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Beyoncé vs Taylor Swift vs NASCAR: Who’s been the biggest boon to Chicago?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:22 GMT

Ed Sheeran concluded a weekend concert at Soldier Field by claiming, “this is the largest concert that’s ever been here." Since the 2003 stadium renovation, this statement can be considered true.But when it comes to Chicago's tourism, new numbers show the true king of Chicago is still a queen.Downtown hotel occupancy peaked at 97% on the early June weekend of Taylor Swift’s concert, according to numbers shared with WGN Investigates by data analytics firm CoStar. That was followed closely by the 95% occupancy rate of central business district hotels on the opening night of Beyoncé's Chicago concert.   “What we like seeing is this is happening over and over again driving-up leisure travel,” said Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association spokesperson Michael Jacobson. However, he cautioned that Chicago hotels are still not back to their pre-pandemic booking levels because conventions and business travel has been slow to recover.“If you look at what’s supporting the hotel industry right ...

Pritzker touts new initiative expanding access to reproductive rights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:22 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Thirteen months ago, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade opening the door for states to curtail or ban abortions.Abortion remains legal in 21 states, including Illinois, which continues to expand access."While our neighboring states revert to forcing back-alley abortions, Illinois will remain a safe haven for women," said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who on Monday announced a new partnership between the University of Illinois Chicago, RUSH, the Chicago Abortion Fund, and state agencies aimed at helping women navigate medical needs related to abortions. Misleading clients on abortion could cost Illinois pregnancy centers Pritzker said the state has also created a Family Planning program for Medicaid and is taking requests for proposals for an abortion services hotline. "In the Land of Lincoln, we’ve doubled down on our commitment to maintain and expand reproductive health access for patients and protect providers," Pritzker said.Illinois has also made it ille...

New 'street takeover' laws: Will they apply to this weekend's takeovers in Austin?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Target parking lot off of Research Boulevard in north Austin is scarred with tire marks Monday after DPS says dozens of drivers showed up over the weekend, doing donuts and driving recklessly. At least three people were sent to the hospital after that event. DPS says they went after one of the drivers involved, but the car took off and hit another. The state agency said the car didn't have its headlights on and was speeding. The Austin Police Department told KXAN it responded to several other locations on Saturday night tied to "street takeovers" between 9:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. including: Payton Gin and Ohlen Road Barton Springs and South Lamar9900 block of South IH-35 service road southbound8600 block of North Mopac Expressway400 block of Center Ridge DriveCar tire marks pictured after dozens of cars were reported in a Target parking lot in Austin late Saturday. (KXAN photo/Lauren Ryan)"Anyone with any information should submit their tip anonymously through the Ca...

Closing in on another heat record

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Monday's high temperature at Camp Mabry is 107°. It's a new daily record. The former record was 106° in 1923. It's the 24th consecutive day for a triple-digit high. A new record in this category (27 days in 2011) will be set Friday and added to beyond that. July 2023 is the hottest July everAnd, another record was set with today's high. Unofficially, the average temperature in July 2023 is 90.7°, one-tenth of a degree higher than the 90.6° in 2022. Official records will be released by the National Weather Service Tuesday.Every city with a high Tuesday exceeding 100°An Excessive Heat Warning is in effect until 9 p.m. Tuesday for 11 of our counties, including Travis. This is for air temperatures at or above 105°. Blanco, Caldwell, Gillespie, and Hays Counties are under a Heat Advisory. This is for air temperatures up to 104° and heat index values up to 109°.Central Texas updated heat alertsIn addition, Lampasas County joins several counties in north Texas under a Red ...

Feds: Anoka man with violent anti-government views sentenced on meth, illegal gun charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:22 GMT

An Anoka man who federal prosecutors say talked about joining a loosely organized anti-government extremist movement has been sentenced to nearly 6½ years in prison for illegal possession of a machine gun and distribution of methamphetamine.Darrian Mitchell Nguyen, 50, pleaded guilty to the charges in March and was sentenced last week in U.S. District Court in St. Paul. He’ll be on 10 years of supervised release after his prison term.Darrian Mitchell Nguyen (Courtesy of Anoka County Sheriff’s Office)According to court documents, the FBI began investigating Nguyen in April 2022 after a buyer was arrested for possession of meth in 2020 and became a paid informant. He told agents that Nguyen said he had amassed a cache of weapons to be prepared for violence and talked about joining the Three Percenters, a loosely organized anti-government extremist movement; federal officials noted they didn’t have information he had joined a militia group.The informant told FBI agent...

Maplewood man, 62, sentenced to probation for fatally stabbing 30-year-old during fight

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:22 GMT

A 62-year-old man was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the stabbing death of a 30-year-old man during a fight last year in Maplewood.Kevin Dwayne Peterson, of Maplewood, told police he stabbed Richard Williams, of St. Paul, after Williams punched him several times outside an apartment building in the 300 block of East Larpenteur Avenue on July 29, 2022.Kevin Dwayne Peterson (Courtesy of Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)Ramsey County prosecutors charged Peterson with two counts of second-degree murder on Aug. 10, a day after Williams died at Regions Hospital of stab wounds.Prosecutors and Peterson reached a plea deal on June 1, just over a week before a trial was set to begin. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss the murder counts in exchange for Peterson pleading guilty to an added charge of second-degree unintentional manslaughter. His attorney was allowed to argue for a downward departure from state sentencing guidelines.District Judge Joy Bartscher acc...

John Shipley: Gene McGivern, a St. Thomas athletics mainstay, says goodbye

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:22 GMT

As he neared his last day of work as University of St. Thomas sports information director, Gene McGivern had one of those moments of clarity that seems obvious but typically escapes us as life happens.“I did a lot of things, and I met a lot of people,” McGivern said Monday, the day before he was set to finish a 27-year run as the Tommies athletics department’s Sports Information Director.An awful lot has happened at St. Thomas in that time, and in terms of the sports department’s narrative, it was, for McGivern, backended as the Tommies moved quickly from NCAA Division III athletics in the conference it helped found in 1920 to Division I athletics in four different conferences.As McGivern, 65, noted, “I didn’t get that soft landing toward retirement.”But it worked for McGivern, who has always been busy and always enjoyed being in the middle of it, whether he was running cross country at Iowa State, working for small newspapers, coaching distance runners at Augsburg or co-writing Den...

Car falls into sinkhole in Schenectady

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:22 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The intersection of McClellan Street and Eastern Avenue in Schenectady was closed after a car fell into a sinkhole Monday afternoon. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Police said one person was inside the car. She was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. Repairs are underway.Drivers and pedestrians should avoid the area.

Volunteer firefighters sue Clifton Park for tax benefits

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:22 GMT

CLIFTON, PARK, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A group of volunteer firefighters in Clifton Park is suing the town assessor to receive residential tax credits.  It was respectful but quick. Monday afternoon, Art Hunsinger, on behalf of Clifton Park’s volunteer firefighters, served Walter Smead, the town’s assessor. "The law is very confusing, it definitely needs some clarification, there’s different interpretations of it, so if this gets it in front of a judge," Smead explained.MORE NEWS & WEATHER from NEWS10Let's break down the moving parts. There are four taxes for which a 10 percent credit can be applied to volunteer firefighters if approved by municipalities: school districtfire districttown countyThere are two main players involved in this disagreement: A group of Clifton Park volunteer firefighters, represented by Art Hunsinger Walter Smead, Clifton Park's Town AssessorAssessor Smead says his interpretation of the law is that firefighters don't qualify for any of the tax credits if t...

Yellow trucking ceases operations nationwide; 500+ out of work in St. Louis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:22 GMT

ST. LOUIS – A red light for Yellow Corp. After nearly a century of business in the United States, the freight carrier is shutting down operations amid a standoff with the Teamsters union.Employees in the St. Louis area—more than 500 people, according to the local Teamsters—hung up their work vests for the last time, after the trucking company that once was a dominant player in the field halted operations on Sunday and will file for bankruptcy, effectively laying off 30,000 employees across the country.Yellow drivers have tied their vests to the fencing outside the YRC Freight terminal in the Kosciusko neighborhood in south St. Louis.The Teamsters have been locked in a standoff with Yellow after telling the company it needed to renegotiate its multi-year contract. Overnight carjacking attempt in St. Louis foiled by disconnected battery Michael Peacock has been driving for Yellow for 15 years, and said he was caught off guard by the news.“I was an employee here. I was until midnight...