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WGN Exclusive: Migrants, crime, investment in people: Brandon Johnson's first 6 months as mayor 

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:33:54 GMT

CHICAGO —  At public events and press conferences Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks directly to his base. There’s no filter. He does not modify messaging for reporters or those who don’t side with political ideology. This teacher turned activist turned politician is unapologetic about his agenda: the working class and people of color.Johnson, middle child, son of a preacher, resident of the West Side was elected 57th mayor of Chicago promising bold progressivism. Six months on the job, items off his wish list have either been introduced or won final approval at City Council. But intractable problems like the busing of migrants to Chicago from the Southern border and crime have dominated headlines since his swearing in. Related: City Council overwhelmingly approves Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget “As I’ve said repeatedly, I don’t know if there’s ever been a mayor that understand the trauma that violence causes in communities than someone like me who is living in one of those communi...

Block Club Chicago journalist dead, father critical after house fire in Brighton Park

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:33:54 GMT

CHICAGO — A journalist who worked to cover the City's Southwest Side is dead, and her father is in the intensive care unit after a fire consumed their Brighton Park home last week.Family members told WGN News the Villaseñor family gathered in front of their house Friday evening as flames spread throughout the building, except for 31-year-old Rocio Villaseñor, who was asleep in her bedroom in the attic.Rocio's sister, Marisol Villaseñor, said her brother and father ran toward a strong noise when the fire erupted."They all heard a loud explosion in the back of the home," Marisol Villaseñor said. "As soon as they opened the door, a ball of black smoke came in and all they saw were flames ... My dad ran directly into the flames."Unfortunately, 69-year-old Crecencio Villaseñor couldn't reach his daughter and hours later, the family found out Rocio did not survive the fire. After first responders arrived at the fire, Crecencio Villaseñor was taken to a local hospital in critical condition...

Fulton County DA seeks to revoke bond for Trump Georgia co-defendant  

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:33:54 GMT

(The Hill) -- Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) is seeking to revoke the bond allowing a defendant in the Georgia racketeering case involving former President Trump to remain free ahead of trial. Willis's office cited defendant Harison Floyd's social media posts in a Wednesday court filing, argueing they were in violation of the bond agreement he signed as a condition of release. The posts, Willis asserted, are an effort to “intimidate codefendants and witnesses, to communicate directly and indirectly with codefendants and witnesses and to otherwise obstruct the administration of justice.” “Since his release from custody, the Defendant has engaged in numerous intentional and flagrant violations of the conditions of release ordered by the Court,” Willis’s motion states.  Lawyer of Georgia defendant in Trump election case admits to leaking witness video Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee will ultimately decide whether to approve the request.Floyd, a l...

These are the worst cities for package theft in 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:33:54 GMT

(NewsNation) — The Seattle metro area is the worst region for package theft in the country as porch pirates continue to plague communities across the U.S., according to a new report. That ranking comes from SafeWise's 6th Annual Package Theft Report, which found thieves stole an estimated 119 million packages nationwide over the past year — a 5% increase from the year prior. After coming in second in 2022, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area now tops the list of U.S. metros for worst package theft. The Emerald City is followed by Memphis, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, California; Birmingham-Hoover, Alabama; and Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colorado. How to protect your packages from porch pirates for $300 SafeWise, an online guide to safety and security products, determines its rankings using a combination of FBI larceny-theft statistics and Google Trends data.The new report comes during a holiday shopping season where U.S. shoppers are expected to spend more than $270 billion online...

$331M project proposed in Hutto, city waits to approve water services

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:33:54 GMT

HUTTO, Texas (KXAN) — A 113-acre mixed-use development project is underway in Hutto, but it needs help from the City of Hutto to supply water and wastewater services before the process can get the go ahead.At a Nov. 2 city council meeting, Kevin O'Neil with Fidelis Realty gave a presentation on the mixed-use development project.He said the project is slated to bring three logistics centers, retail options, including prospective grocery stores, 600 units of multi-family housing and a hotel or multi-specialty medical space to the area."We'd have 9.8 million of annual revenue within the greater community which we think is a really substantial number," O'Neil said.The proposed site is off SH 130 and Chris Kelley Boulevard just outside of Hutto. In the presentation, O'Neil said the company would like to enter into a three-party partnership with the City of Hutto and Municipal Utility District #22.This is because the project lies partially in MUD #22 and in Hutto. In order for the develop...

Lake Travis ISD mom speaks out after son suffers peanut allergy attack

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:33:54 GMT

LAKE TRAVIS, Texas (KXAN) -- The mom of a Lake Travis Independent School District football player is now speaking out after she said her son suffered a peanut allergy attack.Shawna Mannon gave a public comment during a Lake Travis ISD board meeting on Wednesday, saying her son told "a couple of teammates in his football team" that his allergy to peanuts could kill him if he were to touch them or would kill him if they were put in his cleats or uniform."These two boys then drove over to the high school locker room that evening and did exactly that. They filled his cleats with peanuts and in his locker and in his uniform in the varsity locker room," Mannon said.She said when her son opened the locker to get his uniform, the peanuts started falling and he set everything down in shock and left. Her son then noticed hives on his arms.Earlier this month, the district sent parents a letter explaining the incident and said students were addressed but did not specify how due to privacy laws....

Ballston officials ask drivers to slow down after an increase in auto accidents

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:33:54 GMT

BALLSTON, N.Y. (NEWS10) — According to TRIP, a national research organization, New York traffic fatalities have surged by 23% from 2019 to 2022. Cynthia Dort, Extension Community Educator at Cornell University Cooperative Extension Saratoga County, teaches defensive driving courses. She says as it gets darker earlier outside, pedestrians need to make sure they are visible to drivers as much as possible.“You know, if you have dark clothing on, sometimes, unfortunately, drivers are distracted. They’re looking at the sides of the road, other things they’re not thinking about, and all of a sudden, you’re in front of them,” Dort said. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Eric Connolly is the Town Supervisor for Ballston. He says the intersection where this morning’s accident occurred is one of the busiest in town, and he has noticed an increase in drivers speeding.“I just would like to encourage everyone driving through the town of Balls...

Biden again calls Xi a ‘dictator’ after critical summit

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:33:54 GMT

WOODSIDE, Calif. — After rattling off a list of perceived agreements made with Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Biden on Wednesday once again called his counterpart a “dictator”  — a move that’s likely to agitate already fraught relations between the two powerhouse economies.“Look, he is. He’s a dictator in the sense that he’s a guy who runs a country that is a communist country that is based on a form of government totally different from ours,” Biden told reporters in off-the-cuff remarks following a press conference in California where he met with Xi for hours.Biden emerged from that meeting during the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco ticking off a list of agreements the two leaders came to, including resuming military to military communication and dealing with the influx of fentanyl into the U.S. They also discussed the upcoming Taiwanese elections, artificial intelligence and the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. The two ...

St. Louis police warn of surge in carjackings and break-ins

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:33:54 GMT

ST. LOUIS - St. Louis Metropolitan Police are sounding the alarms over recent group carjackings and break-ins in the area. There have been more than 100 carjackings in the City of St. Louis so far this year.A car stolen Tuesday night in Florissant ended in a chase, crash, and flip in the city, injuring two police officers along the way.Two weeks ago, an attempted carjacking in Ladue also spurred a police chase and arrest. A 14-year-old and 15-year-old were charged in that case. St. Louis native’s story to hit big screen, local filming continues St. Louis police said they recently arrested another minor and charged them with four carjackings. They said they’re connected to more. Captain Pierre Benoist said the juvenile system is putting more of an emphasis on keeping some of these violent offenders locked up.“I would say, definitely, they are going to keep this individual. And if we're able to bring additional ones, because there were additional kids involved, I’m sure they will ke...

Guardians against hate: Two former cops answer the call

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:33:54 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Fears of being attacked at our places of worship are being answered in powerful ways.Two of the biggest names in local law enforcement are answering the call in wake of the October Israel terror attacks: Former St. Louis County Police Chief Tim Fitch and Scott Biondo, Director of Security for the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. Neither are Jewish, but both feel it’s their mission to quell the increasing threats to the Jewish community. Mayor resigns, hired weeks later in new job making 6x more “I owe it to the community,” Fitch told FOX 2, adding “I’ve already talked to two individuals that attended some protests and had some issues at some of the protests. How can you stay safe at a protest?”Fitch says he volunteers his consulting time. It’s free. He said, “With everything that is going on now, I thought it was time to say, if you need any advice, law enforcement or security advice, I’m certainly here to help as I do for a Catholic organization I belong to as well.”Th...