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US east cleans up after deadly storms as New England braces for flooding

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:05 GMT

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — Crews across the eastern U.S. worked Tuesday to clear downed trees and power lines and restore electricity following severe storms that killed at least two people, cut power to more than a million customers at their peak, and forced thousands of flight delays and cancellations.The storms that pounded a swath of the country stretching from Alabama and Tennessee to the Carolinas and New York on Monday continued to lash northern New England with wind and rain a day later.The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado touched down Tuesday in the Atlantic Coast town of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, though a survey team was still determining its strength.The twister damaged homes and vehicles, downed trees and power lines, and may have damaged the water treatment plant, which remained operational, according to a statement from the town’s Select Board. There were no reports of injuries.Rain also pounded Vermont, which experienced historic flooding last...

Mega Millions: How late can you buy a ticket for the $1.58B jackpot?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:05 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — A record-setting Mega Millions jackpot of $1.58 billion is up for grabs Tuesday night. If you haven't purchased a ticket yet, you still have time — but maybe not much time, depending on where you live. The jackpot has been brewing since April when a $20 million prize was won by a ticket sold in Syracuse, New York, just four days after a $483 million Mega Millions jackpot was hit by a ticket sold in Queens.Ahead of Tuesday’s drawing, Mega Millions officials estimated the jackpot’s size at $1.58 billion with a cash value of $783.3 million. That puts it as the largest in the game’s history, and as the third-largest lottery prize in U.S. history, though that could shift slightly based on ticket sales. Your odds at the Mega Millions jackpot are slim – but can you increase them? While the Mega Millions drawings are held at 11 p.m. ET on Tuesdays and Fridays, depending on where you live, you may need to get your ticket hours beforehand.In roughly half of ...

Father & daughter train together to compete against each other

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:05 GMT

WGN’s Mike Lowe is participating in the Life Time Chicago Triathlon to raise money for the non-profit It Takes a Village Chicago a non-profit that builds weight rooms for youth in underserved communities and underfunded schools. You can donate here.Each Tuesday in August, we’re bringing you stories about the triathlon. Here’s Triathlon Tuesday Part 1.CHICAGO — On a recent day in Rogers Park, Jason and Madeline Bussell were engaged in a sort-of daddy-daughter dash through their tree-lined neighborhood.  It’s part of the duo’s daily triathlon training program. They’ll move from running to a bicycle workout in the morning and swim several times during the week, too.They’ve been preparing all summer for the Life Time Chicago Triathlon, a swimming-biking-running competition, that will attract more than 8,000 athletes to the Chicago shoreline on August 27.Bussell, 51, has competed in a dozen triathlons and even done an Iron Man race.Madeline is a veteran of three kid’s triathlons. “...

Community leaders hope Chicago's next top cop is within CPD ranks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:05 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is inching closer to naming the city’s next top cop.  Sources tell WGN News that Johnson met with one of the superintendent candidates Monday at City Hall and has more meetings this week ahead of a final decision this weekend. The finalists are Larry Snelling and Angel Novalez, both high-ranking officials from within the Chicago Police Department, and Shon Barnes, police chief of Madison, Wisconsin.  Two of the city’s most prominent anti-gun activists are urging Johnson to go with one of the men already on the force.  Mayor Johnson talks Chicago’s top cop search, migrant relocation “I’m hoping and praying it’s somebody from Chicago,” said Father Michael Pfleger. “It’s very important that whoever the superintendent is they know Chicago inside and out, they speak Chicago, they feel Chicago,” said Donavan Price, a street pastor who shows up at multiple shooting scenes weekly. Pfleger, of St. Sabina Church, says former police...

Why the Cubs' first night game anniversary is a little different in 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:05 GMT

CHICAGO — Whenever August 8 comes on the calendar, Cubs fans get a little nostalgic thanks to a major change that happened on that day at the Friendly Confines.But in 2023, there is something just a little bit different about an important day in Wrigley Field history. (Photo by Heinz Kluetmeier /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) On August 8, 1988 (Or 8/8/88), the Cubs played for the first time at Wrigley Field under artificial light. From 1914 until the Sunday before, games at the Friendly Confines had only been played in the daytime. That moment against the Philadelphia Phillies on a hot and humid evening - featuring a game-time temperature of 91 degrees - came after years of battles between the Cubs, the Lakeview neighborhood, the City of Chicago, and the State of Illinois.Traditionalists hated to see it, but the economic realities of baseball made baseball under artificial light at Wrigley Field a reality. A detailed look back at the Cubs' first night game on 8/8/88 It was a ni...

Florida county to teach Shakespeare in excerpts-only under new state rules

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:05 GMT

(The Hill) – Hillsborough County in Florida has informed educators they are only allowed to teach specific excerpts of William Shakespeare's works due to new state laws restricting certain discussions in class.The school district said certain parts of Shakespeare can not be taught because of the Parental Rights in Education law, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by opponents, which restricts classroom discussions that are sexual in nature, the Tampa Bay Times reported. “It was also in consideration of the law,” school district spokeswoman Tanya Arja told the outlet.Students will be taught parts of “Macbeth,” “Hamlet” and “Romeo and Juliet,” but will not have to read the full plays for class.  Hole-in-one pic led to arrest of suspect in Florida country club manslaughter: affidavit Another reason for the change is the new state curriculum and exam standards, according to the outlet. Before, students had to read two full novels or plays, but changes have been made due to the new Bench...

Schools get new resources to combat cyberattacks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:05 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Ahead of the new school year, the Biden administration announced new resources to help schools combat a wave of cyberthreats.The White House wants schools to add an extra line of defense in the classroom."Families should know their data is safe," first lady Jill Biden said.On Tuesday, alongside the secretaries of education and homeland security, the first lady announced millions in new resources to help K-12 schools combat the increasing threat of cyberattacks."In districts around the country, cyberattacks have brought those systems to a halt," Biden said.The White House said last year alone, there were eight significant cyberattacks at schools, forcing four of them to temporarily shut down."We were cyberattacked," Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, said.Carvalho said luckily, the breach at his district only resulted in minor data theft."We navigated that experience better than most would, with extreme collaboration," ...

'It was a big catch': Tampa mayor finds 70 pounds of cocaine during Keys fishing trip

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:05 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — During a fishing trip with her family in late July, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor caught more than just lobster.In an interview with Nexstar's WFLA, Castor spoke about how she discovered a large shipment of cocaine in the Florida Keys while on her trip. Red Cross ends blood donor restriction against gay and bisexual men The Tampa mayor and former police chief said she and her family were in the area to catch lobster and mahi mahi when her brother saw debris on their trip back to port."What happens is the smaller fish will congregate under the debris for the shade, which brings the larger fish, so you always want to fish around any debris," she said. Being a former narcotics officer herself, it didn't take her much effort to realize what the debris really was."So we went over towards that and the closer we got, I realize that it was a bale of cocaine," Castor said.Castor said the protective seal around the cocaine, marked with a butterfly, had begun splitting apart. ...

Evacuations lifted in Kyle as crews battle wildfire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:05 GMT

KYLE, Texas (KXAN) -- The Hays County Wildland Task Force responded to a wildfire in the 290 block of Roland Lane in Kyle Tuesday, according to the Hays County Office of Emergency Services website.Officials with Hays County OES said evacuations were lifted shortly after 4 p.m. The fire was estimated to be 25 acres and 90% contained.Officials responded to the fire at approximately 3 p.m. It was not immediately clear how the fire started.Hays County OES said air support was on its way, and asked people not to attempt to operate drones/unmanned aerial systems, according to the website. Those devices can hinder and lengthen emergency response times, Hays County OES said.This developing story will be updated as information becomes available.

Austin Public Library expanding passport services to 3 new locations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:05 GMT

Editor's Note: The video above shows KXAN Live's top headlines for Aug. 8, 2023AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Public Library (APL) opened new Passport Services offices at three APL locations, which are the Ruiz Branch Library, the Spicewood Springs Branch Library and the Recycled Reads Bookstore, according to a news release from the City of Austin. Spots fill fast at Austin’s July passport fair but you might have other options Opening these three locations will serve members of the community who are applying for new U.S. passports, the release said. Passport services through APL were previously only available at the Austin Central Library.“Passport services have been a very highly-demanded service at Austin Public Library since we first started offering the service at the Central Library, with thousands of people starting their international travel journeys at APL,” stated Austin Public Library Director Roosevelt Weeks. “We are happy to be able to expand the options for accessing pas...