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Some 40 previously contained wildfires could become out of control: minister

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:18:32 GMT

MONTREAL — Several Quebec communities were told to prepare to evacuate their homes on Wednesday, as the province’s forests minister warned that firefighters were on the verge of losing control of dozens of fires that were previously contained.Maïté Blanchette Vézina told reporters that hot and dry conditions were fuelling the fires in many parts of the province, allowing some that were considered contained to regain strength. “What we announced, and what will probably happen in the next days is that fires that were contained — we’re talking about 40 contained fires — could go out of control,” she told reporters in Quebec City. Blanchette Vézina said the greatest areas of concern were the Lac-St-Jean region, north of Quebec City; northern Quebec; and the Abitibi region, in the province’s northwest. She said a fire that came to within 500 metres of Normétal, Que., 720 kilometres northwest of Montreal, was among those that were out of control, although the...

Suburban man facing hate crime after Pride flag torn down at College of Lake County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:18:32 GMT

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. — A College of Lake County student has been charged with a hate crime after allegedly tearing down a Pride flag and attacking two CLC staff members.On June 15, officers were dispatched to College of Lake County's Grayslake campus. Police allege student Jason May approached a staff member while they were at their desk and tore down a Pride flag the employee had hanging behind them.May allegedly struck the employee and another staff member who attempted to intervene as he attempted to take the flag.On June 17, May was taken into custody and has been held on a $50,000 bond. Prosecutors said they sought a bond of $150,000, but it was denied.“This was an unprovoked attack not only on the CLC employees, but also on the LGBTQIA community. It is important to point out that this offender went out of his way to enter the workspace of the CLC staff so that he could pull down the Pride flag which proudly represents tolerance, love, and equality," Lake County State's Attorn...

Prosecutors dropping charges in killing of Chicago police officer Clifton Lewis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:18:32 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped charges against two of three men accused of killing an off-duty Chicago police officer, including a man who spent nearly 12 years in jail awaiting trial as authorities challenged allegations of police and prosecutorial misconduct.Tyrone Clay faced nearly 80 counts and Edgardo Colon almost 20 counts in the shooting death of Officer Clifton Lewis during the robbery of a convenience store where Lewis was working as a security guard in December 2011.Colon was convicted in 2017 but the verdict was overturned in 2020 after he argued that police obtained a confession even though he'd asked for an attorney during an interrogation that lasted some 50 hours.Clay has spent almost a dozen years in jail awaiting trial while prosecutors appealed a judge's ruling that he, too, had repeatedly asked for an attorney before giving an incriminating statement.Prosecutors dropped the charges Wednesday just ahead of a hearing where detectives and prosecuto...

Family, attorneys of man killed in Willowbrook shooting hold news conference

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:18:32 GMT

Attorneys for a man who was shot and killed in a shooting in Willowbrook Township will be holding a news conference. Authorities said 31-year-old Reginald Meadows was killed early Sunday in a shooting that also left over 20 injured. A group of people were peacefully gathering around 12:30 a.m. near Route 83 and Honeysuckle Rose Lane in Willowbrook Township when shots were fired. What we know so far on the Willowbrook Juneteenth mass shooting An unknown number of individuals fired shots from multiple weapons in the crowd, the sheriff’s office said.WGN plans to stream the news conference live starting at 12:30 p.m.

At least 16 hurt after explosion rips through Paris building

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:18:32 GMT

PARIS (AP) — A strong explosion hit a building in Paris' Left Bank on Wednesday, leaving at least 16 injured and igniting a fire that sent smoke soaring over city monuments and prompted the evacuation of surrounding buildings, police said. The cause of the blast was not immediately known.The facade of a building in the 5th arrondissement, or district, collapsed and emergency services were working to determine if anyone was still inside, a Paris police official said. The explosion hit near the historic Val de Grace military hospital.Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told reporters there were 16 people injured, including seven in “emergency condition.” The fire was contained but not extinguished, he said.Florence Berthout, mayor of the arrondissement, said, “The explosion was extremely violent,” describing pieces of glass still falling from buildings.Nunez described several injuries, some of them critical, but did not provide an exact figure, nor did he specify whether any were in life...

Albanese Candy employee seriously injured after being trapped under boxes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:18:32 GMT

CHICAGO — An Albanese Candy employee was seriously injured Tuesday after getting trapped.Hobart fire was dispatched to the factory and store, located in the 5400 block of East Lincoln Highway, on the report of a worker trapped.Authorities said a factory worker became trapped under a bale of corrugated boxes.The worker was "extricated quickly" due to teamwork between other co-workers and firefighters, Hobart fire said. John’s Pizzeria in Bucktown closing after 66 years The worker was flown to a trauma center in Chicago in serious condition.

Wednesday Forecast: First day of summer kicks off with temps in upper 80s, cooler lakeside

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:18:32 GMT

CHICAGO — Wednesday marks the official first day of summer in Chicago.Mostly sunny and clear conditions with temperatures in the upper 80s, cooler lakeside. High: 86. Lakeside: 70. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Mostly clear tonight. Low: 66.Thursday Forecast: Increasing clouds with temperatures in the mid 80s. High: 85. Lakeside: 70.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

'So I raped you': Man still on the run 2 years after Facebook message

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:18:32 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Two years after a former Gettysburg College student finally saw charges filed over her 2013 campus sexual assault, the man suspected of sending her a Facebook message that said, “ So I raped you,” remains on the run.Shannon Keeler, 28, and her attorneys question how Ian T. Cleary has avoided capture in an age when people are tracked by their cellphones, internet connections, security cameras and credit card purchases. Investigators, led by the U.S. Marshals Service, believe the 30-year-old from Silicon Valley is likely overseas and on the move.This wanted poster provided by the U.S. Marshals shows Ian Cleary, of Saratoga, Calif. U.S. marshals have been leading the two-year search for Cleary since prosecutors charged him with sexually assaulting a young woman in 2013 at Gettysburg College. Her lawyer wonders how he has eluded capture at a time when people are constantly tracked by their digital footprints. Cleary remains on the run in 2023. (U.S. Ma...

Midday Fix: Screening for anxiety disorders in adults

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:18:32 GMT

Katie Torres, LCSW, Clinical Director, Anxiety and OCD, Ascension Illinoishttp://www.ascension.org/illinois

FTC accuses Amazon of deceiving customers with Prime subscription sign-up, cancellation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:18:32 GMT

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against Amazon on Wednesday that accuses it of tricking customers into enrolling in its Amazon Prime program and preventing them from canceling their subscriptions. The lawsuit alleges Amazon used manipulative, coercive or deceptive designs known as “dark patterns” to convince customers to sign up for a subscription, which automatically renews. The agency said Amazon also made the cancellation process complicated to stop customers from leaving, and leaders slowed down or rejected changes to the process that would have made it easier for customers — because doing so would hurt the company’s profits. “Amazon tricked and trapped people into recurring subscriptions without their consent, not only frustrating users but also costing them significant money,” FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan said in a release. “These manipulative tactics harm consumers and law-abiding businesses alike. The FTC will continue to vigorously protect Americans from ‘dar...