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Water managers warn that stretches of the Rio Grande will dry up without more rain

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:10 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The ongoing lack of rain and hot conditions have left one of North America’s longest rivers in dire shape again, prompting water managers on Thursday to warn farmers in central New Mexico who depend on the Rio Grande that supplies will be drying up in the coming weeks.That means stretches of the river through the Albuquerque area are expected to go dry — much like last year. Water managers and fish biologists at the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District and the Bureau of Reclamation say they’re working to mitigate the effects on the endangered silvery minnow — a shimmery, pinky-sized native fish.Water users in the Middle Rio Grande have been given notice to anticipate changes in availability and delivery schedules soon.Due to a higher-than-normal irrigation demand and lower than expected natural river flow, the conservancy district began releasing water on July 17 from the San Juan-Chama Project, which brings water from the Colorado River Basin ...

Authorities investigating threats to grand jurors who indicted Trump in Georgia

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:10 GMT

Authorities in Georgia said Thursday they’re investigating threats targeting members of the grand jury that indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies.Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat’s office said investigators are working to trace the origin of the threats after the names of grand jury members and other personal information were posted online. The sheriff’s office said other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies were assisting. “We take this matter very seriously and are coordinating with our law enforcement partners to respond quickly to any credible threat and to ensure the safety of those individuals who carried out their civic duty,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.A Fulton County grand jury returned a 41-count indictment Monday charging Trump and 18 others with illegally conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia.Though the grand jury proceedings were secret, the unredacted names of the grand jury memb...

Wilmette Public Library evacuated following bomb threat, police say

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:10 GMT

WILMETTE, Ill. — The Wilmette Public Library has been evacuated following an apparant bomb threat that prompted the response of the area police department, village officials said. Wilmette Police was made aware of the bomb threat around 2:30 p.m. Thursday, according to a post by the Village of Wilmette. The building has since been safely cleared and the library will remain closed for the day. The Cook County explosives team is assisting the Wilmette Police in the search of the facility.Due to the ongoing investigation, Park Avenue from Wilmette Avenue to Central Avenue is closed. Locals are asked to avoid the area. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesThis is a developing story. Check back with WGN News for updates.

Man pleads guilty to hate crime at now-closed UpRising Bakery and Café: report

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:10 GMT

MCHENRY COUNTY, Ill. — An Alsip man has pleaded guilty to committing a hate crime at a Lake in the Hills bakery that was set to host a family-friendly drag brunch last summer.The Daily Herald reports Joseph Collins, 25, used a baseball bat to break the windows at UpRising Bakery and Café and spray painted anti-gay slurs on the building. The incident occurred the day before the bakery was scheduled to host the drag show.  Over 1,000 former Northwestern athletes defend athletics culture at school in letter Collins was sentenced to six months in jail, two years of probation, and 200 hours of public service. He was also ordered to pay $6,000 in fines, fees, and restitution. According to the newspaper, the bakery's former owner, Corinna Bendel-Sac, said Collins' actions were "heinous" and caused "irreversible damages to my business" during Wednesday's sentencing.Collins was charged with felony criminal damage to property and felony hate crimes. Bendel-Sac said sales dropped and the bus...

Man charged after allegedly writing checks from Naperville Boy Scout troop to himself

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:10 GMT

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — A man is facing a felony theft charge after Naperville police said he wrote checks from a Boy Scout Troop to himself.John Miller, 59, of Aurora, was arrested Tuesday and charged with one felony count of theft, a Class 2 Felony, according to a news release from the Naperville Police Department. 9-year-old bicyclist seriously injured after being struck by truck in Aurora From May 2021 through November 2022, Naperville police said Miller allegedly deposited $21,838 of funds from the troop into his personal bank account.Police said Miller was the troop's treasurer.Naperville police were notified of thousands of dollars missing from the troop's account in February.

Former Illinois family services employee, 14 others charged in $3.2M fraud scheme

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:10 GMT

CHICAGO — A former Illinois Department of Children and Family Services social worker and 14 others have been indicted on federal charges for allegedly participating in a scheme to fraudulently obtain $3.2 million in state funds intended for childcare services.Shauntele Pridgeon, 54, of Chicago, allegedly orchestrated the fraud scheme from 2016 to 2022 while serving as a Community Social Service Planner for the Department of Children Family Services (DCFS) in Chicago.According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Pridgeon fraudulently entered the information of several of her co-defendants into the DCFS computer system and approved them to be paid as providers caring for foster children, the indictment states. Man charged after allegedly writing checks from Naperville Boy Scout troop to himself Pridgeon directed at least $3.2 million in State of Illinois funds to the co-defendants and others, each of whom agreed to receive the money even though they knew that no foster children were actu...

Marijuana and hallucinogen use, binge drinking hit historic highs

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:10 GMT

(The Hill) – Marijuana and hallucinogen use and binge drinking reached historic highs among adults ages 35-50, according to a new study released Thursday.In the 2022 annual analysis of substance use behavior and attitudes, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, adults, divided into two age groups, reached historically high levels of drug use.Marijuana usage reached an all-time high for adults ages 35-50, with 28 percent reporting past-year use in 2022, an increase from 25 percent in 2021 and from 17 percent in 2017. In 2022, past-year use was more than double what it was 10 years prior, at 13 percent.Nearly half of adults ages 19 to 30 reported past-year usage of marijuana, at 44 percent — also the highest level ever reported, up from 35 percent in 2017 and 28 percent in 2012. That same age group reported record-high daily marijuana usage, 11 percent in 2022, up from 8 percent in 2017 and 6 percent in 2012.Hallucinogen use among adults ages 35-50 reached historically high l...

Travis Early College High School classes canceled after body found on campus

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:10 GMT

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Crisis counselors are available 24/7.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Classes were canceled Thursday and Friday for Travis Early College High School after a body was found on campus, officials said.Austin-Travis County EMS said a call came in at 7:41 a.m., and medics pronounced one person dead on scene."It is with great sadness that I share with you that early this morning, one of our 11th-grade students was found deceased on our campus. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her, and our hearts go out to her family and friends during this extremely difficult time," Travis ECHS Principal Elizabeth Salinas wrote in a letter to the community.The school will be open as a counseling center from 9 a.m. to noon Friday for students and staff, the letter states.The manner of death remained under investigation, according to police.Travis Early College High School clas...

What's a sun kink? How extreme heat hits Austin railroads

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:10 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As Austin continues its longest consecutive stretch of triple-digit days in recorded history, it's not just residents who are feeling the heat -- the city's local railroads are, too.When temperatures around the globe peak, rail operations have to adjust services to battle the heat's impacts, CapMetro said in a blog post Thursday. For Austin's transit authority, that means trains must slow down on tracks once the railroads reach 135 degrees or warmer. CAPMETRO NEWS: https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/map-east-5th-improvements-planned-for-capmetro-rail-trail-access/ Along CapMetro's 32-mile Red Line running from downtown Austin to Leander, slower speeds have led to schedule modifications, per the transit agency. The same practice was implemented for the Red Line last summer.“There’s just no way around it,”  said Andy Skabowski, CapMetro's executive vice president and chief operating officer, in the blog. “You have to slow down the trains when it’s hot like this ...

Texas to invest $142B in transportation infrastructure upgrades

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:18:10 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday a $142 billion investment into the state's transportation infrastructure, including $100 billion earmarked for the Texas Department of Transportation's 10-year state roadways plan.This latest investment represented a $25 billion increase over the previous year, according to a TxDOT release Thursday. TxDOT's 10-year state roadways construction plan, or the 2024 Unified Transportation Program, incorporated more than $6 billion allocated to the greater Austin area.The UTP help guides the development and construction of transportation projects statewide, alongside public transportation, maritime, aviation and rail-related initiatives.Project highlights from the Austin District include:$4.5 billion for the I-35 Capital Express Central project, running from U.S. Hwy. 290 East to SH 71 and Ben White Boulevard$383.6 million dedicated to U.S. Hwy. 281 to "improve mobility and enhance safety" between U.S. Hwy. 290 and the Comal County...