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New North Carolina congressional districts challenged in federal court on racial bias claims

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

RALEIGH. N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Black and Latino voters sued in federal court on Monday seeking to strike down congressional districts drawn this fall by Republican state legislators that they argue weaken minority voting power in violation of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court challenges four districts where the plaintiffs contend GOP leaders in charge of the General Assembly moved around groups of voters that minimizes the voting strength of minorities while beefing up the Republican’s partisan advantage. They want a new map drawn. The map enacted in October puts Republicans in good shape to win at least 10 of the state’s 14 congressional seats next November. Under the iteration of the congressional map that had been drawn by state judges for the 2022 elections, Democrats and Republicans each won seven seats. The shift could help Republicans on Capitol Hill retain control of the U.S. House.“North Carolina’s minority populations have long suff...

Naperville woman charged after fatal shooting at Hilton Hotel in Oakbrook Terrace

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. -- A Naperville woman has been charged with murder after she reportedly shot and killed a 34-year-old Saturday night at a Oakbrook Terrace hotel.According to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, 51-year-old Latrice Phillips was arrested and charged for the murder of 34-year-old Calvin Truitt after she reportedly shot and killed him at the Hilton Suites in Oakbrook Terrace on Saturday. ORIGINAL: Man ID’d after fatal shooting at Hilton Hotel in Oakbrook Terrace; person in custody The Oakbrook Terrace Police Department responded to the Hilton Suites hotel on the 10 block of Drury Lane on reports of a shooting around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday.Upon arrival, officers discovered Truitt had been shot twice in his back and side area. He was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.Further investigation showed that Phillips got into a verbal altercation with a person in a group of people who she reportedly knew, including Truitt, at the h...

Family of Elk Grove Village man shot, killed by police seek answers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. -- The family of an Elk Grove Village man who was shot and killed by police announced a civil investigation on Monday.According to the family, 24-year-old Jack Murray was shot just a few doors away from their family home on the 200 block of Fern Drive just before 4:30 p.m. on Friday. He was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead. ORIGINAL: Man armed with a knife shot dead by officers in Elk Grove Village The Elk Grove Village Police Department said they responded on reports of a man with a knife, something the Murray family attorney, Antonio Romanucci, questions.Murray was known by the Elk Grove Village Police Department from previous encounters, the family said. The 24-year-old had called the Elk Grove Village police in the past asking for help if he felt his own health and wellness were in danger and that he had occasionally checked himself in the hospital for the same reason.The law firm of Romanucci & Blandin representing...

Skilling: Cloudy, wet snow ahead for Chicagoland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

Chicagoans were dealt another cloudy day with 0% of its possible sunshine recorded by Frank Wachowski at Midway Airport.Monday has been the 4th consecutive day to allow NO SUNSHINE! The past 4 days have been the cloudiest open to a December here of the past Chicago in 15 years---since 2008 when, like this year, the opening 4 days of the month.Interestingly, despite all the cloudiness, each of the opening four days of December have posted a temp surplus and Dec 1-4 is averaging 5.8-deg MILDER THAN NORMAL.  It's been a clean sweep the past four months (since September) with each of those months posting a temp surplus. The 3-month METEOROLOGICAL AUTUMN SEASON, consisting of Sept, Oct and Nov, ranked among the 8% warmest such period in 153 years of weather records extending all the way back to 1871.AND THE ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS ARE TO CONTINUE this week---WITH THE MILDEST AIR OF ALL DUE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.  High temps surge into the 50s each of those days and may even move within striking...

A mother's mental health during pregnancy could impact a child's birthweight — and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

For Monday, Dec. 4, WGN’s Dina Bair has new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch Prenatal depression & fetal growthA study in the Journal of the American Medical Insitute reveals depression during pregnancy is linked to slower fetal growth in critical stages before delivery. Femur length, abdominal circumference, and weight between 30 and 37 weeks are impacted. Doctors say the research points out the need to both screen expectant mothers for mental health issues during pregnancy and intervene to protect the health of the newborn. Brain implants & cognitive abilitiesA novel way to repair the brain following a traumatic injury. Stanford medicine scientists used brain implants to revive cognitive abilities in TBI patients. The deep brain stimulation worked long after the initial injury. They tailored the level of electrical activity to each patient's brain. Researchers say they were surprised at how well the technique worked in people with b...

PAWS Chicago takes in displaced dogs, cats from Dominica

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

CHICAGO — More than 75 dogs and cats rescued by PAWS Chicago from Dominica seek a new and forever home. The animals arrived in Chicago on a Wings of Rescue flight Saturday night after the only shelter on the Caribbean island suddenly closed down. Many of the dogs and cats had been abused before being taken in by the shelter. Chicago named one of the most fun cities in America: report "These pets have been through a lot. The worst abuse we’ve ever seen," a PAWS Chicago Facebook post read. "Burned, beaten, unspeakable acts…in the midst of those horrors, this shelter was there to rehabilitate them. It’s a terrible loss that they had to shut their doors, but we’ll make sure every single happy ending they worked so hard for comes to fruition."The PAWS Chicago veterinary team immediately examined them to begin treatment. To help these new arrivals, locals can adopt any cat or dog in the PAWS program.  Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Anyone interested in fostering a...

Palos Park police offer warning about scam targeting seniors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

PALOS PARK, Ill. — Police in Palos Park are offering a warning about a scam targeting seniors.Police say the warning comes after a woman in Palos Park fell victim to a "grandparent scam," something officers say is also referred to as an “emergency scam."According to police, the scams are carried out over the phone by people claiming to be a relative of the victim, usually a grandchild, who claims to be in trouble and in need of money immediately. Police warn that scammers may also pose as police officers or lawyers who claim to represent the family member. Community programs, staff return to Amundsen Park after city scraps migrant shelter plans Officers say the scammers ask for cash and then send an associate who poses as a police officer, bail bondsman or official to collect the money from the victim.According to police, during many of the scams, the victims are told that they have to keep quiet and not speak about the situation for a variety of reasons.Palos Park police urge res...

4 critical following crash involving semi in Joliet

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

JOLIET, Ill. — Four people were critically injured following a crash involving a semi-truck early Monday in Joliet, police said in an updated release Monday evening.Just before 5:15 a.m., officers responded to the intersection of South Chicago Street and McDonough Street on the report of a crash with injuries.Police believe a Volkswagen Passat, driven by a 28-year-old male, went through a red light and struck a semi-truck heading southbound on Chicago. 2 SIU students from Park Ridge, Des Plaines killed in head-on crash The Volkswagen contained one 26-year-old male passenger and three females (two 30-year-olds and one 25-year-old.) According to police, the male driver and 25-year-old femalepassenger were transported to Silver Cross Hospital in critical condition. Both were later taken by ambulance to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where they remain in critical condition.The 26-year-old male and both 30-year-old female passengers of the Volkswagen weretaken to Ascensio...

Search underway for 2 armed robbery suspects who held up Walgreens in Gold Coast

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

CHICAGO -- Two men reportedly forced Walgreens employees into a back office at gunpoint and stole an undisclosed amount of money from a safe Sunday night.According to the Chicago Police Department, officers responded to a Walgreens located on the 900 block of North State Street in the city's Gold Coast neighborhood on reports of an armed robbery just after 9 p.m. on Sunday. Naperville woman charged after fatal shooting at Hilton Hotel in Oakbrook Terrace Two men reportedly entered the Walgreens in the Gold Coast displaying guns and demanded money. The men restrained a 23-year-old while they removed an unknown amount of money from a safe.The suspects fled the scene on foot. No one is in custody at this time.No injuries have been reported. The investigation is ongoing.

Funeral set for Mahtomedi youth hockey player who died days after crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

Samson Walters loved fishing, foraging for mushrooms and agates, and “hunting for any wildlife that he could fry.”Hockey families around Mahtomedi have been putting hockey sticks out on their front porches and turning on their porch lights to show support for Samson Walters, 16, of Hugo, who was critically injured in a head-on collision in Grant on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. (Courtesy of Mahtomedi Youth Hockey Association)Walters, 16, of Hugo, died Saturday at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, three days after he was critically injured in a car accident on his way to school at Mahtomedi High School.Walters, a Junior Gold 16 player with the Mahtomedi Youth Hockey Association, loved being outside, according to his obituary.“The outdoors were Samson’s happy place,” the obituary states. “You would rarely find him inside.”Walters, whose nickname was “Smiler,” was a great big brother and a triple-sport athlete who had a smile that “lit up every room he entered,” according to his obituary...