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2 dead in rail car; human smuggling investigation indicated

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:26 GMT

Two people found dead in a railroad car in south Texas were Honduran men, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Saturday, indicating it was investigating the case as possible human smuggling.“We will continue to address the serious public safety threat posed by human smuggling organizations and their reckless disregard for the health and safety of those smuggled,” department spokesperson Nina Pruneda said in the statement.Pruneda declined to comment beyond the statement, which said the investigation is ongoing but did not say whether any of the migrants were in custody.The two dead were among 17 people — 15 men and two women — found Friday in what Union Pacific railroad said were two rail cars near Knippa, Texas, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) west of San Antonio and less than 100 miles (161 kilometers) from the U.S. border with Mexico, according to Pruneda’s statement.Union Pacific said in a statement Saturday that it is working with authorities to determine...

Trump rally falls during anniversary of Waco’s dark past

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:26 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Former President Donald Trump picking Waco, Texas, for the first rally of his 2024 campaign Saturday will put him in the middle of a big Republican state that has reliably delivered him big crowds. It will also put him not far from the grassy prairie where a standoff in 1993 between U.S. law enforcement and Branch Davidians infamously resulted in the deaths of more than 80 members of the religious cult and four federal agents. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the siege, which continues to hold deep symbolism and is still viewed by survivors of the compound as an act of unwarranted government intrusion. Trump, who is facing the possibility of becoming the first president in U.S. history to be indicted, hasn’t nodded to Waco’s past since first announcing the rally last week. Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said the decision to hold the event at Waco’s regional airport was ideal because the city was “centrally located and close” to s...

Israel: 2 soldiers wounded in West Bank drive-by shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:26 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military said two soldiers were wounded, one severely, Saturday evening in a drive-by shooting in the occupied West Bank, the latest in months-long violence between Israel and the Palestinians.The attack was the third to take place in the Palestinian town of Huwara in less than a month. One soldier was seriously wounded and the second was in moderate condition, the military said. A manhunt was launched as forces sealed roads leading to Huwara.No Palestinian group claimed responsibility for the shooting attack, but Hamas, the militant group ruling the Gaza Strip, praised it. “The resistance in the West Bank can surprise the occupation every time and the occupation cannot enjoy safety,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said.Violence has surged in recent months in the West Bank and east Jerusalem amid near-daily Israeli arrest raids in Palestinian-controlled areas and a string of Palestinian attacks.U.S.-backed regional efforts to defuse tensions have led to th...

French police, activists injured at anti-reservoir protest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:26 GMT

PARIS (AP) — French police and environmental activists fought violent pitched battles Saturday around a giant agricultural irrigation reservoir in rural western France. The interior minister reported more than 30 people injured and said police detonated more than 4,000 non-lethal dispersion grenades as they fended off hundreds of protesters, some armed with machetes, axes and gasoline bombs.The clashes around the reservoir being built in the rural community of Sainte-Soline highlighted increasing pressure on precious water resources in the face of climate change.French authorities argue that giant irrigation reservoirs are necessary to allow farmers to continue growing food crops when droughts are becoming more common. Critics say the reservoirs sustain ecologically unsustainable types of industrial farming and imprison water that would otherwise naturally irrigate soils and feed rivers and streams.Video footage showed protesters advancing in clouds of tear gas, police vehicles burn...

1 dead in DuSable Lake Shore Drive hit-and-run crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:26 GMT

CHICAGO — One person is dead after a hit-and-run crash that took place on DuSable Lake Shore Drive in Lake View East early Saturday morning.According to police, a driver, 36, was traveling southbound in an SUV near the 4300 block of North DuSable Lake Shore Drive when after changing lanes, an unknown driver in a white SUV traveling in the same direction, struck his vehicle and fled the scene. Several thefts, carjackings minutes apart on Back of the Yards street Police say the male passenger, 31, was transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital where he was pronounced dead.The driver was also transported to the hospital with unknown injuries. Police are still investigating the incident.

Winter storm moves out of Chicagoland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:26 GMT

Saturday morning consists of heavy snow at times (N/NW Chicagoland), AM rain to snow elsewhere. NW 15-25, G35 mph. High: 38Saturday night: Mostly cloudy & not as cold. Much less wind. W 5-10 mph. Low: 30Sunday's forecast is looking partly cloudy and milder, except near the lake. NNE 5-10 mph. High: 47 Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Full forecast details at the WGN Weather CenterExtended outlook calls for rain/snow mix on Monday with highs near 40. Chilly weather continues Tuesday with some early showers and highs in the mid to low 40s. Dry for most of Tue and Wed with some showers returning late Wed night. Soggy but milder for the end of the week with highs in the mid to upper 50s. 

1 dead after single-car fiery crash in Downers Grove

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:26 GMT

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. — A driver is dead after a single-vehicle fiery crash Friday evening in Downers Grove, according to police.Downers Grove Police Department officers and emergency personnel were called to the crash just before 9 p.m. near Finley Road and Lacey Road. Man dead after hit and run crash in West Loop Police said the driver was driving south on Finely Road and crashed on the west side of the intersection at Lacey Road.When officers arrived, the car was on fire and was put out by firefighters, according to police. 1 dead in DuSable Lake Shore Drive hit-and-run crash The driver's name hasn't been released.The crash is still under investigation by Downers Grove police and the MERIT Major Crash Reconstruction Team. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 630-434-5600.

Disconnecting part of the brain helps kids with rare form of epilepsy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:26 GMT

(WGN) -- Disconnecting half the brain to stop seizures sounds unthinkable, but it’s an actual procedure to help children with a rare form of epilepsy. R.J. Walters is one of those kids. He is 8 years old and loves to play basketball. “April 2019, when he was 4 years old, is when he had his first generalized seizure,” said his mother, Jamilah Doyle-Walters.And they kept coming."With focal seizures, you see a kid (and) they are just staring off into space, and you think they are daydreaming,” said his father, Randall Walters, Sr. “And they are still able to respond to you. I wanted to be that dad, the sports dad, ‘let’s go climb a tree’ dad. And that was all taken away." ‘I was too young to die.’ How research and funding can help pediatric cancer patients — and what more can be done The atrophy in RJ’s right brain led to a diagnosis of Rasmussen’s encephalitis, a rare and progressive neurologic condition.“The right side of the brain doesn’t quite look like the left side of the brai...

Watch Live: Trump Rally in Waco

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:26 GMT

Waco (FOX 44/KWKT) -- Former President Donald Trump is holding the first rally of his 2024 Presidential campaign at the Waco Regional Airport. Waco leaders expect more than 15,000 people to attend the event that starts with guest speakers at 2 p.m. The former president is expected to take the stage at 5 p.m.Some of the Republican guests of honor are Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Representatives Pete Sessions, Ronny Jackson, and Marjorie Taylor Greene.Rock legend Ted Nugent is expected to perform the "Star Spangled Banner" at 2 p.m. and Pastor Ramiro Pena of Christ the King Church will perform the opening prayer. You can watch his program on FOX 44 every Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. Fans of Pres. Donald Trump line up outside the Waco Regional AirportThere are several vendors at the event, but not all are looking to make money. One man from Tennessee is giving away free religious books, as he does at all of the other 16 Trump rallies he has ...

'A long time coming': Northeast Austin neighborhood gets new solar lights installed amid safety concerns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:26 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The need for more lighting in some Austin neighborhoods has been top of mind recently, especially in areas where people have gone missing. It's raised safety concerns city-wide. In Northeast Austin, The African American Wellness Alliance of Central Texas got wind of neighbors feeling unsafe in one of its community parks and decided to do something about it. The process started back in 2020. Marva Overton, Executive Director of the alliance said they contacted the City of Austin's Parks and Recreation Department for help since it owns and maintains the park. From there, Overton said they were connected to the Public Works Department. They went through a community partnering program, which funded the installation of five new solar lights in the park. New solar lights installed in North East Neighborhood Park (KXAN photos/Jake Sykes).Crime hasn’t been an issue in the area, according to neighbors. However, they said there’s an issue with homeless people.There are a lot o...