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Overnight storms cause destruction in Cook County near West suburbs

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

CHICAGO -- Overnight storms swept through the Chicagoland area overnight leaving uprooted trees and flooding. A tree and utility pole landed on top of a car in Cicero during a thunderstorm warning overnight. The owner of the car reportedly slept through the storm and did not hear a crash. It was only when he stepped outside did he see the car's condition. The storm came through Cicero around about 2:00 a.m. where large trees crashed onto cars and homes. Cicero firefighters climbed onto ladders to help some residents remove debris from their homes. What you need to know about the 2023 Chicago Pride Parade Utility poles have been toppled over and tree branches have been scattered across streets. Heavy rain also caused flooding in some places. A ramp off of I-55 flooded where a vehicle got stuck in the water. The worst of the damage was reported to be in south of Ogden Avenue. ComEd reported no power outages in Cicero but a few in Berwyn. There has been no injuries reported in the s...

Trying to sell your home? These paint colors can impact offers, survey suggests

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — While the housing market continues to be hot in many parts of the country, it has certainly slowed since the pandemic peaks of recent years. Regardless, something as small as the colors you choose to paint your rooms could have a big impact on how much your home sells for, according to a new study. After reviewing a series of studies of more than 4,700 recent and prospective home buyers nationwide, real estate website Zillow said it found paint color can bolster — or hinder — a home’s sale price by hundreds or even thousands of dollars. So what colors should you opt for? It’s all about the mood, according to Zillow’s analysis. It’s no secret color can impact our mood. A bright color like yellow may make you cheery, a blue may calm you down. When it comes to current and possible homebuyers, one mood appears to be reigning supreme: charcoal gray. “Gray is the color of retreat,” Mehnaz Khan, a color psychology specialist and interior designer in Alb...

Hot and dry through the week

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin-Camp Mabry reached 103° Saturday afternoon to bring the number of triple-digit highs in June to nine. That number will increase by six by Friday, the last day of the month.Today's normal high is 95° BLOG: June likely to end as top 5 warmest in Austin Morning clouds will clear during the morning with a sunny sky again this afternoon. The Heat Advisory is in effect today for much of Central Texas. Maximum heat index readings this afternoon will likely rise to between 108° to 113° at many locations. Yesterday's highest was 112° at La Grange and 110° at Camp Mabry.Excessive Heat Warnings (Pink) and Heat Advisories (Orange)Mason and San Saba Counties, handled by the San Angelo National Weather Service office, are under an Excessive Heat Warning with the highest heat index readings up to 111°.The ridge of high pressure aloft is in northeast Mexico and south of El Paso. It will move towards Central Texas the next three days, parked over the area Tuesday and Wednes...

Truckers don’t have enough parking. Why it should matter to you

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — We’ve all felt the frustration of looking for a parking spot, but imagine having to do it every day at work.That’s the challenge for Texas truck drivers and those across the nation. According to the United States Department of Transportation, nationwide there’s roughly one parking spot for every 11 truckers.Buda-based truck driver Michael Lombard knows the challenges all too well, not just from his travels around the country hauling agriculture equipment, but also from hearing the experiences of his colleagues.“What’s going on everybody, welcome back to episode 71,” Lombard enthusiastically announced in the back of the cab of his big rig.Using a laptop with a plug-in microphone and camera, Lombard turned his Peterbilt into a mobile podcast studio, broadcasting live from wherever in the country he happens to be.Lombard talks trucking with drivers and other movers and shakers in the industry — and always top of mind is parking.Buda Trucker Michael Lombard creates podca...

Emmys 2023 power rankings: Comedy

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

LOS ANGELES — Emmy voters are creatures of habit. That’s good news for “Ted Lasso” in its quest to win a third consecutive comedy series trophy and keep its perfect record intact.You’d figure that fans of the show would be sentimental enough to send the series off — if it is indeed leaving the air — with a warm, teary embrace. But “Ted Lasso” faces a formidable challenge this year from “Abbott Elementary.” The ABC sitcom earned seven nominations for its 13-episode debut season, winning three, including writing honors for creator Quinta Brunson and supporting actress Sheryl Lee Ralph. “Abbott” was even better in its full second season, demonstrating that it is indeed possible to tell funny, heartwarming stories in a tight 22 minutes.And, as you’ll see here in our Emmy comedy power rankings, “Abbott” and “Ted Lasso” are far from the only shows in play. Let’s take a look at who might be smil...

Minnesota 91-year-old’s persistence pays off with bucket-list muskie

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

MERRIFIELD, Minn. — They say muskies are the fish of 10,000 casts.For 91-year-old Bertha Lunzer, who spends her summers in Merrifield, the count is not measured by the number of casts but by the number of years — catching a muskie has been a decades-long goal for Bertha.And catch a muskie Bertha did — an estimated 40-plus-incher June 10 out of a Cass County lake. Now she can cross that achievement off her bucket list.Bertha Lunzer, 91, joined by her sons, Michael Lunzer, left, and Joe Lunzer, holds a muskie — an estimated 40-plus-incher — she caught June 10, 2023, on a Cass County, Minn., lake. Catching a muskie has been on Bertha’s bucket list for years. (Courtesy photo via Forum News Service)“Well, I grew up in North Dakota and I caught a large northern once. And then I came down here (to Minnesota) and I thought, well, I want to get a muskie because they’re bigger,” Bertha said with a laugh.She caught her muskie while fishing with her sons Joe Lunzer and M...

RTD can’t seem to overcome its labor shortages — a problem that’s affecting bus and train riders

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

Shortages of bus drivers, train operators and some other key workers at the Regional Transportation District are just as large or worse than they were before a new union contract last year significantly raised wages, along with hopes for a turnaround.The metro Denver transit agency was short 184 bus drivers as of last month — a 19% vacancy rate that’s improved since last summer, but is still slightly higher than it was in January 2022, according to RTD employment data. RTD has backslid when it comes to light rail train operators, with vacancies in that position growing from 8% to 19% since early last year.And while some maintenance, technician and service categories have notched big improvements, others still are stuck with 30% or more of jobs empty.RTD leaders point to an encouraging surge in applications after it began offering $4,000 hiring bonuses and the new union contract initially boosted wages at least 16%, with more raises to come. Total hiring more than doubled...

Denver losing out to Kansas City in another area – apartment searches

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

Midwestern apartment markets are now some of the most popular in the country as people place affordability over the hipness associated with one-time draws like Austin, Texas, Seattle and Silicon Valley, according to a report from RentCafe.com.Kansas City, Mo., was the nation’s most searched apartment market for the second month in a row in June. And up next was Overland Park, a nearby suburb in Kansas, which shot up 78 spots in its ranking to No. 2.Five of the top 10 most searched cities are in the Midwest, including Minneapolis, Cincinnati and Detroit. Four of the top 10 are in the southeast: Atlanta; Orlando, Fla.; Raleigh, N.C., and Arlington, Va.Albuquerque, N.M., came in at fifth, marking the third month it has managed to hold a spot in the top five.Denver is still high on the radar screen of apartment hunters, showing up in the 15th spot, down from No. 6 in May. It was sandwiched between the Bronx and Washington, D.C., in the rankings. Given that there were 150 cities st...

Billions in new funding for fires, floods, heat waves heading toward California ballot

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

Massive forest fires. Deadly floods. Record heat waves. Historic droughts.Over the past decade, California has repeatedly experienced the destructive impacts of climate change — “weather on steroids” — costing billions of dollars in damage and claiming dozens of lives.Now, in what may be the largest environmental measure ever placed on a state ballot in California, lawmakers in Sacramento are drafting a $15 billion “climate bond” for next year’s elections to test whether voters are willing to open their wallets to harden the state’s defenses.Two similar bills are moving forward in the Legislature, with broad support from the Democratic majority and Gov. Gavin Newsom.Both would provide significant new funding to thin forests, boost flood control projects, plant trees to cool cities, expand renewable energy, and take other steps to deal with a climate that scientists say will continue to warm for generations to come.“This is a first-of-its-kin...

Chris Paul has never come off the bench, will he with the Warriors?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

Chris Paul has started every single one of his 1,214 regular season games and 149 playoff games in 18 seasons as an NBA player. His best-suited role with the Golden State Warriors, though, will have him coming off the bench.Strip ego and history away and the logic is simple. The 38-year-old Paul was swapped in for 24-year-old Jordan Poole largely because he can transform the role Poole played over the last two years into something that will make the Warriors more competitive and mistake-free next season.Poole moved from the starting lineup — a stretch in which the Warriors went 18-2 last season — to the bench after Klay Thompson’s return from his Achilles injury in mid-2022 and largely struggled with the second-unit point guard job. Last season, it became clear Poole didn’t fit the role of a second-unit decision-maker and felt more comfortable as a microwave scorer. He often turned the ball over and the second unit made plenty of mistakes throughout the seaso...