant, located at 3877 N. Elston Ave., in Chicago's Irving Park neighborhood.Doors open at 5 p.m. A $20 donation is suggested with proceeds going to the CFD’s EMWQ Widows’ and Children’s Fund."The fire department, we are a big family, and at the end of the day, there is going to be continuing support from the fire department, from the city of Chicago, obviously from the community, it's been tremendous and our media," Martin said. "We can't thank you guys enough."Actor David Eigenberg, Paul Valla...

WATCH: Dashcam footage from Utah Highway Patrol shows wrong-way driver crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

TOOELE, Utah (KTVX) - Utah Highway Patrol has released dashcam footage of the moment when a trooper struck a wrong-way driver with his patrol car in an attempt to stop him. The incident happened on Tuesday, April 18 when a pickup truck pulling a U-Haul was traveling the wrong way on the westbound lanes of I-80 at about 3 p.m. A UHP sergeant was also heading westbound, unaware of the oncoming truck. Once he saw it, he turned on his emergency lights and siren, slowed down and put himself in the path of the oncoming truck. Illinois middle school wrestler sucker-punched by opponent after loss in viral video The trooper's patrol car and truck collided head-on. UHP Sgt. Cameron Roden confirmed with Nexstar's KTVX at the time of the accident that another white pick-up truck crashed into the back of the patrol vehicle as well. In the video, which has no sound, a truck in front of the patrol car can be seen moving out of the way of the wrong-way driver. The oncoming truck, with a headligh...

APD investigating suspicious death in south Austin homeless encampment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department said it was investigating a suspicious death in south Austin near the Gaines Creek Greenbelt area Thursday.APD said officers initially responded to reports of gunshots in the 4900 block of West U.S. Highway 290 around 11 a.m. Thursday.Officers found a man with trauma in a homeless encampment. He was pronounced dead, police said.Police said delays should be expected around the area Thursday afternoon.

'Shocking and tragic': San Saba Police investigating murder/suicide incident

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

SAN SABA, Texas (KXAN) -- Two people are dead after the San Saba Police Department said was the result of a murder/suicide incident in San Saba Thursday, according to a news release from the agency.At approximately 3 p.m., SSPD responded to a report of a shooting in the 1200 block of Wallace Street, the release said. Furthermore, police said the shooting occurred in the parking lot area of the location, and two adults were shot.When officers arrived on the scene, they determined an altercation occurred between a husband and wife, which resulted in the death of both parties. Police said an uninjured juvenile was also on the scene and has since relocated to live with other family members in the San Saba area.Police identified the husband and wife as 45-year-old Ben Henniger and 40-year-old Jo Lei Henniger, both of San Saba."This is a shocking and tragic situation. Words cannot express the depth of our condolences for the friends and family of those involved," SSPD Chief of Police John...

Texas baseball set for back half of Big 12 play

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

Austin (KXAN) - Texas baseball has fought to an 8-4 conference record halfway through the 24 game Big 12 slate, good for tops in the league. This weekend the Longhorns will battle the team at the bottom of the Big 12 in their rival Oklahoma.The Longhorns are coming off a 20-0 victory in a midweek showdown against Abilene Christian after an eventful series win on the road against Baylor. Now even as their opponent this weekend has lost three of four conference series, they know it will still be quite a test."How some of these guys are going to handle this series," said Longhorns Head Coach David Pierce on what he's looking for against Oklahoma. "Do they make it bigger than it is. It's another Big 12 weekend series against a really good team."The Longhorns have won the last two series against Oklahoma. For TCU transfer Porter Brown, he's in his first go around with the Red River Rivalry but knows what the battle means."I just want to win," said the junior outfielder Brown. "We want to...

Gov. Walz joins lawmakers in pushing for $240 million for municipal lead pipe replacement funding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

After 30 years as a homeowner on Front Avenue, Diane Schultz was relieved when a mailer arrived with a unique offer.St. Paul Regional Water Services would open up the street in front of her house, shoot a pneumatic bullet under her home’s foundation and remove and replace the aged lead service line that connects her water meter to the utility’s water main. Much of that lead piping snakes through her private property, but St. Paul Regional Water would do the work free of charge. First, the agency needed one thing: her permission.Schultz was among a dozen or more Front Avenue homeowners who jumped at the opportunity. In some parts of the city, the utility has been less lucky convincing homeowners to sign up.“They don’t understand what it’s all about,” said Schultz, surrounded by utility workers while standing in front of a spray paint outline of the future dig site by her front yard.A 10-year citywide effortAlso present was Gov. Tim Walz, Lt. Gov. P...

Body pulled from St. Croix River IDed as missing man from Hudson

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

Hudson, Wis., police on Thursday identified the man pulled from the St. Croix River this week as Hai Quoc Nguyen, a 31-year-old Hudson man who has been missing since March 3.Officers with the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office and Washington County Sheriff’s Office recovered Nguyen’s body from the river on Wednesday morning after receiving a call from someone who had spotted it.Nguyen was a native of New Richmond, Wis., and was “a bright and engaging young man who was fluent in six languages,” according to a post on the New Richmond Area Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page. “Hai loved the Chamber, and we loved him. Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time.”Nguyen was last seen around 9:25 p.m. March 3 traveling west on Buckeye Street near First Street in downtown Hudson, according to Hudson police. His car was found parked downtown along with his personal property.On April 8, police asked residents to avoid the boat launch on the...

Flood report: Fort Snelling State Park to close, St. Croix forecast jumps a foot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

Due to rising waters on the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers, Fort Snelling State Park will close to the public starting Friday.The park will remain closed until floodwaters recede and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources staff are able to assess conditions within the park and address any safety issues resulting from the flood, DNR officials said in a statement.“The safety of park visitors and staff is our number one priority,” said Ann Pierce, director of the DNR’s parks and trails division. “We know Minnesotans are eager to get outside and enjoy the recreational opportunities in beautiful state parks like Fort Snelling. We will reopen the park as soon as it’s safe to do so.”Several other parks and recreation areas across the state also are experiencing high-water conditions that might affect access to certain roads, trails or areas. People should visit park-specific websites to check visitor alerts before heading out, park officials said.The Mississippi River is expected to c...

Two men indicted in 2019 killing on St. Paul’s East Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

Two men serving federal prison sentences have been indicted on first-degree murder charges in connection with a 2019 homicide in St. Paul, according to information made public this week.The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office convened a grand jury in November to decide whether to bring charges against Derwin Idell Moore and John Sheldon Pickens Jr. in the drive-by shooting death of Wayne Rodrick Brown. The 29-year-old from St. Paul was found shot in the street at Hudson Road and Earl Street in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood on Sept. 28, 2019.Wayne R. Brown, 29, of St. Paul, died after he was fatally shot in St. Paul on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019. (Courtesy photo)The grand jury returned indictments Nov. 2 charging Moore, 36, and Pickens, 37, with first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree intentional murder-drive-by shooting and second-degree intentional murder. The two-page indictments were made public this week as “the State is preparing to commence these proceedings,” court r...

State drops 5,700 jobs in March, unemployment rate ticks down

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

Minnesota lost an aggregate 5,700 jobs in March and the state’s unemployment rate ticked down to 2.8%, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development said Thursday.All of the job losses were in the private sector, 6,100 jobs, but this was offset by the addition of 400 new government jobs. The unemployment rate was down two-tenths of a percentage point from February, DEED said.Nationwide, total nonfarm employment increased by 236,000 jobs, up 0.2% from February to March, with the U.S. private sector gaining 189,000. The comparable U.S. unemployment rate was 3.5%.In Minnesota, the labor force participation rate was unchanged at 68%, and this compares with 62.6% nationally. This measures the total portion of the working age population that is working full-time or actively seeking work, and is used to calculate the main unemployment rate.“A decline in the unemployment rate is good news for Minnesota,” said DEED Temporary Commissioner Kevin McKinnon in ...