Chicago, Illinois Local News | ReportWire publishes the latest breaking U.S. and world news, trending topics and developing stories from around globe.
[ad_1]
OAK PARK, Ill. — Fire crews are searching for answers on Wednesday morning after a building fire erupted in Oak Park overnight. Emergency crews were first called to the scene in the 1200 block of North Taylor Avenue, around 9 p.m., following a report of a fire in the area. Crews arrived on the scene and […]
[ad_2]
Gabriel Castillo
Source link
[ad_1]
For Maurice Proffit, the arts were always an itch that he had to scratch. As a child, he wanted to be a cartoonist. As a teen, he wanted to enter the music industry, with aspirations of owning a record label and managing artists. Little did he know that his trajectory would be forever changed when his mother, Valerie Proffit, moved the family from Chicago to Schaumburg in 1981.
There wasn’t a big Black population in the northwest suburb at that time, so his mom would have to take Maurice and his older brother into Chicago to see any type of Black theater. With more Black residents coming to the suburbs by the mid-to-late ‘90s, Valerie Proffit was asking the question: How come there isn’t a Black arts presence in the Schaumburg area? By 1999, she founded Powerhouse Productions, a theater company that brought that missing piece of Black artistry to the Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg in the form of plays every February, in celebration of Black History Month.
As a youth, his mom brought him into the theatrical fold to help fill whatever gaps needed to be filled for the annual productions — whether that was as an emcee, helping with ticket sales or stage management. With no formal training in theater, he wore all the hats, including directing, producing and writing (he wrote original plays for the Black history event in Schaumburg for 12 years). When his mom passed the Powerhouse Productions baton to him (she died in 2019), he folded its legacy into his Chicago-based B-Side Studios, an entertainment and media company that specializes in film, TV, podcasting and theater. The last play he directed was 2023’s “And Then There Was Hip Hop” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of hip hop.
Decades of the Proffit presence in the northwest suburbs continued in 2025 with the creation of the nonprofit Dreamscape Theatre. Their first work, a production of “School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play,” is scheduled for Feb. 27 at the Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts.
“What sparked the birth of B-Side and Dreamscape is to give non-traditional artists an opportunity to be able to shine, an opportunity to be able to grow,” Proffit said. “The artists who didn’t necessarily go to art school, the people who knew they had it in them, but they didn’t have the traditional schooling for it. That’s what we’re all about — giving them opportunity.”
Dreamscape specializes in providing inclusive, accessible opportunities for non-traditional and emerging artists to express their creativity on stage because in doing so, Proffit says, “we can all grow together and go further together.”
From left, Dajzané Meadows-Sanderlin, Jewel Ifeguni, Sarah Sisay, Daryn McElroy, Keneisha Richards and Peyton Clark act out a scene while rehearsing for Dreamscape Theatre’s “School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play” in Elk Grove Village on Feb. 10, 2026. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
1 of 5
From left, Dajzané Meadows-Sanderlin, Jewel Ifeguni, Sarah Sisay, Daryn McElroy, Keneisha Richards and Peyton Clark act out a scene while rehearsing for Dreamscape Theatre’s “School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play” in Elk Grove Village on Feb. 10, 2026. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Aspiring directors, actors and those with an idea, a spark, a vision of what they want to see on stage now have a platform in which Proffit will work with them to bring it to fruition. That includes teaching young people how to code and offering a safe space for young artists. He calls it “a platinum opportunity that aims to boost artists to the next level.”
That growth doesn’t just encompass theatrical performances, but includes educational workshops that move past entertainment and lean toward empowerment — whether you are a comedian (606 MANIA is a stand-up comedy event), hosting a podcast on mental health, or hosting a show on nerd and geek culture that airs on CAN TV. “We’re always producing something.b… we’re always busy,” Proffit said.
With 26 years of work on the Schaumburg stage and the majority of the projects centering the Black experience, Proffit is excited to add to the foundation and legacy of the Proffit name when it comes to the arts — regardless of the current presidential administration.
“We’re looking down the barrel right now of a threat on an everyday basis, when it comes to what’s happening with us personally, artistically, psychologically, emotionally, but you have to continue to be persistent, resilient,” Proffit said. “That’s what I exude when it comes to these productions. There’s a lot of fire around this, but it’s not going to stop us. We know we are sitting on our own truth, and our truth can never be defeated.
We ensure that you are going to get Black representation in the northwest suburbs when it was originally lacking, but now it’s embedded out there, and we’re absolutely proud of being able to continue that tradition.”
“School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play” is 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Court, Schaumburg; tickets from $25 at dreamscapetheatre.com/schoolgirls and prairiecenter.org
[ad_2]
Darcel Rockett
Source link
[ad_1]
AURORA, Ill. (WLS) — Data centers are moving in. They power everything from streaming services to artificial intelligence, but critics say they are noisy and can jack up your electric bills.
Now, the I-Team and ABC News are finding that more than 3,000 data centers are already operating nationwide, with at least 1,000 more planned. Some are in the Chicago area.
Companies point to economic benefits, but residents are raising concerns about noise and power usage.
When David Szala moved into his Aurora home in 2015, he knew he was by a data center.
“You can hear it as soon as you walk out. Fans, just constant with the noise,” Szala said.
But in recent years, the CyrusOne data center campus has expanded significantly.
Szala and his neighbor, Bryan Castro, both say they hear cooling fans all day and night, and sometimes, generators create more noise.
“You feel it in your bones,” Szala said.
Castro says the buzzing bounces through his backyard, which looked a lot different when he moved there in 2007.
“You can feel the vibrations in the house,” Castro said. “This was 25 acres of nothing but forest.”
Neighbors say CyrusOne put up a sound recorder to monitor noise levels and erected walls, but both residents ABC7 spoke with said the walls do not help much.
“The noise doesn’t drop down and get stopped. The noise radiates from above,” Castro said.
CyrusOne told the I-Team the noise issue is unique to their Aurora location, and it apologizes “for the impact this situation has had on our neighbors in Aurora. We take responsibility and are well underway with a three-phase engineering project.” The company says additional rooftop sound walls and other noise reduction equipment are on schedule for completion and “we anticipate continued improvement in sound levels.” The city of Aurora also says these steps should help.
There is also a concern over the rising cost of electric bills.
“Our electric bills this past year are probably 50% higher than they’ve been years past,” Castro said.
CyrusOne says it understands that higher energy bills are a concern and it “pays for all electricity we consume at rates established through Illinois’ regulatory framework,” and that it takes steps with utilities to “protect households from cost volatility” and “moderate costs over time.”
Illinois watchdog group Citizens Utility Board says the cost of improving the infrastructure for data centers can get passed on to consumers.
“Some of them use a decent amount and some use massive amounts of electricity,” said Citizens Utility Board Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz. “The way that our power system is regulated, you have to build infrastructure, and then, it takes decades to pay it off.”
Moskowitz continued, “What if the data centers don’t show up, or what if they are there for only a short period of time? Or, what if they don’t use as much electricity as they said? Then, they’re not going to be able to pay that off. And the rest of the customers, those of us who’ve been here, are left holding the bag.”
ABC7 has also been covering public meetings over proposed data centers, and there are questions about water use and the environment.
The I-Team and ABC News studied a private company’s Data Center Map and found that there are at least 4,302 data center projects across the U.S., large and small. Of those, 3,038 are currently operational, with another 1,203 either under construction or planned for construction. Sixty-one have acquired land.
In Illinois, there are 164 operating data centers, with another 81 planned for construction. The largest state project planned is in Yorkville. It would be 2 Gigawatts, and according to ABC7 data team, would use the same energy that would power approximately 1.7 million homes. That’s more than every home in the city of Chicago.
Industry experts say the facilities are needed for modern digital infrastructure and can benefit the economy.
“So, for poor communities that specifically need a big increase in tax revenue, data centers are really good for that. They’re really not very good for jobs. They create a lot of construction jobs, and then a few additional maintenance jobs. But they create very few jobs relative to the resources that they use,” said Effective Altruism DC Director and artificial intelligence expert Andy Masley.
The Illinois Pollution Control Board says that there have been no noise enforcement proceedings for data centers in the entire state, in 2025, and there are no open cases right now.
“They have to build these things to support what’s going with computers, but they need to keep them away from neighborhoods,” Castro said.
Illinois state legislators recently introduced a bill that could require data centers to reveal how much water and energy they are using. The bill could also limit the amount of energy costs passed on to consumers.
You can watch more on “Data Land USA: AI on overdrive next door” on Tuesday morning on “Good Morning America” and throughout the day on ABC News.
Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
[ad_2]
Jason Knowles
Source link
[ad_1]
Swatting calls to police have increased dramatically in recent years, resulting in wasted taxpayer money and putting lives at risk, while the perpetrators remain difficult to apprehend due to technological advancements.
[ad_2]
Lourdes Duarte
Source link
[ad_1]
MESA, Ariz. — Seiya Suzuki, set to play center field for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic this spring, has a couple goals when facing his Cubs teammate Pete Crow-Armstrong and Team USA.
“I want to see Pete throw a helmet,” Suzuki said through Japanese interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “And if he hits the ball to center field, I want to make sure I catch it and dance on it.”
The banter that characterized Suzuki and Crow-Armstrong’s home-run race last year has officially taken the international stage. And though the Cubs’ offense cooled in the second half after that long-ball battle helped power the Cubs to an impressive start, Suzuki went on a second tear down the stretch and into the playoffs.
When asked about that strong finish — which included five home runs in the last four games of the season and another one to open the postseason — Suzuki was far more interested in discussing ways he could improve.
“I wasn’t satisfied with the season last year,” he said.
He zeroed in on his contact rate, which he wants to keep higher even when he’s hitting for slug. His batting average did drop to .245, as he launched 32 home runs, surpassing his previous career high by 11. And he said at times there was a disconnect between how his swing felt and what it looked like.
“I spent some time in the offseason trying to get better at those things,” Suzuki said. “Looking back, it’s probably one of the best offseasons I’ve had.”
This is the last year of the five-year, $85 million contract Suzuki signed with the Cubs in 2022, when he transitioned from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball to the United States and MLB. As of Monday, he said the Cubs had not initiated extension talks.
“Signing with the team, people expect something from me,” Suzuki said. “I felt like I haven’t really reached those [expectations] yet. So I think I just need to continue to work on myself and make sure I can repay the team and the fans, and just go out and have a good season.”
When Suzuki first signed, the Cubs talked about him as a player the team could grow with, and vice versa. That’s how the first four years of his Cubs tenure have played out.
Last year, for the first time, the Cubs got to see Suzuki in an MLB postseason setting. He was one of the Cubs’ best offensive performers, along with Michael Busch and Nico Hoerner.
“He’s such a talented hitter,” left fielder Ian Happ said of Suzuki. “His swing is beautiful, but his ability to just impact the baseball is really special. That’s in there, and it’s in there all the time. … He’s a huge force for us in the lineup.”
Now for the first time in his MLB career — after missing the 2023 WBC for an oblique injury — Suzuki is set to enter the regular season riding the momentum of a WBC run.
Team Japan, the reigning WBC champions, are expected to go far in the tournament. That’s not guaranteed to kick-start Suzuki’s season, but he proved in the playoffs last year that he has a knack for rising to the occasion in those kinds of atmospheres.
“It’s just fun being in that mode,” manager Craig Counsell said. “So, that’s why WBC is so attractive. October is like, just give me more — that’s what everybody feels when you go through it. So that’s why the guys love the WBC, because it gives them that if you can get to the right games.”
Though Suzuki’s usual position is right field, he confirmed that be sliding over to center for Team Japan. To prepare, he’s set to play center field for the Cubs on Friday and Sunday, as the team opens Cactus League play, before leaving next Monday to join his national team.
“No worries there,” Suzuki said. “I feel like I’ve been moving well. That’s something I worked on in the off season. And getting those reps in, I think that’s going to be beneficial for me in the season too.”
Then he added with a grin: “If Pete wants an off day or something, that’s my chance to play center field.”
With the collective-bargaining agreement expiring on Dec. 1, the timing isn’t ideal.
The World Baseball Classic this spring will be Crow-Armstrong’s first, but it won’t be the first time he dons Team USA’s stars and stripes. He has been in USA Baseball’s system since 12-and-unders.
[ad_2]
Maddie Lee
Source link
[ad_1]
The Aurora Police Department is investigating two separate shooting incidents from Monday evening, including one that left two minors injured.
[ad_2]
Ethan Illers
Source link
[ad_1]
Good afternoon, Chicago.
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton’s call for an immediate increase in the federal minimum wage drew criticism at a debate from her two main rivals for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate, who each called her plan politically unrealistic.
In the hourlong debate hosted by Fox WFLD Ch.-32 Chicago last night, U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly of Lynwood and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg said they supported a phased-in minimum wage increase, but chided Stratton for claiming her plan was “bold” when they thought it would never pass Congress.
Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History
Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson ordered public buildings across the city and state to fly flags at half-staff in honor of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died at 84 after rising from an upstart Chicago organizer to a national leader of the Civil Rights Movement. Read more here.
More top news stories:
U.S. Steel’s Gary Works facility, later this year, will receive its blast furnace reline through Nippon Steel’s investment into the American company. Read more here.
More top business stories:
A journey that began when he was 9 years old and took him all over the world — from his home in Oak Park to the Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Pyeongchang, South Korea, and Beijing, and to global competitions in Norway and Poland — ended today in the most bittersweet of ways for Emery Lehman: with a flag-draped lap around the ice and a silver medal, seconds short of a dream finish. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
Bartender and author Nick Kokonas has transformed a former neighborhood Polish dive bar into a historical cocktail bar in Chicago. Belmont Tavern is expected to open in Avondale sometime in February. Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
A building where Martin Luther King Jr. wrote speeches and mapped out strategies for the fight for civil rights has been restored and added to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park. Read more here.
More top stories from around the world:
[ad_2]
Chicago Tribune
Source link
[ad_1]
Actor Shia LaBeouf, who is in New Orleans for Mardi Gras celebrations, has been arrested by the New Orleans Police Department.
[ad_2]
Raeven Poole
Source link
[ad_1]
Having a tough time keeping up with all the new dining options? Welcome to the Opening Report, a curated roundup of recent restaurant and bar openings big and small across Chicago. Did we miss a spot? Drop a note at the tipline or email chicago@eater.com and we’ll consider it for the next update.
GOLD COAST — After three years and an extensive $4 million renovation, Rosebud Restaurant Group’s Carmine’s reopened on Monday, January 19, according to Block Club Chicago. Diners can expect the same hearty Italian-American dishes and stiff cocktails in the sleek new space, complete with an all-seasons patio. 1037 N. Rush Street.
LOGAN SQUARE — The team behind Daisies opened its second concept, the Radicle, a Midwestern-influenced bar and restaurant inside the old Daisies’ space, on Friday, January 2, according to a press release. Owner and executive chef Joe Frillman’s new late-night spot serves raw bar staples like oysters and shrimp, handcrafted pizzas, and $10 cocktails. 2523 N. Milwaukee Avenue.
WEST LOOP — Spearhead Hospitality, operator of the Robey Hotel and Canal Street Eatery, debuted its newest cocktail spot, Caché 310, inside the BMO Tower on Saturday, February 14, according to a press release. The Parisian-style speakeasy is anchored by a glossy red bar, serving French-influenced cocktails and a fancy snack menu, featuring bites like tinned seafood and shellfish, and potato chips with caviar. 310 S. Canal Street.
LINCOLN PARK — Breakfast House opened its ninth Chicago location on Tuesday, February 10, according to a post on the restaurant’s Instagram page. The BYOB restaurant offers a robust menu of morningtime favorites like waffles, steak and eggs, huevos rancheros, and breakfast burritos, alongside brunch items like sandwiches, salads, wraps, and soup. 501 W. Diversey Parkway.
PLAINFIELD — Fried chicken restaurant Zaxby’s made its Illinois debut on Monday, January 19, with the opening of a suburban location in Plainfield, according to a press release. The Atlanta-based fast-food chain had been eyeing an entry into the Chicagoland market, making this the first step of a more comprehensive Midwest expansion. 13429 Illinois Route 59.
[ad_2]
Lauren Brocato
Source link
[ad_1]
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 4:35PM
WESTMONT, Ill. (WLS) — Train service on the Metra BNSF Line has been disrupted Tuesday morning after a train hit a pedestrian near Westmont, Metra said.
Metra said train #1207 struck a pedestrian and all inbound and outbound trains were halted. Shortly before 10 a.m., all inbound and outbound trains resumed running with extensive delays.
Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
[ad_2]
WLS
Source link
[ad_1]
A 14-year-old boy was shot in his foot Monday evening in the Loop, according to Chicago police.
The child was standing outside in the first block of East Washington Street around 8:30 p.m. when someone pulled out a gun and opened fire, police said in a statement.
Authorities responded to a call of shots fired and brought the wounded child to Lurie Children’s Hospital, police said. The teen was listed in fair condition. Police did not share further details.
[ad_2]
Sun-Times Wire
Source link
[ad_1]
Today is Tuesday, Feb. 17, the 48th day of 2026. There are 317 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Feb. 17, 2014, Jimmy Fallon made his debut as host of NBC’s “Tonight Show,” taking over from Jay Leno.
Also on this date:
In 1801, the U.S. House of Representatives broke an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, electing Jefferson president; Burr became vice president.
In 1863, five appointees of the Public Welfare Society of Geneva announced the formation of an “International Committee for the Relief of Wounded Combatants,” which would later be renamed the International Committee of the Red Cross.
In 1864, during the Civil War, the Union ship USS Housatonic was rammed and sank in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, by the Confederate hand-cranked submarine HL Hunley, in the first naval attack of its kind; the Hunley also sank.
In 1897, the National Congress of Mothers, the forerunner of the National Parent Teacher Association, convened its first meeting in Washington with over 2,000 attendees.
In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Wesberry v. Sanders, ruled that congressional districts within each state must be roughly equal in population.
In 1992, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of 15 counts of first-degree murder.
In 1995, Colin Ferguson was convicted of six counts of murder in the December 1993 Long Island Rail Road shootings; he was later sentenced to 315 years in prison.
In 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia.
In 2013, Danica Patrick won the Daytona 500 pole, becoming the first woman to secure the top spot for any Sprint Cup race.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Brenda Fricker is 81. Actor Rene Russo is 72. Actor Richard Karn is 70. Olympic swimming gold medalist and television commentator Rowdy Gaines is 67. Actor Lou Diamond Phillips is 64. Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan is 63. Film director Michael Bay is 61. Hockey Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille is 60. Olympic skiing gold medalist Tommy Moe is 56. Actor Denise Richards is 55. Musician Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day) is 54. Actor Jerry O’Connell is 52. Actor Jason Ritter is 46. Media personality Paris Hilton is 45. Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt is 45. Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is 35. Actor Jeremy Allen White is 35. Tennis player Madison Keys is 31. Actor Sasha Pieterse is 30.
[ad_2]
Associated Press
Source link
[ad_1]
Reverend Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader who marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr., has died at the age of 84, surrounded by his family.
[ad_2]
Associated Press
Source link
[ad_1]
CHICAGO (WLS) — We all know ABC7’s Leah Hope as smart, strong, and as tough as they come. She is veteran reporter who has covered stories in tough places.
But on Monday night, our friend and colleague sat down for the most personal of interviews.
“All I could think of was, ‘Is this it? Is this it?’ And then, I thought about my daughter. I thought about my family,” Leah said.
For three decades, Leah has been a face of ABC7, covering other people’s stories.
“It is so surreal to be on this side. It is so surreal that it even happened,” Leah said.
On Jan. 2, a little before 1 p.m., Leah was covering the impending closure of the State and Lake elevated train station. Her personal vehicle was parked on State Street, and as she got in to drive to another part of the story, it happened.
“Got in the car, put my seatbelt on, went to put it in drive, and he was there,” Leah said.
He, police say, was 43-year-old Noah Johnson.
“At first, he was trying to pull me out, but I had this big parka on, and so he’s pulling me and hitting me,” Leah said. “And I was just at a great disadvantage, and so I was honking the horn and screaming, and I just was fighting. I was fighting for my life.”
Leah continued, “But the worst part was as I was screaming, he grabbed my lower jaw, and then he was pulling me out of the car by my lower jaw, and that ripped my tongue from the bottom of my mouth, tore the ligaments from my jaw.”
It was at that moment that others rushed to help.
“Four guys pulled him off of me. He kept charging at me. They kept pulling him off of me, and they shut my door,” Leah said. “These four guys who I didn’t know, my angels, my angels.”
Leah continued, “One of them had him pinned on the street. There was a woman at the bus stop… She said, ‘I saw what just happened. Do you want me to just sit with you?’”
Leah’s attacker managed to break free from the men and calmly walked away, even passing ABC7’s State Street studio at State and Lake.
Days later, Johnson was arrested and charged after Leah identified him in a photo array.
“I hope that he gets the support that he needs,” Leah said.
Leah was off the air for five weeks as she healed from her injuries. She hopes her story inspires action.
“We need to do more. We need to do better for people who have fallen through the cracks, people who are unhoused, people who are unwell,” Leah said. “The consequences of people not getting the support they need, it affects us all.”
INTERACTIVE SAFETY TRACKER Track crime and safety in your neighborhood
Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
[ad_2]
Eric Horng
Source link
[ad_1]
A teenage boy was injured in a shooting in the Loop on Monday night, according to Chicago police.
[ad_2]
Ashlyn Wright
Source link
[ad_1]
The temperature hits a record high in February, and where’s your first stop?
The obvious answer: The car wash.
People all over Chicago used Monday’s warm weather to turn their cars from salty reminders of winter to shiny and spring-ready vehicles. Then, many took a nice drive with the windows rolled down.
“It’s a vacation day,” Denise Cameron said of the unseasonably warm Presidents Day as she waited for her car at Bert’s Car Wash in West Town. “Everything’s nice — when your car is cleaned and your house is cleaned, everything is good.”
Another customer — dashing to her freshly detailed car — said she hadn’t gotten it washed since the first snow in the fall.
The start of this week is giving the city a short reprieve from a snowy and cold winter that saw a 20-day stretch of subfreezing temperatures — the longest in almost two decades — and several snowstorms.
Spring-like warmth will carry occasional opportunities for showers and even a thunderstorm through the middle of the week. Reality will return toward the end of the week as a cold front delivers more seasonable temperatures (especially by the weekend). #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/3mqylyavvB
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) February 16, 2026
After a couple sunny and mild days over the weekend, Monday hit a high of 65, making it the warmest Feb. 16 in the city’s recorded history, according to National Weather Service data. The previous record had stood since 1921 at 58 degrees
With so many people having the same idea, drivers had to wait in long lines to get their cars cleaned. As many as 19 cars were in line at Bert’s — including two Chicago police vehicles — stretching down the block and around the corner.
Bert’s co-owner Jorge Aguilar said the wait on busy days can last more than an hour.
“We’ve been busy the last three weeks, nonstop,” Aguilar said. “This year, the wintertime was a little different, right? We haven’t seen this winter for many, many years. They got the snow, they got the cold, and then they got warm weather. For us, it was the perfect winter.”
Aguilar said about 300 cars have been going through Bert’s every day, with 14 or 15 workers on the clock to meet demand.
Other car washes had lines at least a dozen deep.
The warm weather and the school holiday brought many outdoors in shorts and short sleeves, grilling and having fun at the lakefront.
“It’s been widespread in the area with temperatures more like mid-April than mid-February,” said Brett Borchardt, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
The high of 65 degrees at O’Hare Airport set a record. Borchardt said Peru, Ill., about 100 miles southwest of the city, hit 70 degrees.
Chicagoans muttered and moaned through cold, wind and snow since October after a series of mild winters the past few years.
The city exceeded the entire 2024-25 snowfall total by the end of December and has seen 32.1 inches to this point.
And the 20 days from Jan. 17 to Feb. 6, when temperatures didn’t rise above freezing, made for the longest such stretch in Chicago since 2007.
In Humboldt Park on the West Side, Karl Wenzel and Charles Hekma shed their shirts for some tennis, something they haven’t been able to do since the fall.
“It’s windy, which is difficult to play a little bit, but it’s great,” Hekma said. “Got to take advantage, go outside.”
Wenzel said it was nice to see people getting active.
“Feels more like a spring day rather than a winter day for sure,” he said. “We’re able to play shirtless in February. That is unusual. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to say that before. I keep forgetting it’s February, actually.”
Across the street, Gary Times was playing fetch with his two small dogs, Vito and Cupcake.
“Sweet relief. Finally,” Times said. “I’m tired of the winter.
“They’ve been cooped up in the house for a little bit,” he said of his dogs. “I don’t really like bringing them out when it’s really cold. So they’ve kind of been whimpering a bit lately since they can’t go outside. But they’ve been having a good time.”
Nearby, Reynaldo Rodriguez, a local artist, was updating a mural he had painted on a tree trunk in 2021. He took inspiration from Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show.
“Too much time inside,” Rodriguez said of the winter.
Nathan Adams, 7, was climbing a tree stump as his dad Eric looked on. They had biked to the park and planned to go have lunch after.
“Trying to get him off the screens,” the father said of Nathan. “Just trying to enjoy the park. This park is a great park. And I want him to kind of grow up in this park so he knows the ins and outs. As he gets older, he can go, ‘Let’s go to this spot.’”
Nathan, of course, wasn’t buying it: “Can we play video games, dad? The Zelda video game?” he asked.
“I think not, my friend,” his dad replied.
After dipping to 47 degrees Tuesday, the high will be 62 Wednesday, the NWS says. If the weather stays on the warmer side, however, there’s a scenario where Monday through Thursday could all hit the 60s. That would be the warmest few February days since 2017, when temps hit the high 60s and 70s for four days.
Does this warm stretch indicate the cold and snow are behind us?
“No, we just got locked into a warmer pattern here for a little bit,” National Weather Service meteorologist Zachary Yack said. “Things may change back the other way, who knows? But it doesn’t really give us any indication one way or the other.”
In fact, real Chicagoans shouldn’t be surprised to learn what could be in store for us by Friday, according to the NWS: Even more snow.
Contributing: Mary Norkol
[ad_2]
Nader Issa
Source link
[ad_1]
World Curling reversed its decision to increase monitoring of Olympic curling matches after athletes expressed dissatisfaction with the increased surveillance, and the governing body concluded that double-touching was a minor infraction.
[ad_2]
Associated Press
Source link
[ad_1]
Meet all the medalists from the United States at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. And catch up on all the latest Olympic news here.
GOLD and BRONZE: Elana Taylor Meyers and Kaillie Humphries Armbruster, bobsleigh, women’s monobob
Elana Meyers Taylor won her first Olympic gold in women’s monobob, and she made history as the oldest American woman to do it at the Winter Games. She rallied in the final heat on Feb. 16 and dropped to her knees in tears. Kaillie Humphries Armbruster took bronze for the United States. Meyers Taylor already owned five Olympic medals, but she had never won gold. Her sixth medal ties Bonnie Blair for the most by a U.S. woman at the Winter Games.
GOLD: Jordan Stolz, speedskating, men’s 500 meters
Jordan Stolz won his second speedskating gold medal of the Milan Cortina Olympics by finishing first in the 500 meters in an Olympic-record time on Feb. 14. The 21-year-old from Wisconsin was coming off a victory in the 1,000, the first of his four individual events in Milan. The men’s record for most speedskating titles at one Olympics is the five by Eric Heiden in 1980 in Lake Placid, N.Y. Stolz beat 500 world champion Jenning de Boo of the Netherlands, who took the silver.
SILVER AND BRONZE: Jaelin Kauf and Elizabeth Lemley, freestyle skiing, women’s dual moguls
Skiing through a heavy snowstorm, American Jaelin Kauf captured her third Olympic silver medal and second of these Games, and teammate Elizabeth Lemley added bronze to go with the gold she won earlier in the week. They each won their second medals in four days despite falling in their semifinal rounds. Australia’s Jakara Anthony took the gold.
SILVER: Chloe Kim, snowboarding, women’s halfpipe
Chloe Kim fell short in her bid to become the first Olympic snowboarder to win three consecutive gold medals, finishing second to Choi Gaon of South Korea in the women’s halfpipe on Feb. 12. Choi, 17, bounced back from an ugly crash to jump into the lead with a score of 90.25 on her final run. Kim had one more shot to get back on top, but the 25-year-old American wiped out on her last of three runs to settle for silver.
BRONZE: Jessie Diggins, cross-country skiing, women’s 10-km freestyle
Jessie Diggins battled through bruised ribs suffered in the opening race to claim bronze on Feb. 12 in the women’s 10‑kilometer interval start, a race dominated by Sweden’s Frida Karlsson as she won her second gold medal. The 34-year-old Diggins, racing in her final season, collapsed to the ground, shouting in pain after finishing the freestyle race and adding to her gold, silver and bronze career medal tally.
SILVER: Madison Chock and Evan Bates, figure skating, mixed ice dance
In a controversial judging decision, France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron answered a season-best free dance by the dominant American duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates with a season best of their own on Feb. 11, giving them 225.82 points and the top step of the podium. Chock and Bates finished with 224.39 and a bittersweet silver medal after having lost just four times in the four years since they finished fourth at the Beijing Games. Cizeron made several mistakes while Chock and Bates were nearly perfect. Yet the French judge favored the French skaters by nearly eight points in the free dance, while five of the nine judges favored the American team.
GOLD: Jordan Stolz, speedskating, men’s 1,000 meters
Wisconsin native Jordan Stolz, 21, will hope to add to his collection of trophies as he entered three more events in Milan. In winning the 1,000 meters in 1 minute, 6.28 seconds on Feb. 11, Stolz didn’t threaten his world record of 1:05.37 but did better the Olympic standard of 1:07.18 that had stood since 2002 — before Stolz was born.
GOLD AND SILVER: Elizabeth Lemley and Jaelin Kauf, freestyle skiing, women’s moguls
Elizabeth Lemley, 20 — nicknamed “Lizard” by her teammates — landed an unbeatable run to lead a 1-2 finish for the red, white and blue in the women’s moguls on Feb. 11. Lemley topped the eight-skier final with a score of 82.30 points, right in front of countrywoman Jaelin Kauf, who successfully defended her silver medal from Beijing with a score of 80.77. Perrine Laffont of France, the 2018 champion, took bronze.
SILVER: Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Alpine skiing, men’s super-G
Ryan Cochran-Siegle’s latest silver medal was inspired by his mother and powered by maple syrup. The 33-year-old Vermont captured his second straight Olympic super-G silver on Feb. 11 when he finished 0.13 seconds behind winner Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland. Before the race, a little fuel of maple syrup — which, like ski racing, has become the family business (Cochran’s Slopeside Syrup). In the stands to cheer him on was his mother, Barbara Cochran, who won Olympic gold in the slalom at the 1972 Sapporo Games.
SILVER: Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin, curling, mixed doubles
Swedish siblings Isabella and Rasmus Wranå took the gold medal with a 6-5 win on Feb. 10, but the American pair of Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin made history as the first U.S. team to medal in Olympic mixed doubles, and Thiesse is the first American woman to medal in Olympic curling.
SILVER: Ben Ogden, cross-country skiing, men’s sprint classic
Ben Ogden finished 0.8 seconds behind the defending gold medalist, Norwegian cross-country ski star Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, in the men’s sprint on Feb. 10.
SILVER: Alex Hall, freestyle skiing, men’s freeski slopestyle
Alex Hall’s silver medal in men’s freeski slopestyle on Feb. 10 goes with the gold he won four years ago in Beijing, even though he said everything he tried this time was more difficult. Visibility on the mountain created challenging conditions for all the skiers.
BRONZE: Jacqueline Wiles and Paula Moltzan, Alpine skiing, women’s team combined
The U.S. pair of Jaqueline Wiles (downhill) and Paula Moltzan (slalom) took bronze in the women’s team combined on Feb. 10, beating out the other American team of Mikaela Shiffrin and Breezy Johnson by 0.06 for the podium.
BRONZE: Ashley Farquharson, luge, women’s singles
Ashley Farquharson, who started sliding as an after-school activity when she was a little kid in Park City, Utah, won the bronze medal in women’s singles on Feb. 10, representing a seventh Olympic medal for USA Luge.
GOLD: Team figure skating
Ilia Malinin beat Japanese rival Shun Sato in a head-to-head showdown at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Feb. 8, helping the U.S. defend its team figure skating gold medal by breaking a deadlock with Japan in the final session of the competition.
GOLD: Breezy Johnson, Alpine skiing, women’s downhill
Ski racer Breezy Johnson won the Olympic downhill on Feb. 8 with a hard-charging run on a day marred by teammate Lindsey Vonn’s crash that saw her being taken off the mountain in a helicopter. The 30-year-old Johnson joins Vonn, 41, as the only American women to win the Olympic downhill.
Associated Press contributed.
[ad_2]
Chicago Tribune
Source link
[ad_1]
A West Side property owner is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever broke into at least 10 vehicles in Garfield Park over the weekend.
[ad_2]
Michael Johnson
Source link
[ad_1]
WINDER, Ga. — Opening statements are expected Monday in the trial of a man whose teenage son is accused of killing two students and two teachers at a Georgia high school in September 2024.
The case is one of several around the country where prosecutors are trying to hold parents responsible after their children are accused in fatal shootings. Colin Gray faces 29 counts, including two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter and numerous counts of second-degree cruelty to children related to the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder.
The indictment says Gray gave his son, Colt, access to a gun and ammunition “after receiving sufficient warning that Colt Gray would harm and endanger the bodily safety of another.” Prosecutors argue that amounts to cruelty to children, and second-degree murder is defined in Georgia law as causing the death of a child by committing the crime of cruelty to children.
Prosecutors say Colin Gray gave his son, Colt, access to a gun and ammunition despite warning signs.
The trial is being held in Winder, in Barrow County, where the shooting happened. The defense asked for a change of venue because of pretrial publicity, and prosecutors agreed. The judge kept the trial in Winder but decided to bring in jurors from nearby Hall County to hear the case. Jurors were selected last week.
Investigators have said Colt Gray, who was 14 at the time, carefully planned the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at the school northeast of Atlanta that is attended by 1,900 students.
With a semiautomatic rifle in his book bag, the barrel sticking out and wrapped in poster board, he boarded the school bus, investigators said. He left his second-period class and emerged from a bathroom with the gun and then shot people in a classroom and hallways, they said.
An investigator testified at a pretrial hearing that Colin Gray had given his son the gun as a gift the Christmas before the shooting and bought a larger magazine so the weapon could hold more rounds.
Colin Gray knew his son was obsessed with school shooters, even having a shrine in his bedroom to Nikolas Cruz, the shooter in the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, prosecutors have said. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent testified that the teen’s parents had discussed their son’s fascination with school shooters but decided that it was in a joking context and not a serious issue.
Colin Gray was also aware his son’s mental health had deteriorated and had sought help from a counseling service weeks before the shooting, an investigator testified.
“We have had a very difficult past couple of years and he needs help. Anger, anxiety, quick to be volatile. I don’t know what to do,” Colin Gray wrote about his son.
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
[ad_2]
AP
Source link
