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Cloudiest December 1-5 in the 71 years since 1952

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:55 GMT

Wednesday's chill gives way to October-level Pacific air Thursday/Friday with late week highs near 60 degrees — central U.S. weekend storm threat being monitoredWGN WEATHER HEADLINESA MINOR SNOW SYSTEM HAS TRAVERSED THE AREA TUESDAY MORNINGA MINOR SNOW SYSTEM has traversed the area Tuesday morning producing official snow tallies of a trace at O'Hare, 0.1" Midway and 0.3" at the National Weather Service Forecast Office at Romeoville.Its snow has fallen with temps at or just above freezing — so this hasn't produced significant morning commute issues. The most significant snow tally reported by COCRAHS volunteer observers have been 2.4" 5 miles NNW of Belvidere. Other reports have been significantly lighter — and the greatest totals have occurred away from the city and its close-in suburbs — and even those have been modest.Weather radar snapshot at 9am CST Tuesday courtesy of Penn State MeteorologyTRUE COLOR TUESDAY MORNING GOES WEATHER SATELLITE image showing the disturbance behind th...

'I just ran across the aisle': Fans recall helping man who died at Kings-Pelicans game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:55 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) — A fan died after having a medical emergency at the Sacramento Kings' home game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, according to officials. The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office identified the man who died as 34-year-old Gregorio Florez Breedlove.Moments before paramedics responded to the Golden 1 Center, one group of fans helped Breedlove up the stairs where paramedics could try to save his life. Colin Hawley and John Wenger were with a few friends when they noticed an usher rushing down the stairs during the first quarter to help a man sitting four seats to their left. Their instincts to help the man kicked in.  Parents of young Chiefs fan wearing headdress threaten to sue Deadspin “I just ran across the aisle and kind of grabbed him by the waist and picked him up, and we had one paramedic that was on top. And I think there were some behind me,” Hawley said.“I remember turning to my left, and there was a guy a few rows back. I was li...

Sheriff: Suspect in Austin shooting spree tied to possible double homicide in Bexar County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:55 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Bexar County Sheriff's Office said the suspect arrested in an Austin shooting spree that spanned multiple locations -- where multiple people were killed and two law enforcement officers were injured -- could also be tied to a possible double homicide in Bexar County, near San Antonio. RELATED: Suspect arrested, linked to south Austin homicide and officer shootings In a briefing Tuesday night, Sheriff Javier Salazar said Austin law enforcement reached out and asked about a residence in Bexar County that may have been tied to the suspect. He said when deputies arrived they found two bodies inside the home. "It's a pretty grizzly crime scene in there," Salazar said.The people found inside the home are believed to be in their 50's, Salazar said. He described the suspect as being roughly 30 but could not provide more information about the relationship between the victims and suspect."There are more than enough indicators that it is a double homicide, but we just d...

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson on dropping police indictments, mending relationship between city hall and APD

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:55 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Indictments against 17 Austin police officers tied to protests in 2020 will be dismissed, the Travis County District Attorney’s office and the City of Austin announced Monday. Thousands of people rallied in Austin in 2020, following the death of George Floyd and Mike Ramos, concerned about police violence. During those demonstrations, some officers fired “less lethal rounds,” sometimes called “beanbag rounds,” which left many bruised and bloodied. Grand juries indicted 21 officers for their use of force. The officers who had their indictments dismissed will be allowed back on duty. MORE: District attorney drops 17 police officer indictments tied to 2020 protests KXAN’s Jennifer Sanders sat down with Austin Mayor Kirk Watson to discuss why the city made this decision and what work is being done to improve the relationship between the city and the Austin Police Department. Below is a transcript of Sanders and the mayor’s conversation, edited for brevity and clar...

Wild douse Flames to improve to 4-0 since coaching change

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:55 GMT

CALGARY, Alberta — Whatever John Hynes and the Wild are cooking up, it seems to be sticking to the ribs.Minnesota Wild forward Brandon Duhaime, center, shoves Calgary Flames defenseman Ilya Solovyov, right, as goalie Daniel Vladar follows the play during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023 in Calgary, Alberta. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)Matt Boldy scored two goals, and Marcus Foligno scored his first goal since Oct. 26 as Minnesota extended its record under new head coach Hynes to 4-0 with a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday at Scotiabank Saddledome.It’s Minnesota’s first four-game winning streak since Feb. 26-March 4 last season and a good start to a four-game trip that continues Thursday and Friday at Vancouver and Edmonton, respectively, before finishing Sunday in Seattle.Filip Gustavsson stopped 28 shots, and Mats Zuccarello extended his points streak to 10 games with an assist on a Kirill Kaprizov goal just 45 seconds into th...

DFLer Bianca Virnig wins special election for vacant Dakota County House seat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:55 GMT

Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidate Bianca Virnig won a three-way special election Tuesday for a vacant state House seat in the south Twin Cities suburbs.Virnig, a member of the Rosemount-Apple Valley Eagan school board, will represent Dakota County’s House District 52B in the upcoming legislative session. She received 58% of the vote, according to unofficial results Tuesday night.Mendota Heights Republican Cynthia Lonnquist got 41% of the vote and Eagan Libertarian Charles Kuchlenz received about 1%.Voters cast more than 6,600 ballots, according to initial results from the Secretary of State.With Virnig’s victory, the DFL will preserve its 70-64 majority in the state House of Representatives.House District 52B includes Eagan and Mendota Heights. The seat opened after Rep. Ruth Richardson, DFL-Mendota Heights, resigned from her seat in September. During her five years in the House, she was a key sponsor of paid family and medical leave legislation, which after years of effort be...

VA apologizes for delay in pension checks to local veteran, restores benefits

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:55 GMT

ST. LOUIS – After months of delays over missing Army pension checks and turning to FOX 2 for help, a St. Louis couple says the Veterans Affair Department has finally come through.Val Kovac and her husband, Army veteran Michael Martin Kovac, can finally breathe a sigh of relief after months of frustration. Val contacted FOX 2 after the couple hadn’t received Michael’s pension check in five months.The couple lives in an assisted living center in south St. Louis and needs that money for essentials.One day after sharing their story with the public, FOX 2 got a U.S. Senator involved for good measure. On Tuesday, the VA admitted its mistake and agreed to make good with the Kovacs.“I'm flabbergasted! I'm so excited! I can't believe that you got this accomplished in such a short amount of time!” Val said.FOX 2 contacted the VA facility at Jefferson Barracks in south St. Louis County. They coordinated with their counterparts in Washington, D.C. In addition, we reached out to U.S. Senator Eri...

Trump declines to rule out abusing power to seek retribution if he returns to the White House

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:55 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump declined to rule out abusing power if he returns to the White House after Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity asked him Tuesday to respond to growing Democratic criticism of his rhetoric.The GOP presidential front-runner has talked about targeting his rivals — referring to them as “vermin” — and vowed to seek retribution if he wins a second term for what he argues are politically motivated prosecutions against him. As Trump has dominated the Republican presidential primary, President Joe Biden has stepped up his own warnings, contending Trump is “ determined to destroy American democracy.”“Under no circumstances, you are promising America tonight, you would never abuse power as retribution against anybody?" Hannity asked Trump in the interview taped in Davenport, Iowa.“Except for day one," Trump responded. “I want to close the border and I want to drill, drill, drill.”Trump then repeated his assertion. “I love this guy,” he said of the Fo...

Manhunt underway for 2nd Clayton homicide suspect

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:55 GMT

CLAYTON, Mo. - The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis says it has charged a second shooter in the shocking early morning Clayton homicide from last month. The shooting happened near the busy intersection of Hanley Road and Wydown Boulevard. Neighbors said Tuesday they were relieved to know that police have at least identified a second suspect and hope it gets the family one step closer to finding justice.The major case squad announced Tuesday that they’ve charged Darrion Johnson, 18, with second-degree murder for killing Clayton resident Joshua Harris, 41, on Nov. 13. The shooting marked Clayton’s first homicide in nearly two decades.It’s a tragedy that still has some residents shaken up. Li Zhang, who lives right off of Wydown Boulevard, said a shooting happening in that particular area of Clayton was especially concerning.“A lot of people go running in the mornings, and when we heard about that, we felt it was really scary,” Zhang said. Man makes dash for it as city tries tow...

St. Louis officer shortage surpasses 300 as top cop hauls in $275k

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:55 GMT

ST. LOUIS – As St. Louis cops quit, a new report reveals the police chief's salary is the highest among law enforcement in the metro area.According to a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) spokesman, there are 312 vacancies out of the department's 1,224 commissioned positions.St. Louis Police Officers' Association Business Manager Joe Steiger blames red tape across the city's government for getting new officers hired.“We have applicants that come in here, and it takes so long for them to go through the process and get over to the police department that they are being picked off by other departments in the meantime," he said.Steiger said the gap will only grow as a large chunk of officers is eligible to retire in the next year or two. He said it's time for St. Louis to step up its recruiting game."I had a conversation with the chief last week about this," he said. "I know he has some ideas to try and do some new recruiting efforts." Close Thanks for...