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US tracking balloon over Pacific; not China’s, not a threat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Defense Department and the Federal Aviation Administration have been tracking a balloon that was flying off the coast of Hawaii last week, but a defense official said Tuesday there’s no indication it is connected to China or any other adversary, and it presents no threats to aviation or national security.The balloon was first detected by radar on Friday and “Pacific Air Forces launched three F-22s to assess the situation and visually identified a spherical object,” U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said. “We monitored the transit of the object and assessed that it posed no threat.”The defense official said the balloon was floating at about 36,000 feet (11,000 meters), and it did not fly over any critical defense infrastructure or sensitive sites. After determining that the balloon presented no threat to people on the ground or to aviation over Hawaii, the military took no action to bring it down, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss m...

Public employees’ remote work agreement just the beginning: labour expert

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:51 GMT

A labour expert says the agreement on remote work between public sector workers and the federal government could set the stage for future union negotiations. Armine Yalnizyan, an economist and the Atkinson Fellow on the Future of Workers, says we are entering a brand-new phase of what gets discussed in labour negotiations in the wake of the pandemic. The Public Service Alliance of Canada and Ottawa announced they had reached tentative agreements Monday morning for more than 120,000 workers, with wage gains and a letter of understanding about remote and hybrid work. The letter outside the collective agreement promises a joint review of the government’s directive on telework, and the union says the letter will mean managers have to assess telework requests individually instead of the government applying a one-size-fits-all approach. Yalnizyan says a case-by-case approach is appropriate for the post-pandemic era of work, even though it’s much more complicated than a one-size-fits-all p...

FBI: Armored truck robbed in Homewood; bank robbed on North Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:51 GMT

CHICAGO — It's been a busy Tuesday morning for the FBI following an armored truck robbery in the south suburbs and a bank robbery in the city.Authorities responded to an armored truck robbery in front of a Jewel-Osco at 183rd and Kedzie in Homewood. SkyCam9 was over the scene at around 10:45 a.m. which showed a Brinks truck parked with yellow crime tape around it.It was parked in front of the Huntington Bank sign, which is located inside the grocery store. 18-year-old woman killed in Matteson double shooting Also Tuesday morning in a separate incident, the FBI responded to a robbery at a Chase Bank in the 6100 block of North Western.At this time, it's unknown how much currency was stolen and if firearms were used in each incident.WGN News will update this story once more information becomes available.

6 dead, more than 30 hospitalized in I-55 crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:51 GMT

DIVERNON, Ill. (AP) — Both lanes of I-55 reopened Tuesday morning hours after a windstorm in central Illinois causing numerous crashes that killed at least six people Monday, police said.Six people were killed in a 72-car pileup late Monday morning near mile marker 76, between Diveron and Farmersville, about 20 miles south of Springfield. Multiple tractor-trailers were among the vehicles involved, two of which caught fire, Illinois State Police Maj. Ryan Starrick said.More than 30 people on both sides of I-55 were transported to hospitals with injuries.Authorities held a news conference Tuesday morning and said they are seeking the public's help to identify two of the victims killed in the crash. State police believe one person was driving a blue Chrysler 300 and one person was driving a Hyundai, color not known. Anyone with any information is asked to call authorities at 618-346-3653. ISP needs help identifying two adult victims from the crash on I-55 Monday. One victim was driving...

2 critical after Southwest Side crash involving school bus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:51 GMT

CHICAGO — Emergency responders are on the scene of an accident involving a school bus on Chicago’s South Side.Crews including several ambulances responded to 31st Street and Kedzie Avenue around 11 a.m. in the city’s Little Village neighborhood for reports of a head on crash.According to the Chicago Fire Department, two drivers were taken to the hospital in critical condition. About 16 others, including students, were taken to the hospital in good condition.This is a developing story. Check back for details.

Historic tree removed from Lincoln Park Zoo

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:51 GMT

CHICAGO — Some are saying a piece of Chicago history was cut down Tuesday—but it may not be the end of the historic bur oak.The definite age has not been determined yet, but the horticulturist here at Lincoln Park Zoo say the tree has been here since the zoo was created.The tree was dying and in extreme of being a danger to people coming to zoo.The zo has multiple plans to preserve pieces of the bur oak, which will include possibly growing a new tree from it as well as creating art and helping scientists study climate change.WGN's Glenn Marshall has the full story.

Why Patrick Kane's quick playoff exit with Rangers impacted the Blackhawks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:51 GMT

NEWARK - As it turns out, the quest for a former Blackhawks star to win his fourth Stanley Cup only lasted a week and a half. Because of that, it actually hurts Patrick Kane's former team.The Rangers lost Game 7 4-0 to the Devils at the Prudential Center in their Stanley Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference first round series on Monday evening. It's a quick end to what New York fans had hoped would be a strong postseason to capture the team's first Stanley Cup in 29 years. Instead, Kane's stay with the Rangers in the playoffs is short, despite a goal and five assists from the nine-time All-Star during the series.Since he didn't have a deep run in the playoffs, the Blackhawks actually took a hit when it comes to draft capital. As part of the terms of the Kane trade back in March, the team would receive a conditional 2023 second round pick from New York that was set to become a first rounder in 2024 or 2025 if the Rangers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals.Since that didn't happen, t...

WATCH: 'Fight Club' video shows alleged coach-sanctioned brawl between high school players

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:51 GMT

KINGFISHER, Okla. (KFOR) - New video evidence shows two high school football players duking it out in an alleged coach-sanctioned brawl at Kingfisher High School in Oklahoma.The video, taken by another player on the sidelines during a so-called "ring" fight between two freshman in 2018, is now part of a lawsuit.The fight, which can be viewed above, lasted less than one minute. The video has been blurred to protect the identities of the minors involved.In the clip, one student is seen wearing MMA boxing gloves while the other had towels taped to his hands."Kick his f-----g a--," one teammate yelled at the start of the video.The player with boxing gloves was quickly punched to the ground.'Fight Club' video provided by Cameron Spradling.That video has become key evidence in a federal lawsuit filed against the Kingfisher school district and the head football coach who allegedly allowed these fights to happen regularly.This lawsuit was filed in January 2022 by a former KHS student and fo...

Why the First Republic Bank failure is different

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:51 GMT

First Republic Bank, based in San Francisco, has shut its doors. But this bank failure is different from another recent failure — the March closure of Silicon Valley Bank — in that depositors knew on the day of the announcement how they could access their funds, even if their balances were outside federal insurance limits, according to a JPMorgan Chase press release.Here’s a look at how the two bank failure announcements compare, and what you should know to protect your deposit accounts in the event of a future bank failure.First Republic Bank and SVB: The differenceThe Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. announced on Monday that First Republic Bank “was closed.” However, First Republic deposit customers can access their funds. According to the FDIC press release, “All depositors of First Republic Bank will become depositors of JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association, and will have full access to all of their deposits.” In addition, customer bank balances will continue to be ins...

Ex-Minneapolis officer Tou Thao convicted of aiding George Floyd’s killing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:51 GMT

A former Minneapolis police officer who held back bystanders while his colleagues restrained a dying George Floyd has been convicted of aiding and abetting manslaughter.Tou Thao, who already had been convicted in federal court of violating Floyd’s civil rights, was last of the four former officers facing judgment in state court in Floyd’s killing. He rejected a plea agreement and, instead of going to trial, let Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill decide the verdict based on written filings by each side and evidence presented in previous cases. His 177-page ruling, filed Monday night, was released Tuesday.“Thao’s actions were not authorized by law. … There is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Thao’s actions were objectively unreasonable from the perspective of a reasonable police officer, when viewed under the totality of the circumstances,” Cahill wrote.Prosecutors argued in their filings in January that Thao “acted without courage and displayed no compassion” despite his nearly n...