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Pope Francis leaves hospital; 'Still alive,' he quips

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

ROME (AP) — A chipper-sounding Pope Francis was discharged Saturday from the Rome hospital where he was treated for bronchitis, quipping to journalists before being driven away that he's “still alive.” Francis, 86, was hospitalized at Gemelli Polyclinic on Wednesday following his weekly public audience in St. Peter's Square after reportedly experiencing breathing difficulties. The pontiff received antibiotics administered intravenously during his stay, the Vatican said. In a sign of his improved health, the Vatican released details of Francis' Holy Week schedule. It said he would preside at this weekend's Palm Sunday Mass and at Easter Mass on April 9, both held in St. Peter's Square and expected to draw tens of thousands of faithful. A Vatican cardinal will be at the altar to celebrate both Masses, a recent practice due to the pontiff having a troublesome knee issue. But Francis is scheduled to celebrate Holy Thursday Mass, which this year will be held in a juvenile prison in Rome....

Appeals court overturns murder conviction for man accused of killing Hadiya Pendleton

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

CHICAGO — An Illinois appeals court on Friday overturned the murder conviction and ordered a new trial for the man accused of shooting and killing 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton in 2013 in Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood.In 2018, Micheail Ward was found guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm after a jury concluded he fired the deadly shot that struck the teen in the back. He was sentenced to a total of 84 years in prison.Cook County’s Assistant Public Defender and Ward’s attorney, Julie Koehler, said it has been four years since he began the process of appealing his conviction.“We said that we have been playing the long game. We knew that there was a very good opportunity for this to be reversed on appeal,” said Koehler. “We will now have the opportunity to fight this case fairly on a second trial.”On Friday, the Illinois Appellate Court ruled in favor of Ward, overturning the conviction, and remanding the case back to the lower court.Hadiya was killed a li...

Illinois bill introduced to protect drivers from wrongfully issued automated tickets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

CHICAGO -- A new bill has been introduced to protect Illinois drivers from wrongfully issued automated tickets.A Barrington couple said they hit a dead end with city officials trying to address their concern.After reaching out to the Department of Finance, they looked into the issue, and the violation was revoked. But this instance got the attention of state lawmakers.Steve Stallings and his wife, Celeste, are relieved their red light violation has been revoked.The Stallings received a $100 red light violation in the mail back in November. But the car in the picture isn't theirs, as the camera misread the plate.They sad they tried to contact the city for months, but never heard anything. ORIGINAL: City of Chicago forces suburban couple to pay red light violation that isn’t theirs "It is abysmal that it takes a news outlet such as yours to run a story and contact these elected officials or these employees in order to get them to do the right thing," Illinois Senator Dan McConc...

Saturday Forecast: Wind advisory until 1p.m., cloudy and low 40s

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

Saturday's forecast is looking mainly cloudy, rain/snow showers, windy, decreasing clouds, NNW 15-25 with gusts of 35 mph with a high of 41 degrees. Saturday Night: Partly cloudy early and clearing. N 10-20 mph. Low: 28 Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Sunday is looking mostly sunny and windy. Milder temps. Southwest winds of 10-20 mphHighs near 60 Extended outlook calls for more clouds to return on Monday with highs in the upper 50s and a chance of showers/t'storms late. Full forecast details at the WGN Weather CenterTuesday some low 60s with showers/thunderstorms. Sunnier and cooler on Wednesday with highs in the seasonal mid 50s. Near 50 and sunny on Thursday. Cloudy on Friday with highs near 50

1 dead, 28 injured as roof of Belvidere's Apollo Theater collapses in storm

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

BELVIDERE, Ill. (WTVO) — One person was killed and 28 injured at the Apollo Theater on Friday after a roof collapsed on concertgoers as a powerful storm and high winds swept through the area. The heavy metal band Morbid Angel was scheduled to perform. Belvidere Fire Chief Shawn Schadle said in addition to the one person killed, five were taken to the hospital for severe injuries, eighteen with moderate injuries, and five with minor injuries. Event coordinators said approximately 260 people were in the venue at the time of the collapse. Authorities said, by 10:15 p.m., no one was unaccounted for.Illinois Gov. J.B Pritzker tweeted: "My administration is closely monitoring the roof collapse at the Apollo Theatre in Belvidere tonight. I’ve been in touch with officials for updates and to direct any available resources we can. As we learn more, please follow the guidance of all local authorities."A Twitter user posted video showing what appeared to be patro...

NJ State Police rescue 4-year-old boy missing in woods: 'Beyond heartwarming'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

NEW JERSEY (WPIX) – Earlier this week, state police in New Jersey were dispatched to find a 4-year-old who became lost in the woods after wandering away from his home in Atlantic County.The troopers, from a state police station in Buena Vista Township, ended up finding the boy and his dog a short while later, capturing the emotional rescue on camera. Off-duty officer helps rescue boy left hanging by his neck at amusement center In footage shared by the New Jersey State Police on Thursday, troopers can be seen running toward the sound of the boy's cries."I got him. He's up here," one of the troopers says into his radio upon seeing movement deeper into the wooded area. Running toward the boy — now screaming — the trooper shouts to get his attention. "Hey buddy … I got ya! C'mere! You're OK!"The sobbing boy runs toward the responding officers, who promptly lift him into their arms. He also tells them several times that he lost his shoes."It's OK, its OK," one of the troopers responds...

Video shows customer at boba tea shop 'sabotaging' drink before leaving bad review, store says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

MILLBRAE, Calif. (KRON) – Surveillance footage from inside a California boba tea shop shows a customer appearing to place a foreign object inside a drink, allegedly before falsely claiming the store was violating a health code.The Tea Hut, in Millbrae, had received a negative review on Yelp from a customer who goes by "Nat. A," in which the reviewer claimed the health department "needs to check on" the shop. The one-star review also included photos of a drink, which appeared to have a piece of lint floating in it.Surveillance video obtained by Nexstar's KRON, however, appears to show a customer digging into his pocket and dropping lint into his own drink while seated in the shop on March 13. At the start of the clip (above), the customer in the lower left corner takes a sip of his drink before reaching into his pocket. Seconds later, he can be seen placing what appears to be lint on the table. Before taking a couple more sips, he puts the lint through the lid and inside the drink. T...

Why are we seeing the northern lights more often than before?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — If it seems like news of spectacular northern lights displays has become more frequent than in past years, you aren't imagining things.The sun, much like Earth, is alive, in the sense that it goes through natural cycles. In the case of the sun, over an 11-year period, its magnetic poles flip, from one end of the sun to the other."We’re right in the middle of that transition right now, we’re approaching it. When we hit the middle we call it solar maximum. It's when we have the most sunspots, it's when we get the most solar flares and eruptions," said Bill Murtagh, the Program Coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center. Murtagh and many others work around the clock monitoring the sun for activity like sun spots, solar flares, and more. A division of NOAA, the Space Weather Prediction Center can issue alerts much like the weather warnings we get for severe weather. They also monitor and forecast ...

Federal judge blocks Tennessee law restricting drag shows, says legislature 'missed the mark'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

(The Hill) – A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked a Tennessee law restricting drag shows, just one day before it was set to go into effect.U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker granted a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of the law for two weeks, finding that it was “likely both vague and overly-broad.”The law, signed by Gov. Bill Lee (R) last month, criminalized drag shows that take place in public or where they could be seen by children. Parker agreed with Friends of George’s, the Memphis-based LGBTQ theater group contesting the law, that “this language could mean just about anywhere.”“Does a citizen’s private residence count? How about a camping ground at a national park? What if a minor browsing the worldwide web from a public library views an ‘adult cabaret performance’?” Parker said in Friday’s ruling. “Ultimately, the Statute’s broad language clashes with the First Amendment’s tight constraints.” What would Tennessee's drag ban do? The judge acknowledged...

Deadly storms, tornadoes cause devastation in the South and Midwest: 'Feels like a warzone'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:51 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KARK/NEXSTAR) – Many parts of the South and Midwest are still reeling on Saturday morning from a destructive storm system that tore through several states and left multiple people dead and hundreds more injured.At least five were reported dead in Arkansas after a series of devastating tornadoes, including four in the eastern Arkansas town of Wynne and one in North Little Rock. A state of emergency has been declared across the state, with the Arkansas National Guard having been activated to aid in the response. 1 dead, 28 hurt after Illinois theater roof collapse before concert Much of the damage in the capital city happened on the west side of Little Rock, where businesses in a shopping area had their roofs ripped off and windows blown out — all while customers were inside. In the parking lot, a car was flipped, landing on its top, where it remained Saturday morning.Little Rock March 31, 2023 tornado damage - Rodney Parham shops damageLittle Rock March 31, 2023 ...