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Musician honors late cousin by playing for children battling cancer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

A Northwest Indiana man has found a way to turn his family's personal tragedy into an opportunity to spread joy to others through music.Eli Hernandez is known for being many things; a musician, songwriter and singer. But few know the why behind what drives him. He has volunteered years of countless hours playing music for kids chasing nothing more than a smile. Hernandez plays for children who are in hospitals, for those battling cancer, at rehab centers and at Camp Quality Illinois."For that moment, whatever is going on in their world, they forget about it and all they're remembering or thinking of I, ‘ I get to be a musician right now,’" he said.Rick Peltier is Executive Director at Franciscan Health Foundation."Children who come here who may sometimes feel like there's no hope, they've been struggling with an illness or something their entire lives," he said. "When you see him bringing joy into the kids' lives just by playing and singing, it kind of puts ...

Backdoor cold front sweeps into Chicago, sends temps plunging

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

A BACK-DOOR COLD FRONT hit right on schedule Thursday—sweeping into the city just after 11am.  Strong, post-frontal NNE winds swept falling temps into the area riding gusts of 25 mph.  Temps at the time the front arrived had hit 88 at Elwood in Will county, 86 at Oswego and Plainfield, 83 at Midway and 80 at O'Hare.  But the warmth wasn't long for the area.As those readings were being recorded, air temps up and down the southern Lake Michigan shoreline—from southeast Wisconsin south to northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana--- crashed into the mid 50s.  There was a 33-deg temp spread across the cold front as it reached the Chicago area with lakeside temps by early afternoon down to 55 at Waukegan Harbor, Wilmette, the offshore Harrison-Dever Crib and the Kenosha harbor light, with a 56 deg temp at Lake Forest—and readings of 56 at Burns Harbor, IN and 57 at Michigan City, IN.Canadian wildfire smoke continues aloft across the Chicago area.  More than 400 fires are burning in Canada...

As Cody Bellinger returns, Cubs send a starting infielder to Triple-A

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

CHICAGO — As the Cubs welcome back one of their outfielders after a month out of the lineup, they're also sending one of their starting infielders down to Triple-A.As outfielder Cody Bellinger returns from the IL, the Cubs have decided to send first baseman Matt Mervis down to Triple-A Iowa..Bellinger returns for the first time since May 15..Mervis has been with the Cubs at the MLB level since May 5..@WGNNews pic.twitter.com/Kuje7YGVje— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) June 15, 2023Cody Bellinger is back for the Cubs after he was activated off the injured list ahead of the team's series finale against the Pirates at Wrigley Field on Thursday night.In the corresponding move, rookie infielder Matt Mervis, who struggled at the plate since his major league debut in May, is headed back down to Iowa to get some work in Triple-A. With that move, Bellinger is going to return to the lineup at first base and will bat sixth against Pittsburgh on Thursday. The outfielder injured his knee maki...

Study shows rise in homicides, suicides in teens, young adults — and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

For Thursday, June 15, WGN’s Dina Bair has the latest on new information, including the following: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch Homicide, suicide rates among teens, young adultsA new study from the Centers for Disease Control has found an alarming rise in homicide and suicide rates among older teens and young adults.Health experts say it reflects a mental health crisis among young people.The study revealed the homicide rate for older teens rose to its highest point in nearly 25 years during the Covid-19 pandemic.The suicide rate for adults in their early 20s was the worst in more than 50 years.Experts cited several possible reasons for the increases, including higher rates of depression, limited availability of mental health services and the number of guns in U.S. homes.Suicide and homicide are the number two and three causes of death for 10- to 24-year-olds.Cancer ratesCancer rates among people under 50 are climbing.It's been dubbed the quote "early-onset cancer epidemic."I...

Ascension Seton nurses in Austin to have one-day strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Registered nurses with Ascension Seton Medical Center in Austin are set to hold a one-day strike June 27 for “strong contracts to combat health care giant’s unsafe staffing practices,” according to the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). What could Texas’ largest nurse strike mean for Austin patients? A release said 2,000 Ascension nurses would strike to protest the health care giant’s refusal to address its endemic staffing crisis. Of the 2000 nurses, 900 are part of Ascension Seton Medical Center in Austin. The remaining nurses are a part of two Ascension locations in Kansas.“During contract negotiations, management has dismissed nurses’ solutions for safe staffing protections and nurse recruitment and retention, both critical factors for ensuring patient safety,” NNOC/NNU said.In early June, nurses voted to authorize the one-day strike as the two sides continued labor negotiations.At the time, Ascension Seton said in a stateme...

CTRMA gives MoPac South expansion project update

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority gave a short update on its MoPac South expansion project Thursday before Travis County commissioners. The proposed project could add as many as two express lanes in both directions on MoPac between Cesar Chavez and Slaughter Lane, which is roughly eight miles. There are several options for how the group gets there. Latest on the Barton Skyway ramp project aimed at improving MoPac traffic. What to expect next MoPac South project map (courtesy Travis County)Right now, CTRMA is working on an environmental study prior to bringing the project back to commissioners, documents said. Documents also noted previous public comments made it clear Austinites prioritized making sure the expansion didn't create additional "elevations" over Lady Bird Lake and making sure south Austin was more connected to downtown, among other considerations. Up next, CTRMA will schedule follow-up meetings with commissioners, complete its 2045 traffi...

Virtual summit tackles future of home energy storage, tracking

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Market research company Parks Associates held their first of three virtual 'Smart Energy Summit' sessions at midday Thursday. Parks Associates specializes in emerging consumer technology products and services. Thursday's session titled 'Solar Power: Transformation of Home Energy' focused on the changes and challenges within the solar power market, including battery storage technology, devices & equipment as well as the electrical system as a whole. As energy costs rise and outages become more common, consumers seek ways to track their energy consumption, reduce what they use, or generate their own. As their data shows more homes transitioning into more sustainable energy sources, their session highlighted the potential growth for future consumer demand for at-home energy tracking technology to further manage energy consumption.Parks Associates’ latest report “Solar and Storage: Opportunities in the Smart Home,” found that consumers are "concerned about high ...

St. Paul man’s 296th blood donation puts him above 37 gallons of giving over his lifetime

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

As a frequent blood donor, 70-year-old Mike Engelhardt of St. Paul never really tallied how much red stuff he’s poured out for a good cause.Mike Engelhardt holds another pint of blood donated during an American Red Cross blood drive at the Union Depot in downtown St. Paul on Thursday, June 15, 2023.  (John Autey / Pioneer Press)The American Red Cross, on the other hand, has kept track for him. Engelhardt, who lives in the Lowertown neighborhood, made his 296th blood donation on Thursday morning in the downtown Union Depot transit hub on Kellogg Boulevard.That adds up to more than 37 gallons of his blood across a lifetime of giving.“When I learned I was type O-negative, and they told me what that meant, I just felt like it was a responsibility,” said Engelhardt, a “universal” donor whose blood can be shared with most anyone. “It’s easy to do, it takes so little time and it can make a difference.”When did he start giving?“I canR...

Jesse Wegman: The impossible task of defending Donald Trump

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

From the moment Donald Trump was indicted last week, top Republican lawmakers and media figures have found themselves in the humiliating position of trying to defend the indefensible. Many of them are lawyers; having seen the overwhelming strength of the evidence in the indictment, they could simply have accepted that Trump is in big trouble.Instead, they have burst forth with an embarrassing slurry of misdirection, illogic and non sequiturs explaining why Trump should not be treated like everyone else in the eyes of the law. They offer legal arguments with no basis in the law or explanations that are nonsensical on their face.On Monday, for example, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was asked whether he was concerned that Trump kept highly classified national security documents in a Mar-a-Lago bathroom. His reply: “A bathroom door locks.”Alas, McCarthy is far from alone in debasing himself for the benefit of the former president. So on the occasion of Trump’s second not-guilty plea in t...

How much prison time could Trump face?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI investigators who searched Harold Martin's Maryland property in the fall of 2016 found classified documents—including material at the top secret level—strewn about his home, car and storage shed. The resolution of that case looms as an ominous guidepost for the legal jeopardy former President Donald Trump could face as he confronts 37 felony counts—31 under the same century-old Espionage Act statute used to prosecute Martin and other defendants alleged to have illegally retained classified documents. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Unlike Trump, the former National Security Agency contractor didn't contest the allegations. Martin ultimately pleaded guilty in 2019 and admitted his actions were “wrong, illegal and highly questionable.” But his expressions of contrition and guilty plea to a single count of willful retention of national defense information didn't spare him the harsh punishment of nine ...