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House fire reported in Chicago's Montclare neighborhood

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:24 GMT

CHICAGO — Injuries are feared following a house fire Tuesday night on Chicago's Northwest Side. WGN News cameras rolled as fire crews worked in the 2550 block of N. Rutherford Ave. in Chicago's Montclare neighborhood.No word on what sparked the blaze or the number of people injured, though initial reports suggest that four people could be hospitalized.SEE ALSO | 6 injured in fiery car crash that leads to house fire in West PullmanWGN News has reached out to Chicago fire personnel for additional information. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

4 dead after 2 planes collide over Florida lake

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:24 GMT

POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Four people are dead after two small planes collided in central Florida on Tuesday. According to the Winter Haven Police Department, search and rescue crews responded to Lake Hartridge, about 50 miles east of Tampa, after the planes collided around 2 p.m.(WFLA image)(WFLA image)(WFLA image)(WFLA image)"It was an in-air collision and both planes immediately went into the water," Polk County Chief Steve Lester said. One plane sank 21 feet under the water.According to investigators, one of the planes was a Piper J-3 Cub seaplane operated by Jack Brown's Seaplane Base in Winter Haven. The other plane was a Cherokee Piper 161 fixed-wing plane operated by Sunrise Aviation in Ormond Beach on behalf of Polk State College.The Polk County Sheriff's Office identified three of the four people who died in the crash. They include pilot Fairth Irene Baker, 24, of Winter Haven; Polk State College student Zachary Jean Mace, 19; and Randall Elbert Crawford, 67, from Carlisl...

NFL player helped pull man from burning car in Texas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:24 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Vikings wide receiver K.J. Osborn said he was in the “right place at the exact right time” to help save a man from a burning car.Osborn was riding in an Uber on an expressway around 2:30 a.m. Monday in Austin, Texas, when the vehicle came upon a wrecked car. Austin police said Tuesday that the car ran into a pole and caught fire. Police said the driver “had already been removed from the vehicle” by the time officers arrived.Police declined to confirm the identities of the rescuers, saying only that the investigation is ongoing. The car’s driver was taken to a hospital with injuries described by police as non-life threatening. The cause of the wreck remains under investigation.Osborn on Monday posted on Twitter a photo of himself and three others who rescued the man “from a vehicle up in flames after a bad crash.”“Most of the time the saying goes ‘wrong place wrong time.’ But this time I believe God had me, us, at the right place at the exact ri...

Warm, wet start to 2023 has continued through the first week of March

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:24 GMT

A much cooler period begins Thursday and continues through mid-March. A system with the potential for accumulating snow arrives Thursday night.THROUGH MARCH 7th, THIS HAS BEEN CHICAGO’S 14TH WETTEST START TO A YEAR SINCE 1871 (153 YEARS)THROUGH MARCH 7th, 2023 IS TIED FOR THE 6th WARMEST START TO A YEAR IN CHICAGOTUESDAY SUNSHINE HELPS BRING MARCH AVERAGE CLOSER TO NORMALDAILY MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES FORECAST TO REMAIN BELOW NORMAL THROUGH MID-MONTHActual, forecast and normal maximum temperaturesO’Hare Airport for March 1 to March 15MUCH OF LOWER 48, EXCEPT THE DESERT SOUTHWEST, EXPECTING BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES THROUGH MID-MONTH6-10 day temperature outlook — Monday, March 13 to Friday, March 17WHILE CHICAGO WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR SNOW THURSDAY NIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY, GENERAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE WELL SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST OF NORTHEAST ILLINOISThunderstorm outlook—Thursday morning to Friday morningWINTER STORM WATCH ISSUED NORTHWEST OF CHICAGO FOR THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT...

World War II veteran and longtime WGN viewer celebrates 100 trips around the sun

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:24 GMT

WGN would like to wish a Happy 100th Birthday to Ray Lynch. He and his family are long-time viewers of our station.He is a father of 13, grandfather of 24, great-grandfather of more than 40 and has 1 great-great grandchild.He’s also a World War II veteran.His family held a celebration for him this past Saturday at Manteno VFW hall, but today is the big milestone birthday.Here’s to another 100 years!

'I'm going to kill everybody': Woman recounts United passenger's violent outburst

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:24 GMT

EAST GREENWICH, R.I. (WPRI) — Lisa Olsen was on a flight home to the East Coast from Los Angeles with her husband and teenage daughter when another passenger started ranting incoherently."He was rambling about being Balthazar and that his father was Dracula," the resident of East Greenwich, Rhode Island told Nexstar's WPRI. RELATED: Passenger accused of tampering with emergency door, attacking flight attendant The man's unusual behavior escalated shortly before the United Airlines flight was scheduled to land at Boston Logan International Airport."The guy's voice was getting louder and louder, and that's when he started saying, 'I'm going to kill everybody on the plane,'" Olsen said. "'I'm going to kill all of the men; the women and children are safe.'"Francisco Severo Torres (Courtesy: Massachusetts State Police)Flight attendants were already suspicious of the man prior to the outburst. Prosecutors said the man, identified as 33-year-old Francisco Severo Torres, was seen near an ...

Woman known as 'Granby Girl' since she was found shot to death in 1978 is identified

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:24 GMT

GRANBY, Mass. (WWLP) — For decades after she was found shot to death in 1978, she was known as "Granby Girl." Now, her true identity is known, according to the Northwestern District Attorney and police in Granby, Massachusetts.On November 15, 1978 a decomposing body of a young woman was found hidden underneath a log in the woods near Amherst Road in Granby. She was found shot in the head and likely died in June 1978.Due to the limited technology of the times, there was no way to identify the body. Law enforcement canvassed the area for evidence and searched missing person reports but found no leads.Thanks to recent advancements in forensic science, however, police were able to solve the case decades later. In March 2022, State Police connected to the Northwestern DA's office and the State Police Crime Lab submitted a biological sample of the victim to Othram, a private forensic lab in Texas. On January 23, 2023 investigators learned that a woman who was believed to be related to "Gr...

2 critical after broad daylight shooting in South Shore: police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:24 GMT

CHICAGO — Police are investigating a double shooting Tuesday that left two 24-year-old men in critical condition.Police said it happened around 5:45 p.m. in the 7600 block of S. Kingston in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood.SEE ALSO | Boy, 15, shot while inside vehicle on North SideAccording to police, one male victim suffered a gunshot wound to the body and another was shot in the back. Boh wSkyCam 9 flew above the scene. No one is in custody. Anyone with information may leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com.

Vallas, Johnson campaign for allies ahead of first mayoral runoff debate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:24 GMT

CHICAGO — With the April 4 runoff four weeks away, the mayoral candidates continue to line up endorsements.On Tuesday, outside the Cook County building, Brandon Johnson received support from President Toni Preckwinkle, who, like Johnson, is a former teacher turned politician.  "I am very hopeful that Brandon Johnson is going to be the next mayor of the city of Chicago and I’m going to work very hard for him," Preckwinkle said. Over at Paul Vallas’ campaign headquarters, longtime former principal of Whitney Young High School, Dr. Joyce Kenner, praised Vallas’ work as CEO of Chicago Public Schools. Vallas, Johnson receive dueling endorsements in push for Black voters "When Mr.Vallas became CEO, he made everybody accountable and some people afraid," Kenner said. As the campaigns hunt for allies, Vallas has moved quickly to try to capitalize on his most prominent endorsement so far. On Tuesday, he began airing a TV commercial starring Illinois’ most popular Democrat, fo...

Almost 60 school districts in Texas have now made the switch to four-day weeks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:24 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) — Almost 60 school districts across Texas have now switched to four-day school weeks, often in a bid to prevent teacher turnover.According to a KXAN analysis, at least 59 districts have made the switch. Some of those districts have recently approved the change effective for the 2023-24 school year.At least seven other districts offer a hybrid schedule, with four-day weeks for part of the year. Central Texas school district moves to 4-day school week Districts in all parts of the state have made the change, with the schedule proving particularly popular in rural districts in north and east Texas.In 2015, Texas lawmakers passed a bill that changed how classroom instruction was timed. Districts no longer had to provide 180 days of classes, but instead a minimum of 75,600 minutes. Requiring minutes instead of a set number of days gave districts more flexibility in how they scheduled classes.Crosby ISD, in Harris County just outside Houston, recently became the lar...