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Illinois is #2 worst state in U.S. for drought - a county-by-county conditions breakdown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

Over a quarter of the continental U.S. is currently experiencing moderate to exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.While the West is currently experiencing a brief reprieve from its driest period of the last 1,200 years—other parts of the country, like the Central U.S., are experiencing spells of unusual dryness.In periods of drought, levels of major reservoirs and rivers can fall dramatically. Groundwater systems too feel the effects, and shrinking water supplies impact agriculture, hydropower generation, and wildfire risk.Periods of drought have intensified and become more frequent in recent years due to climate change. Scientists predict that even in low emissions scenarios, much of the U.S. will be drier by the end of the century.Stacker cited data from U.S. Drought Monitor to identify the counties in Illinois with the worst droughts in the week leading up to July 05, 2023. Counties are listed in order of percent of the area in drought conditions. Abnormally...

Docs: Glen Ellyn woman faces felony after 47 animals found dead, malnourished

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

WHEATON, Ill. -- A Glen Ellyn woman is facing felony charges for animal cruelty after 47 animals were found dead or malnourished on her property on June 27. April Elliot, 60, was charged with a felony of aggravated animal cruelty Tuesday. She was already facing 132 misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals and violation of owner's duties.According to court documents, on June 27, the DuPage County Animal Services searched her home and found multiple large dogs lying on the ground outside and in dog cages stacked on top of one another with four to five dogs in each cage.After obtaining a search warrant, officers found 33 live dogs, nine deceased dogs, four deceased chinchillas and one deceased rabbit. Man, 22, charged with killing, torturing cats: CPD It is alleged that the animals were living in inhumane conditions that caused them to suffer. The felony complaint states that from June 15 to July 11, Elliot failed to provide veterinary treatment to a companion animal. Court document...

'Banned Bookmobile' to tour states and distribute books to communities impacted by ban

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

CHICAGO — A nonprofit organization is kicking off its first-ever "Banned Bookmobile" tour Thursday in Chicago.MoveOn Political Action says their going on a multistate tour to sound alarms on Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, and other GOP policy makers, censorship and ban on books across the country. The "MoveOn Banned Bookmobile" plans to distribute books in communities most impacted by the ban.MoveOn Political Action, along with local lawmakers and activists, officially launched the tour Thursday outside Sandmeyer's Bookstore, located at 714 South Dearborn Street, in downtown Chicago.“Ron DeSantis’s anti-American book bans are an attack on all of our freedoms, but he and the MAGA Republican Party cannot erase us,” said MoveOn Political Action Executive Director Rahna Epting. “DeSantis and MAGA Republicans’ vision for our country is to censor all of our diverse backgrounds and to punish those who live, love, and think differently than they do. We won’t surrender to their extremism, and ou...

Driehaus Foundation gives $1M to neighborhoods on West and South Sides

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

CHICAGO -- The Driehaus Foundation is giving $1 million to underserved neighborhoods on the West and South Side.The grant will be given to Landmarks Illinois to help fund their program that provides low interest loans to spark reinvestment in particularly under-resourced communities.Landmarks Illinois will be allowed to give out larger loans. Repaid loans will replenish the fund and be redeoloyed for new projects. FDA approves 1st over-the-counter birth control pill in US A Driehaus Foundation spokesperson said in a statement:"Rehabilitation and reuse of historic buildings can be challenging for many reasons but lack of funding is often the most frequent obstacle for preservation project."Landmarks Illinois made its first loan last year to the Greater Chatham Initiative (GCI) to fund storefront repairs to a historic building at 735 East 79th Street to support GCI in inspiring investment on the block. GCI used the building for its “Artists on the 9” program, creating a work and ga...

Road rage shootings grip US as incidents soar

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

DALLAS (NewsNation) — Paola Nunez Linares was 37 years old when her life was cut short by violence on the road.Her husband, Zane Jones, said while commuting on their way to work, he provoked a driver who he believes put them in danger. In response, investigators said the driver opened fire, striking Linares in the head. The stepmother of four had recently moved to North Texas from Guatemala. "It couldn’t have happened to a better person. The world is less because she’s gone," Jones said. "She was mugged at gunpoint five times, and I told her this place would be safer." Former Pennsylvania inmate believes Burham escape an ‘inside job’ Police are still searching for the suspect. However, their story is the latest in a spate of suspected road rage incidents across the country. In Ohio, authorities are investigating a fatal shooting triggered by an argument between a driver and a pizza delivery worker. A 6-year-old and her father are recovering in Las Vegas after being struck by gunfi...

Cedar Park police find guns, explosive-making materials in home that prompted evacuation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Officials in Cedar Park responded to a home Wednesday afternoon due to reports of suspicious items inside, according to the Cedar Park Police Department.According to CPPD, some of the items removed from the home included the following:29 firearmsAmmunitionVarious materials/chemical agents typically used to make explosivesCPPD said officers were called around 2 p.m. by a homeowner in the 2100 block of Parksville Way regarding items she discovered in her home. Several agencies were called to assist due to the nature of the items, CPPD said, including the Austin Fire Department, Austin-Travis County EMS, the Austin Police Department's Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit, the Cedar Park Fire Department, Cedar Park EMC, the FBI and the ATF.Nearby neighbors were asked to evacuate or stay inside their homes as a safety precaution, and some streets were also shut down, CPPD said.Cedar Park Police investigate 'suspicious items' found in home (KXXAN photo/Jake Sykes)C...

Some industries continue to recover from the ‘Great Resignation'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Global events in the first couple of years of the 2020s caused many Americans and Central Texans to leave their jobs by force or voluntarily. For example, some hospitality workers had to resign when COVID-19 restrictions came down, while others left their positions due to low wages or in search of something with more personal meaning.  Austin experts explain 10 reasons behind our current labor shortage Some dubbed this period the “Great Resignation,” and locally, it reached a pinnacle in the summer of 2022 when there were north of 100,000 available jobs in the Austin region – the highest number on record, according to the Austin Chamber of Commerce. But since then, some industries which were unable to fill positions have recovered, and the “Great Resignation” as we knew it, has subsided. “We're not seeing the same level of job turnover that we saw previously during the Great Resignation,” said Bryce Bencivengo, Director of Public Relations for t...

More closures on Fairview Avenue in Roseville this weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

Fairview Avenue will be closed in both directions between County Road B and County Road B2 this weekend.The closures will start 9 p.m. Friday and last until 5 a.m. Monday, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Access via Gluek Lane and Frontage Road, south of Highway 36, will remain.After this weekend, one lane of Fairview Avenue will be open in each direction. There will be right-in, right-out access only with no cross-traffic on Fairview. The other lanes will reopen at the end of the project, which should be completed by August 24.The west entrance to Rosedale Mall remains closed, but MnDOT expects it will be reopened within the next week.Ramps at the Highway 36 and Fairview Avenue interchange will remain closed until late July.Related ArticlesLocal News | I-94 West open again after MN crash near border with Hudson, Wis. Local News | Minnesota 36 overnight lane closures planned for next week Local News | Expect I-94 clo...

Ask the Pediatrician: When a pet dies, how do I help my child cope?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

How your child reacts to your pet’s death will depend on their age and developmental level. When children display emotions like sadness, it’s important to validate them.During my own childhood, I remember when a pet died, my well-meaning mother told me I shouldn’t dwell on being sad. It’s natural to want to protect your child from unpleasant emotions. But letting children experience them helps them build coping skills for the future.Here’s what you can do to help your child deal with the loss of a pet.Explain your own sadness.If your emotion isn’t obvious, this may confuse your child. It’s OK to let them see you cry. Keep in mind, though, that not all children — whatever their age — express their grief through sadness. Anger is also a common way to express grief. Understanding this is important so you can help them learn to work through it.Remember, grief-related emotions can come and go, sometimes without warning. It may take longer than you thought for your child to get through th...

Air quality alert: Canadian smoke expected Friday and Saturday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

All of Minnesota will be under an air quality alert beginning Friday morning due to smoke from Canadian wildfires.The smoke from wildfires in northern Alberta and British Columbia is expected to move into Minnesota behind a cold front Friday and linger for several hours into Saturday, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.The air quality alert, which is currently forecasting conditions in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category, is issued from 8 a.m. Friday to 3 p.m. Saturday.Friday is expected to see a high near 88, mostly sunny skies and chances for showers and thunderstorm during the day. Hazy skies and a slight chance of rain are expected at night, according to the National Weather Service.Saturday should see a high near 85, with sunny skies and a slight chance of a thunderstorm. Sunday should see a high near 81 and sunny skies.Related ArticlesNews | Tornado touches down near Chicago’s O’Hare airport, disrupting hundreds of ...