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US drone strike kills Islamic State group leader in Syria, Defense Department says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. drone strike killed an Islamic State group leader in Syria hours after the same MQ-9 Reaper drones were harassed by Russian military jets over the western part of the country, according to the Defense Department.Three Reapers had been flying overhead searching for the militant on Friday, a U.S. defense official said, when they were harassed for about two hours by Russian aircraft. Shortly after that, the drones struck and killed Usamah al-Muhajir, who was riding a motorcycle in the Aleppo region, said the official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity to describe details of the military operation. The official said al-Muhajir was in northwest Syria at the time of the strike, but that he usually operated in the east.It was not immediately clear how the U.S. military confirmed that the person killed was al-Muhajir; no other details were provided.In a statement Sunday, U.S. Central Command said there are no i...

Next steps on new health care deal tops agenda as premiers meet in Winnipeg

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:39 GMT

OTTAWA — The last time all of Canada’s premiers sat down around the same table, their attention was focused on getting Ottawa to pay more to fix the understaffed, hospitals, shuttered emergency rooms, surgical backlogs and health-worker shortages threatening the viability of their health systems.When they sit down in Winnipeg for their annual summer gathering this week, the attention will turn more to how to use the new money Ottawa has now promised.After two years of provincial pleading and sabre rattling for a new health care deal, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau finally put new money on the table at a first ministers’ meeting in Ottawa in February. That $46 billion-deal fell far short of what provinces had asked for but they were left with little choice but to accept it.Dr. Kathleen Ross, the president-elect of the Canadian Medical Association, said health must remain at the top of the agenda.“We are really on the peak of our challenges at the moment,” Ross ...

At least 23 injured after fiery bus crash on LSD: CFD

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:39 GMT

CHICAGO -- Chicago Fire reported of a fiery CTA bus crash on DuSable Lake Shore Drive that left at least 23 injured in the city's Kenwood neighborhood early Sunday morning. According to Chicago Fire Department, Lake Shore Drive northbound is closed due to a crash involving a car and a CTA bus near the 4400 block of South DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Multiple armed robberies conducted on Divvy bikes in Loop: CPD Fire said six were transported to the hospital, 13 are in good condition and three are in critical condition. Seven individuals refused medical attention.WGN is following the incident and will update as more information is available.

Student pilot safely lands plane after it loses power over Colorado

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:39 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- A student pilot was able to safely land a plane Saturday after the aircraft lost power shortly after he took off.The student pilot took off to the south at around 1 p.m. from the Front Range Airport, located about 30 miles east of Denver.He had only reached 100 feet of altitude when the plane suddenly lost power, according to the Adams County Sheriff's Office.Keeping his cool, ACSO said the student was able to safely land the plane in a field near Peterson Road, only striking a few powerlines. It was a popular national monument, until it was robbed to extinction "Given the situation, they were able to land it in a dirt area just south of the airfield," Jeff Kloska, director of the Colorado Air and Space Port, said.After the landing, police escorted the plane as it was towed back to the airport using a Ram 1500 truck. The sheriff's office shared the photos below from the scene. Highway 36 was closed between Peterson Road and Harback Road while crews worked to repai...

Sunday Brunch: Soul and Smoke

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:39 GMT

Join WGN Weekend Morning News in Weekend Break at Soul and Smoke in Avondale.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Northern Lights could be visible in these 17 states on Thursday due to solar storm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:39 GMT

(AP) - A solar storm forecast for Thursday is expected to give sky-gazers in 17 American states a chance to glimpse the Northern Lights, the colorful sky show that happens when solar wind hits the atmosphere.Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, are most often seen in Alaska, Canada and Scandinavia, but an 11-year solar cycle that’s expected to peak in 2024 is making the lights visible in places farther to the south. Three months ago, the light displays were visible in Arizona, marking the third severe geomagnetic storm since the current solar cycle began in 2019.The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks has forecast auroral activity on Thursday in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Indiana, Maine and Maryland. We could be seeing the northern lights more often: Here’s why Auroral activity also has been forecast for Canada, inc...

No winner pushes Powerball jackpot to $650M: When is the next drawing?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:39 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - For the 34th consecutive drawing, no ticket matched the winning Powerball numbers drawn Saturday night, pushing the jackpot to an estimated $650 million ahead of the next drawing. As it stands, the jackpot ranks as the ninth largest in game history, edging out a $632.6 million prize split by tickets in California and Wisconsin last year. Numbers drawn Saturday were 7, 23, 24, 32, 43 and red Powerball 18, and the Power Play multiplier was 2X.Three tickets - one each sold in California, Colorado, and Illinois - matched all five white balls, winning $1 million in prizes each. Powerball jackpot: Can you increase your winning odds? While Powerball officials estimated the jackpot to be $650 million after Saturday's drawing, it could still grow ahead of Monday's drawing (here’s why). Should it grow by another $30 million, it could become the eighth largest in game history. Here are the 10 largest Powerball jackpots in history:$2.04 billion: Nov. 7, 2022 (California)$1.5...

UT students protest end of affirmative action at Texas Capitol over weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:39 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — All college campuses are going to be affected by the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that ended affirmative action.The Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Texas at Austin protested the ruling at the Texas Capitol on Saturday. They feel somewhat powerless against the country's highest court, which recently banned college admission considerations based on race. According to our partners at the Texas Tribune, a potential 25 percent of college admissions for UT Austin could be impacted by the Supreme Court's decision to end affirmative action. The majority of students are admitted based on being in the top 10 percent of their graduating class. However, that still that doesn't make students protesting over the weekend feel any better about the SCOTUS ruling. Some feel the students who will be most impacted are those students of color who say affirmative action helped make things more equal. Joseph Giuliani is going into his fre...

1 killed, 2 hurt in overnight shooting in Beverly Grove 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:39 GMT

Authorities are launching an investigation into what led up to a deadly shooting in Beverly Grove early Sunday morning. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers responded to the area of 3rd Street and Orlando Avenue around 3:50 a.m. on reports of a shooting. When units arrived on scene, they found one man dead, and two others injured. The two injured men were transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition. The shooter has not been identified and remains on the loose. No suspect description has been released. It is unknown if the shooting was gang related, police said. This is a developing story. Stay with KTLA for updates.Alexis Lewis contributed to this report.

Plane that crashed, killing 6, was trying to land in heavy fog

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:39 GMT

Six people were killed when a jet crashed near the French Valley Airport in Murrieta early Saturday morning, marking the second deadly crash at the airstrip in less than a week.According to the FAA, the Cessna C550 business jet crashed just north of the airport around 4:15 a.m.The 45-minute flight, which had departed from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, went down in a field and burst into flames.The flight, which had departed from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, went down in a field and burst into flames. (KTLA) Family of missing young girl found at Camp Pendleton says she was raped “Deputies located an aircraft fully engulfed,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said. “Six occupants from the plane were located and pronounced deceased at the scene.”The crash caused a small brush fire that crews were able to extinguish in one hour, the Riverside County Fire Department said.The identities of the victims were not immediately released. They were c...