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AJ Freund DCFS trial begins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:27 GMT

MCHENRY COUNTY, Ill. — The trial for two former DCFS workers accused of reckless conduct related to the death of 5-year-old AJ Freund in April 2019 began on Monday.Andrew Polovin and Carlos Acosta were taken into custody and charged with two counts of endangering the life of a child and health of a minor and one count reckless conduct back in Sept. 2020.Both pleaded not guilty.Last December, a judge ruled that nearly 20 police reports that Polovin and Acosta allegedly failed to review will be allowed to be used in the trial.The same month Freund was killed, Acosta and Polovin were placed on desk duty and they both left the agency later that year.Carlos Acosta (L) and Andrew Polovin (R)Polovin was Acosta’s supervisor in the months before Andrew “AJ” Freund’s body was found in a shallow grave near his family’s Crystal Lake home in April 2019. Freund was tortured and beaten prior to his death.Documents allege that Polovin and Acosta “knowingly caused or permitted (AJ) … to be placed in...

White Sox-Royals game postponed Monday night due to rain

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:27 GMT

CHICAGO — The start of the White Sox second-to-last homestand of the 2023 season will have to wait thanks to Mother Nature.Due to rain in the Chicago area, the team has postponed their game on Monday night against the Royals which was scheduled to begin at 6:40 p.m. The White Sox-Royals game scheduled for Monday evening at Guaranteed Rate Field has been postponed due to rain..It will be made up as a straight doubleheader Tuesday beginning at 3:40 p.m..@WGNNews pic.twitter.com/ocZkWGF4JL— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) September 11, 2023They won't wait long to make the game up with little time left in the season, so both teams will take part in a straight doubleheader on Tuesday. Game 1 will begin at 3:40 p.m. with the second game starting 30-to-45 minutes after that contest but not before 6:40 p.m. Gates at Guaranteed Rate Field will open at 2:40 p.m. and fans with tickets to the originally scheduled game on Tuesday can attend both games. Those holding tickets for Monday's game ...

Where Sunday ranks among the Bears' worst opening games

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:27 GMT

CHICAGO — Even for a team coming off a three-win season, Sunday was a worst-case scenario for the Bears to open the 2023 season. The team was dominated by the Jordan Love-led Packers 38-20 at Soldier Field in one of the more forgettable season openers in recent memory. Some have wondered where the defeat ranked among the worst first games in Bears' history. From a margin perspective, it's high, but nowhere near the top. The 18-point defeat to Green Bay is the eighth-worst defeat in Bears' Week 1 history and is the second-worst at home. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)The worst opener in Bears' history was on September 7, 2003, when the Dick Jauron-led team was trounced by the 49ers 49-7 at Candlestick Park. It was the start of a 7-9 season and the end of the Jauron era of the team.Three times the Bears have lost their season opener by 28 points, which is the second-worst in team history. That includes the worst Week 1 loss at home which occurred in 1975, when the Colts beat the...

Police seek help locating woman missing since June

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:27 GMT

CHICAGO — Police are seeking help from the public as they search for a woman who was last seen in the city's Dunning neighborhood over two months ago. According to Chicago police, 40-year-old Olha Solovei-Zmiievska has been missing since Saturday, June 24. Solovei-Zmiievska was last seen around 11 a.m. in the 6200 block of West Belmont Avenue in Dunning. Police investigate string of early-morning armed robberies in Hyde Park, Kenwood Authorities say Solovei-Zmiievska is known to frequent the area near North Central Avenue and West Belmont Avenue and areas near the 2900 block of North Central Avenue in Belmont Cragin.According to police, Solovei-Zmiievska may have also been seen in the area near North Pulaski Road and West Fullerton Avenue in Logan Square and may also frequent the area of 500-600 South Austin Avenue in Chicago.  Police investigate string of armed robberies at liquor stores, bar on Northwest Side Police say Solovei-Zmiievsk has brown eyes and brown hair and h...

Vegas rapper arrested on murder charge after police say he wrote a song about the killing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:27 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) —  The lyrics in a rap music video on social media depict a Las Vegas man rapping about a murder he committed two years earlier, according to Las Vegas police documents.That was just one piece of evidence in the arrest report for 25-year-old Kenjuan McDaniel, who is currently being held at the Clark County Detention Center on charges of murder.McDaniel was taken into custody on an arrest warrant on Aug. 29, 2023, for a deadly shooting that occurred at an apartment building complex on W. Lake Mead Boulevard near Jones Boulevard on Sept. 18, 2021. Randall Wallace, 32, was killed in the shooting.For the past few years, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department followed leads to track down the suspect's car, which was captured on surveillance video, the handgun used in the shooting, as well as decipher the lyrics of a rap video recently posted on YouTube.During the investigation, detectives learned from witnesses that a shooting on July 19, 2021, was related to ...

American researcher rescued from deep Turkish cave more than a week after he fell ill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:27 GMT

TASELI PLATEAU, Turkey (AP) — Rescuers pulled Mark Dickey, an American researcher, out of a Turkish cave on Monday, more than a week after he became seriously ill more than 3,000 feet below its entrance, said the Speleological Federation of Turkey.Teams from across Europe had rushed to Morca cave in southern Turkey’s Taurus Mountains to aid Mark Dickey, a 40-year-old experienced caver who became seriously ill on Sept. 2 with stomach bleeding. He was on an expedition to map the cave, which is the country’s third deepest.Dickey was too frail to climb out himself, so rescuers carried him with the help of a stretcher, making frequent stops at temporary camps set up along the way.Members of the CNSAS, Italian alpine and speleological rescuers, carry a stretcher with American researcher Mark Dickey during a rescue operation in the Morca cave, near Anamur, southern Turkey, Monday, Sept. 11, 2023. A rescue operation is underway in Turkey’s Taurus Mountains to bring out an American researche...

Lee, a Category 3 storm, unleashes heavy waves on northern Caribbean

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:27 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (WFLA) — Hurricane Lee whipped up waves of more than 15 feet on Monday as the Category 3 storm cranked through open waters just north of the Caribbean region.The storm is not expected to make landfall this week, although forecasters said residents of New England and nearby areas should keep a close eye on Lee, whose future path is uncertain. It was located about 380 miles north of the northern Leeward Islands. It had winds of up to 115 mph (185 kph) and was moving northwest at 7 mph. Hurricane Lee remains a major hurricane with 120 mph winds The National Hurricane Center said Lee is likely to pass just west of Bermuda late Thursday and Friday and be located offshore of the mid-Atlantic states and New England by the end of the week.“Although Lee is expected to weaken later in the week, it is expected to significantly increase in size and hazards will extend well away from the storm center,” the center said.Bermuda could experience wind, rain and high surf, but...

One person dead after crash involving 18-wheeler, vehicle in southeast Travis County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:27 GMT

Editor's Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today's top headlines for Sept. 11, 2023TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- One person is dead after a crash involving an 18-wheeler and a vehicle southeast of Austin in Travis County on Monday, Austin-Travis County EMS said on social media.Shortly after 4 p.m., medics said they responded to a report of a confirmed crash with a vehicle pinned by an 18-wheeler near U.S. Highway 183 and Evelyn Road. Medics said a person was reported to be unconscious.Travis County Starflight also responded to the scene, medics said.The adult, who was not identified Monday, was removed, and medics said CPR was performed. However, the person was later pronounced dead on the scene, medics said.Drivers should expect traffic delays as roads remain closed for investigation. No other information was released Monday.

SEC away games could be pricey but UT fan says it's worth it

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:27 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns put the Southeastern Conference on notice with a big win over Alabama this weekend.Texas is not in the SEC just yet, but after a trip to Tuscaloosa many fans are excited for away games in the future. By the numbers: Stats to know about the Texas Longhorns’ 2023 season "Leaving the stadium in Tuscaloosa was a Texas Takeover," Texas Longhorns super fan Andrew Cornwell said. Cornwell made the trip to Alabama. He ranks the 34-24 win over the Crimson Tide right up there with the birth of his daughter and marrying his wife."It was one of the best days of my life," Cornwell said. "It was incredible."Next year, the Longhorns will hit the road to play Arkansas, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt with a stop in Dallas as usual for Oklahoma.Cornwell said he has been to a lot of away games in the Big 12, but this away game was expensive. Texas Longhorns jump 7 spots in AP Top 25 following road win over Alabama Crimson Tide "This was one of the more expensive aw...

Texas DPS said 'no major issues' on first day driver license offices reopen

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:27 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — After a nearly weeklong closure, Texas driver license offices reopened Monday. Appointments were canceled Sept. 5-8 for a driver license system upgrade, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. The upgrade was required for Texas to be REAL ID compliant. DPS said affected customers will get priority rebooking, and its goal is to accommodate those affected in the next two to three weeks or at the customer's earliest convenience. Driver license offices in "high volume areas" will have extended hours to accommodate rebooked appointments for the short term, DPS said. PREVIOUS: DPS driver’s license offices to reopen Monday DPS said there is not a "blanket" grace period for customers with expired licenses or IDs, and each customer's situation and requirements will be evaluated based on their canceled appointment date. Anyone whose appointment was canceled last week and has not rescheduled is asked to email [email protected] with these details: da...