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LIVE: Chicago officials announce summer safety plan ahead of Cinco de Mayo weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

CHICAGO — While many are looking forward to more spring-like weather and celebrating Cinco de Mayo, Chicago police and other emergency officials are working on a plan to keep people safe.City leaders are trying to avoid a repeat of what happened the last time Chicago saw a weekend of warm temperatures.On April 15, three teenagers were shot and more than a dozen people were arrested when a group of teens and young adults took over parts of downtown. Video showed young people jumping on cars and busses. A number of fights also broke out.Several aldermen said police were outnumbered and there was not sufficient leadership downtown to tell officers what to do. Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexican culture, not independence Days after the incident, the Chicago Police Department told city council members it would staff captains and lieutenants downtown and stage prisoner transport vans to act as a deterrent at different locations.Several pastors and others marched through downtown the weeken...

Dethroned? Burger King set to close hundreds of restaurants

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

(WHNT) — In a "whopper" of bad news for Burger King lovers, the fast-food burger chain announced that up to 400 of its locations will be closed by the end of the year.Joshua Kobza of Restaurant Brands International (RBI) Inc., which owns Burger King, confirmed the news to Today.com earlier this week, saying the plan is to close between 300 to 400 stores across the nation.The CEO added, amid the release of the company's first-quarter report, that hundreds of Burger King locations are closed every year. Tuesday Morning going out of business, set to close all its stores including those in Illinois, Indiana Kobza said the company's focus will now be on working with smaller franchisees and established operators to build or develop existing restaurants.Officials haven't said which stores will shut down or when that will happen. Business Insider, however, reported that a couple of major Burger King franchisees have filed for bankruptcy this year, including Illinois-based Toms King i...

Some Chicago bars drop Bud Light, other beers in protest over company's handling of transgender partnership

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

CHICAGO — Several Chicago bars announced Friday they will not be selling Anheuser-Busch beverages in response to the company's recent controversy surrounding transgender activist and influencer Dylan Mulvaney.Anheuser-Busch, whose products include Bud Light and Goose Island 312, partnered with Mulvaney last month. Mulvaney has more than 10.8 million followers on social media. On April 1, Mulvaney posted a video on Instagram showing herself cracking open a can of Bud Light, one with the hashtag #budlightpartner. Dylan Mulvaney breaks weeks-long silence over Bud Light backlash But the partnership quickly brought calls for boycotts and an onslaught of criticism.Three days after Mulvaney’s post, Kid Rock posted a video of himself shooting cases of Bud Light. Shares of Bud Light’s parent, AB InBev, temporarily plunged and the company issued a terse statement in response to the controversy.Dylan Mulvaney arrives at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. (...

Kentucky men arrested for illegal guns after allegedly driving to Chicago for marijuana, deputies say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

CHICAGO — Three Kentucky men who allegedly told Cook County deputies that they traveled to Chicago to purchase marijuana from a dispensary are charged with firearm felonies following a traffic stop in River North, police said Friday. Around 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday, May 3, deputies with the Cook County Sheriff's Chicago Initiative caught a red Chevrolet Impala, driven by 21-year-old Jamon Smith, from Louisville, with expired license plates committing a traffic violation, police said. CPD to launch safety plan ahead of Cinco de Mayo weekend A traffic stop was conducted in the 600 block of North La Salle Drive. There, deputies allege they detected a strong odor of marijuana. Jamon Smith, 31, of LouisvilleJavonta Russell, 21, of LouisvilleDevin Hooper, 21, of LouisvilleSmith and passengers Javonta Rusell and Devin Hooper, both 21 and from Lousiville, told authorities that three handguns were inside the vehicle. Authorities recovered three loaded 9mm handguns and 38.5 grams of suspecte...

Chicago Red Stars fire general manager Michelle Lomnicki

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

CHICAGO — Once again, the Chicago Red Stars are making a major change, this time with someone in the front office who was only promoted a few months ago.On Friday, the club announced that general manager Michell Lomnicki has been fired by the team's Board of Managers for failing to disclose important information to them. "Yesterday the board of the Chicago Red Stars ended Michelle Lomnicki's employment effective immediately after learning about a lapse in judgment to not share important information with club leadership," said the release from the club. "The board determined that it is in the best interest of the player, staff, and organization to part ways at this time"Shortly after the release, a report from The Athletic's Meg Linehan detailed how Chicago Empire FC, a youth affiliate of the Red Stars who had ties to Lomnicki, had employed coach Craig Harrington. He has been suspended for two years by the NWSL in January of this year for making inappropriate sexual and objectifying ...

Lawmakers and activists call for ethics reform

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

CHICAGO — Democratic lawmakers and activists coming together today saying enough is enough. They want to expand the Supreme Court and enforce a code of ethics."This is about bodily autonomy, DACA, gun reform this is life or death," Congresswoman Delia Ramirez said. Ramirez is voicing her support for the ‘Just Majority’ campaign, a bus tour pushing to expand the U.S. Supreme Court."While I know it’s been a controversial conversation, not if but when and doing it as urgently as possible," Ramirez said. CPD to launch safety plan ahead of Cinco de Mayo weekend The group also called for ethics reform on the high court in light of allegations surfacing involving Justice Clarence Thomas This comes as the state’s assault weapons ban passed this year following the Highland Park Fourth of July parade mass shooting remains in limbo.After a judge blocked enforcement of the ban Wednesday, a federal appeals court put the ruling on hold but the legal battle continues."They are granting gu...

Rochelle Walensky exits as CDC chief

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

Rochelle Walensky is leaving her role as head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the White House announced Friday.Walensky’s exit comes days before the federal government is set to end the declaration of a public health emergency around COVID-19. She has led the agency since the start of the Biden administration in January 2021.“Dr. Walensky has saved lives with her steadfast and unwavering focus on the health of every American,” President Biden said in a statement. “As Director of the CDC, she led a complex organization on the frontlines of a once-in-a-generation pandemic with honesty and integrity. She marshalled our finest scientists and public health experts to turn the tide on the urgent crises we’ve faced.”“Dr. Walensky leaves CDC a stronger institution, better positioned to confront health threats and protect Americans,” Biden added. “We have all benefited from her service and dedication to public health, and I wish her the best in her next chapter.”Wale...

2 accused of taking $1.1M in armored truck robbery tracked down using Apple AirTag

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

(WGN) – Investigators tracked down two suspects accused in an armored truck robbery Tuesday with the help of a hidden Apple AirTag inside a bin of stolen money, court documents show.In a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in federal court, authorities recommended Devonte Davis, 26, and Darrell Singleton, 18, be charged with armed robbery. Singleton, who is also accused in another armed robbery of a Brink’s truck last October, was already wanted by the FBI, a spokesperson for its Chicago Field Office confirmed.According to authorities, Tuesday's robbery happened at about 9:25 a.m. outside a Jewel-Osco grocery store in south suburban Homewood, Illinois. Brink’s records show the robbers took approximately $1.1 million, court documents say. FBI: Armored truck robbed in Homewood; bank robbed on North Side The criminal complaint alleges two guards got out of the armored truck and went into the store. When one returned, he was approached by a suspect, identified by federal authorities as...

Crime reduction program in works in Austin, how it's going in Houston

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Curbing crime by meeting with violent crime victims while they're in the hospital is a concept that aims to reduce retaliation and revictimization. It's called a hospital-based violence intervention program, or HVIP. Leaders in Travis County are in the early stages of a plan to bring such a program here. Harris County launched at its first hospital in November. RELATED: Travis County hosts 2nd gun violence prevention briefing with focus on intervention programs "Once we receive the call, we go and meet these victims and their families at bedside when they're medically cleared," said Lupe Washington, director of community health at Harris County Public Health. "We're currently working with victims of gunshots, stabbings and aggravated assault."The program helps connect victims with immediate resources related to things like counseling, legal services, education, employment and housing. The immediacy factor is the cornerstone. "When we respond, we're trying to prev...

Judge appoints facilitator, gives St. Paul until May 18 to produce public records around Summit Ave. bikeway

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:57 GMT

Citing the city’s “procedural and substantive deficiencies” in responding to public records requests, a Ramsey County District Court judge has appointed a compliance facilitator and given the city of St. Paul until May 18 to produce documents related to a proposed Summit Avenue bikeway.The court appointee, Ken Peterson, will serve for a two-week period at city expense and report back to the court this month on the city’s progress, according to the 13-page order issued Thursday by Judge Patrick Diamond.Robert Cattanach, an opponent of the city’s plans for a 4.7-mile separated bikeway along Summit, had filed 18 separate requests for city documents, text messages and communications related to the project under the state’s Data Practices Act. Unhappy with what he described as limited results, he filed suit against the city in March, in part seeking a temporary restraining order to delay an April 13 public hearing before the city’s Parks and Recreation...