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Seeking solutions from those most impacted by violence in Chicago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:07 GMT

CHICAGO — Politicians, pundits and pontificators on social media offer no shortage of simple sounding solutions to Chicago’s violence problem: ‘Lock people up!’ ‘Give people jobs!’  are common refrains. But if solutions were as simple as soundbites Chicago and other big cities wouldn’t have just endured their most violent few years in decades. “It annoys me,” Michelle Rashad said of the people who offer soundbite solutions to problems that plague her community. “Even that mindset allows us to normalize [violence] and say ‘Okay, if that person just had a job they wouldn’t be out here.’Rashad was born and raised in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. She excelled at Lindblom High School and travelled internationally after learning to speak Mandarin as a teenager. She was working a job in the corporate world in 2016 when she saw Black Lives Matter demonstrations downtown outside her office window.  “I had all this anger inside myself and I was saying ‘What are you goi...

Mayor Johnson meets with migrants in Chicago on second day in office

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:07 GMT

CHICAGO -- Mayor Brandon Johnson said he wanted to get a first hand look at the conditions new migrants coming to Chicago are experiencing on Tuesday.Mayor Johnson arrived at the Pietrowski Park Fieldhouse Tuesday evening, which the Chicago Park District converted last week into a respite site.Prior to stopping to the migrants, Mayor Johnson visited the 12th Police District, where roughly 70 migrants are currently living. Most are from Venezuala and have been at that police station for up to two weeks. Lawsuit aims to stop migrants from moving into old Chicago high school Some tell us they have been sick, one woman there is five months pregnant and hasn’t seen a doctor after her nine month journey to the United States.In his first day in office, Mayor Johnson signed several executive orders on Monday, one of them on immigration, creating a deputy mayor for immigrant, migrant and refugee rights. The Deputy Mayor will be responsible for coordination and communication between city de...

Chill comes in for midweek, but warmup on the way

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:07 GMT

Sharp cooling hits with the passage of a PNEUMONIA FRONT—so named because of the jarring temp changes such fronts produce. This front is dropping southward and will pass the area taking temps down from afternoon highs in the low 80s to the low and mid 50s by 9 and 10pm.  Such fronts sweep "NNE" winds into Chicago—winds which have traveled the length of Lake Michigan over chilly water. That helps drive the sharp temp drops they produce---in the case of Tuesday evening's front, a drop of 20 to 30-deg in a matter of hours—between 6 and 9 p.m. 'Pneumonia Front' to send temps crashing Tuesday night A COOL, SUNNY WEDNESDAY IS AHEAD---but smoke of Canadian wildfires is settling into the area ALOFT. This will lend the sky a hazy orangish hue.  Temps will be CHILLY WEDNESDAY—limited to the low and mid 60s inland and to the 50s at the lake.Temps come back closer to seasonal norms (i.e. low 70-deg highs and upper 40 to low 50-deg lows) the remainder of this work week and ...

WATCH: Northbrook student asks friend of 10 years to prom in grand fashion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:07 GMT

NORTHBROOK, Ill. — It may be one of the coolest and most heartfelt "promposals" you'll see all year. This past weekend, at the end of the Northbrook Park District ice show, Glenbrook North High School student Maddie surprised her longtime friend, Nicholas, with a sign that read, "Will you go to prom with me?" Westmont teen gets help from WGN’s Skycam9 for the ultimate promposal Nicholas, who graduated from Glenbrook South, yelled out a big 'Yes' in front of a cheering crowd. Maddie and Nicholas, who both have Down syndrome, have been friends for a decade. Their prom is scheduled for Saturday, May 20. 

Indiana high school student drowns in pool during PE class

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:07 GMT

WHITELAND, Ind. (WXIN) — A female high school student in Indiana has died after drowning in a swimming pool during physical education class on Tuesday. Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation originally referred to the student's death as the result of a medical emergency. It was the Johnson County Coroner who later confirmed that the student was pulled from the Whiteland Community High School swimming pool. Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation clarified on Tuesday evening that the student did in fact drown in the pool and that the drowning occurred during PE class. Say goodbye to AM radio: Why carmakers are removing it from new models "Despite the efforts of our staff and emergency responders, the student has passed away," the school corporation said. "The specific cause and circumstances surrounding this tragedy are not yet known, and a thorough investigation will take place."The school corporation extended their deepest sympathies to the friends and family of the dec...

Up to 16,000 power outages reported in east, southeast Austin Tuesday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:07 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Roughly 16,000 people in east and southeast Austin lost power between 12:20 p.m. and 1:10 p.m. Tuesday. That number was at roughly 12,000 by 1:25 p.m. How to check for Central Texas power outages Two major clusters of outages shown on the Austin Energy outage map affected the Riverside/Oltorf area and Govalle/East Cesar Chavez area in the timeframe of 12:20 p.m. - 1:10 p.m.At 5:30 p.m., the outages had dwindled to 142 total customers. Almost all of those outages were concentrated in east Austin near East Cesar Chavez Street and Pleasant Valley Road.Screenshot of Austin Energy power outage map near the Govalle/East Cesar Chavez area taken around 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 16. (Courtesy: Austin Energy)Screenshot of Austin Energy power outage map near the Riverside/Oltorf area taken around 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 16. (Courtesy: Austin Energy)Screenshot of Austin Energy power outage map taken around 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 16. (Courtesy: Austin Energy)By 1:15 p.m., there were 6,645 ...

Matthew McConaughey, Glen Powell, others call on lawmakers to make Texas more film friendly

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:07 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- In a video posted to Austin native and actor Glen Powell's Instagram Tuesday, several Texas-based actors called on lawmakers to pass legislation that would make the state more film-friendly. The caption on Powell's video reads, "I’m a proud Texan and even more proud of Texas artists. My pals and I are here to tell you why film is good For Texas. And the rest of the world, I guess…but mostly Texas."Actors Powell, Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Owen Wilson, and Billy Bob Thornton appear in the video to promote Texas legislation aimed at incentivizing and improving the film industry in the state. PREVIOUS STORY: Can Texas become a top ‘film-friendly’ state? The actors talk about positive aspects of filmmaking in Texas, like how "Texas looks good on the big screen," as Wilson put it. They also pointed out that the film industry brings money and jobs into the state. The actors also say that funding for filmmaking in Texas has decreased over the ye...

Texas Legislature passes bill to make kratom safer for consumers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:07 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Texas legislature passed a bill to regulate the sale of kratom in the state with the goal of protecting consumers from unsafe products.Kratom products are derived from the leaves of a tropical tree grown in the South Pacific. It has two psychoactive alkaloids – mitragynine and 7-hydroxymytragynine. To feel the effects, the leaves are chewed; dried and smoked; or powdered and put into capsules to be taken orally – how it is commonly sold in Texas.Kratom has been used in Southeast Asia for hundreds to thousands of years. It is used to combat fatigue, in cultural ceremonies and to treat medical conditions, such as opioid use disorder. Before now, kratom products in Texas were largely unregulated, meaning manufacturers could put dangerous additives in products or enhance compounds to unsafe levels with little consequence, said Mac Haddow, Senior Fellow on Public Policy for the American Kratom Association.With the passage of the Texas Kratom Consumer Health and S...

Medical billing transparency legislation passed, heads to governor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:07 GMT

This report is an update to KXAN’s “Medical Debt Lawsuits” investigation. Our team will continue to follow the bills during Texas’ legislative session.AUSTIN (KXAN) – Legislation that will increase medical billing transparency – by requiring hospitals to provide an itemized receipt to patients before sending their bill to collections – achieved final passage by the Senate on Tuesday.The Senate’s approval of SB 490 by Sen. Bryan Hughes, (R-Mineola), caps the measure’s passage through both chambers. The bill now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature.Hughes’ legislation was amended to trim the types of health care providers that would have to send an itemized invoice. In its final form, the bill applies to health care facilities and hospitals but does not apply to doctors or federally qualified health centers. Hughes said federally qualified health centers already have regulations that make billing information more readily accessible. He described the legislation as a "great bill...

Gov. Tim Walz signs bipartisan legislation to fund replacement of lead service lines on residential properties

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:07 GMT

Across Minnesota, thousands of underground service lines that snake from home basement water meters to water mains in the center of the street are made of lead, a common but unwelcome contaminant when it comes to drinking water.The lines sit within both the public right-of-way and private residential property, and replacing them can cost property owners $10,000 or more, a sum many households would be hard-pressed to come up with on their own. On Tuesday, Gov. Tim Walz signed bipartisan legislation that would help cities across the state not only map the locations of their lead service lines, but rip them out and replace them, at no cost to homeowners.The $240 million initiative received the unanimous backing of House lawmakers and near-unanimous support in the state Senate. The next steps will be up to municipalities to apply to the Minnesota Department of Health for grants, complete their maps and then coordinate directly with homeowners, who would have to voluntarily grant permiss...