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Pritzker announces $40B in state transportation investments

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Commuter trains, roads, and other forms of transportation will see tens of billions of dollars in investments across Illinois over the next several years.Over the next six years, Governor JB Pritzker says more than $40 billion dollars will be invested in improving all modes of transportation calling it the largest construction project in state history.The announcement, made Friday morning in Springfield by Pritzker, Illinois’ Secretary of Transportation and members of the general assembly.Officials say the program is a “blueprint to improve roads, bridges, transit, rail, airports, waters, bike and pedestrian accommodations over the next six years.” What qualifies for an AMBER Alert in Illinois? According to information released by the state, the fiscal year 2023 “annual highway improvement program” totals nearly four billion dollars…and will be significantly larger than years past.  In the 2023 fiscal year, officials expect improvements to 900 highway mile...

Chicago Ridge woman charged in DUI crash that killed brother, sister

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

DUPAGE COUNTY, Ill. — A Chicago Ridge woman is facing multiple felony charges after an alleged drunken crash claimed the lives of a brother and sister. Christine Brocious, 36, of Chicago Ridge is charged with one count of aggravated DUI causing death and two counts of aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm stemming from the June 29 crash in unincorporated Winfield. Police: Woman tailgating causes deadly crash in Northwest Indiana Around 11:30 p.m., DuPage County deputies responded to Mack and Winfield roads after reports of a serious crash and found 25-five-year-old Jorgo Cukali and his 30-year-old sister, Nastika, suffering from severe injuries. Prosecutors say Brocious was driving her silver 2005 Mazda 6 sedan northbound on Winfield Road when she sped past a red light at Mack Road. Brocious maneuvered her vehicle between two other stopped cars and t-boned Cukali’s vehicle.Brocious’ blood alcohol content was allegedly .206. Jorgo Cukali died from injuries he sustained in the cr...

Chicago will host a professional sports title game this weekend

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

CHICAGO — If you are interested in seeing a professional sports championship in Chicagoland this weekend, you'll have the opportunity to do so.You can thank one of the newest teams in Chicago for that chance to not only see that title contest but also two high-profile music acts.Major League Rugby will host their championship match between the San Diego Legion and the New England Free Jacks at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview on Saturday at 2 p.m. central time. It's the conclusion of the 12-team league's season that began in January and culminates in early July. It's here thanks to Chicago Hounds, who just finished their inaugural season in the MLR after being established last November. "At the beginning of the season the Chicago Hounds organization kinda stepped up and raised their hand to host this event," said MLR chief commercial officer Harry Hardy to WGN News Now this week. "What it enables us to do is kinda build a weekend of programming around the event that we can plan every ...

New global effort aims to fight back against synthetic drugs

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) – The State Department is launching a global initiative to fight against synthetic drugs, which officials say are a big problem because of how deadly and addictive the drugs are -- on top of being easily and cheaply made.“Nearly 110,000 Americans died last year of a drug overdose, two-thirds of those deaths involved synthetic opioids,” said United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “We believe the United States is a canary in a coal mine when it comes to fentanyl, an exceptionally addictive and deadly synthetic drug.”Secretary Blinken says the saturation of synthetic opioids in the U.S. is pushing the drugs into other parts of the world.“Synthetic drugs are easy, all too easy to produce and to smuggle,” European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylga Johansson said.“According to the U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime, the global count of people struggling with drug use disorders has escalated to 39.5 million people,” Park Jin, the minister of foreign affairs for ...

British Airways rage: Broken bottle reportedly used to attack passenger

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

(NewsNation) — In what's being described as a shocking display of unruly behavior, a British Airways flight from London to St. Lucia turned into a terrifying scene when an argument between passengers escalated into a violent altercation.The incident, caught on camera, involved one passenger wielding a broken wine bottle as a weapon, leaving the cabin splattered with blood.According to reports, the argument initially started as a verbal exchange before escalating to physical pushing and shoving.Then, one of the passengers grabbed a wine bottle and smashed it, using the broken glass to stab the other passenger involved. Blood was reportedly splattered all over the cabin. Subway sign referencing Titan implosion sparks controversy Disturbing photos were posted on social media that captured the aftermath of the brutal encounter.The chaos came to an end when a flight attendant intervened to put an end to the brawl. Passengers on board expressed their shock and horror as they were trappe...

Pflugerville's Book Burrow closes in on a store after social media support

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) -- A sizable social media response may allow local bookstore The Book Burrow to reach its goal of selling 1,000 books by July 12, which would let the business find a new home.Courtesy Kelsey BlackThe Book Burrow currently occupies a space in the Three Legged Goat, a wine and craft beer bar located at 200 E Pecan St. in Pflugerville. It moved into that space in Spring 2023, but the business has been in operation since 2021. During 2021-2023, the business sold books from pop-up locations.Kelsey Black, the store's owner, said that they still need to sell 100-200 more books to meet the goal. But options and time are limited for the queer-owned indie bookstore; a renovation at the Three Legged Goat will require them to move."There is no new location at the moment as there is no available commercial space in Pflugerville. So we are improvising and hopefully getting a skoolie," said Black, using a slang term for a renovated school bus.Wrapped ...

DFLers say they can fix tax bill error before it costs Minnesotans

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

An error in the tax bill approved by the Legislature in May will have lawmakers scrambling next year to avoid Minnesotans having to pay higher income taxes.Minnesota Revenue Commissioner Paul Marquart and House and Senate tax committee chairs Sen. Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope, and Rep. Aisha Gomez, DFL-Minneapolis, acknowledged the error in a statement Friday. The statement also said they had an agreement to fix it when the Legislature reconvenes in February 2024.If lawmakers fix the error next year it shouldn’t impact what taxpayers owe, the statement said. Each session, lawmakers fix errors they find in laws they’ve passed, but typically those mistakes don’t potentially cost Minnesotans money.The latest tax bill uses the wrong amounts for the standard deduction married- and single-filers can claim.In 2019, the Legislature doubled the standard deduction to $24,400 for couples and $12,200 for singles and tied it to inflation. The 2023 standard deduction for couples is $2...

Vulnerable adult missing out of Schenectady

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Police are searching for a vulnerable adult missing out of Schenectady. Anthony Frisoni, 89, has dementia and may be in need of medical attention. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Frisoni was last seen on July 7 at 8:10 a.m. on Van Vranken Avenue. He was seen driving a 2006 black Buick Lucerne with New York registration SNK-949. He was last known to be wearing a short sleeved plaid shirt and navy blue pants. Anyone with information is asked to call the Schenectady City Police Department at (518)788-6566.

New York not able to get around SCOTUS education decisions

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – This week on Empire State Weekly, two major rulings from the Supreme Court are now impacting both college students and graduates across the nation. The Court ruled to strike down both affirmative action and student loan debt forgiveness. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Vincent Bonventre, a legal scholar and professor at Albany Law School explained the 6 to 3 decision means colleges won't be able to consider race when reviewing new student applications. He explained the state will not be able to get around this law with state laws like it has with other SCOTUS rulings. "With regard to affirmative action the United States Supreme Court said that racial preferences... Any distinctions on the basis of race by government or government subsidized programs violates the federal constitution so New York cannot say well under our laws we allow racial preferences," Said Bonventre.Also this week, Cianna Fre...

Police arrest driver who hit Garvey Auto Body in June

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:46:50 GMT

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Warren County Sheriff's Office has announced an update about an accident where a vehicle struck Garvey Auto Body on 714 Quaker Road. The suspect, Ryan J. Longacker, 19, of Schuylerville, was arrested on July 7. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! According to the police, Longacker was impaired by drugs at the time of the accident. Longacker was charged with Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, two counts of Reckless Endangerment, and Criminal Mischief. Longacker was issued an appearance ticket returnable to the Queensbury Town Court at a later date.