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Paul Lisnek on Burke trial, Smollett ruling, and more

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:22 GMT

WGN Political Analyst Paul Lisnek joined WGN Evening News to discuss several big stories from the week.The topics include the latest on the Ed Burke trial, Jessie Smollett ruling, assault weapons update, George Santos being expelled from Congress, former President Donald Trump trails, remembering Sandra Day O’Connor, Rosalynn Carter, and Henry Kissinger.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesTune in on Sundays for WGN-TV Political Report with Paul Lisnek.

Austin Special Olympian takes home national golf title, hopes to inspire others

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — For decades, the Special Olympics has been an outlet for athletes to form friendships, learn about sportsmanship and of course compete. There is one local athlete who has done all of the above.They said practice makes perfect, but for Matthew Wright, the game of golf just comes natural-- in fact it's in his DNA."My grandmother was a legendary El Paso Texas golf legend," Wright said.Legend is a word Wright knows all too well. When KXAN asked him what he wanted to be titled in this news story, he responded with, "Special Olympics Texas Golf Legend."He's not shy to tell it how it is, and judging from his medal collection, which numbers in the hundreds, why should he be."From 1999 to the current games," Wright said. Meet the athletes representing Texas in the 2023 Special Olympics World Games Many of those medals were won with his, coach, teammate and good friend, Drew Widney."Over the last decade we have been doing Special Olympics together and it has been the best fr...

Kind Clinic starts 24 hours of STI testing for World AIDS Day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Staff and volunteers at Kind Clinic started the first of a 24-hour long initiative to test Austinites for sexually transmitted infections Friday evening.Joe Anderson, director of community engagement for Texas Health Action, said from 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1 through 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, the agency would be conducting free walk-in STI testing for THA's Rock the Ribbon initiative.Anderson said the event is to promote sexual health awareness and break STI-testing stigma in honor of World AIDS Day."I think there is totally a stigma. I think we a lot of times don't like to talk about sexual health in general," Anderson said. Amid soaring rates of STIs, the CDC has a new recommendation to reduce them He said the 24-hour-long event will have different attractions throughout its duration including yoga, dance fitness classes, trivia and a vendor market.Anderson said the day celebrates the advancements made to prevent and fight HIV/AIDS but also to acknowledge the measure...

Texas HHSC was under federal scrutiny as SNAP delays continue

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Texas Health and Human Services Commission was already under federal scrutiny as it struggled to keep up with months-long delays distributing food benefits to millions of low-income Texans, who rely on this lifeline.For more than a year, KXAN has investigated backlogs for Texans receiving federal food benefits through SNAP, which helps low-income households buy groceries.Texas HHSC recently sent a 62-page "Corrective Action Plan" to the US Department of Agriculture detailing problems distributing funds through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which it oversees in Texas. The state agency, it turns out, has been under USDA monitoring for years -- issues date to 2018 -- and is subject to "periodic" updates" until they "are no longer needed," HHSC spokesperson Jennifer Ruffcorn said.States that repeatedly fail to meet federal timeliness requirements are subject to corrective action. Last month, USDA officials visited HHSC, and other ...

Texas volleyball thumps SMU 3-0 to advance to 18th consecutive NCAA regional semifinal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — After dropping a set to Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA volleyball tournament, the Texas Longhorns made sure it wouldn't happen again.The second-seeded Longhorns pummeled the seventh-seeded SMU Mustangs 3-0 to clinch a berth in the regional semifinals for the 18th consecutive season. Set scores were 25-16, 25-14 and 25-17.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters"We were emotionally stable and started out at a really high level tonight," Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott said. "We put a ton of pressure on them with our serving and kept steady the whole night. It was a really good performance by the whole team."The Longhorns had 46 kills with just five errors in the match, hitting an eye-popping .446, led by Madisen Skinner's 21 kills. Jenna Wenaas chipped in 10 kills while Asjia O'Neal and Molly Phillips each had six. Texas setter Ella Swindle has 37...

Women’s hockey: Gophers use second-period flurry to bury Bemidji State

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:22 GMT

Throughout the first two months of the season, Gophers women’s hockey coach Brad Frost talked about the uncertainty that surrounded a team that lost a handful of marquee players. Was it going to prove to be good enough to retain its familiar perch among perennial national championship contenders?With the calendar having flipped to December, the veteran coach is starting to get some welcome answers to those questions.Playing on home ice for the first time in 28 days, the Gophers (12-2 overall, 8-2 WCHA) scored six unanswered goals in the second period en route to a 9-2 win over Bemidji State (1-13-1, 1-10 WCHA) on Friday night at Ridder Arena.The Gophers have won seven straight, and have given their coach reason to put some of his concerns at ease.“I love that the things we’ve been implementing from Day 1, they just keep getting better and better at,” Frost said. “We’re starting to see it on the ice a lot more. We defend really well. Our goaltenders are both tremendous, so that certa...

Multiple tenants of Parkview Apartments dead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:22 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -An emergency meeting was called on Friday, December 1, by Parkview Apartments Tenant Association President, Diane Deitz. The residents focusing this time on their neighbors and tenants of the building who have died in the last two weeks, according to Deitz."We have recently had nine deaths here in a little over two weeks. On top of it, we have mold in the building." Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The tenants at tonight's meeting have been also complaining of rodents, pests, and water access since last year. Deitz herself has been in and out of the hospital."Multiple tenants who have had blood tests come back with mold in their blood. I'd say the past four times it was because of that. That was in two months." Parkview Apartments inspected by City of Albany Back in June, NEWS10's Anthony Krolikowski went inside the apartments to see the damages with code enforcement while being managed by Commercial Res...

East St. Louis in financial turmoil, city at risk of layoffs and payless paydays

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:22 GMT

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - The City of East St. Louis facing a severe financial crisis that could result in layoffs and payless paydays. It could also force the city to slash some services. The mayor and city council held a special meeting Friday night to try to figure out a way out of the mess.The crisis was brought on by the city's failure to keep up with payments to the East St. Louis police and firefighters pension funds. Now the city is on the hook for more than $7 million in past-due payments. The pension boards, meanwhile, have struck back hard. They voted to ask the Illinois Comptroller to intercept state funds bound for East St. Louis and instead direct that money to the pensions. Three men charged in St. Charles County trafficking case plead not guilty The problem is that East St. Louis uses funds for operations to run departments like police and fire. Neither the mayor nor the city manager would comment on camera.The You Paid For Team talked to Councilman Ryan Cason. He say...

Master of deception admits guilt in $109K Walmart heist

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:22 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A Canadian man admitted tricking clerks out of thousands of dollars in cash in federal court Friday. It was part of a nationwide ‘sleight of hand’ scheme that hit 13 states this year. It caught up with him right here in the St. Louis area.Arnold Police have been successful lately in busting at least two alleged international crime rings, specifically crimes in retail stores that are happening right under our noses. One example landed 38-year-old defendant Mohsen Akbari in federal court. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman, who handled the case, told us, “This was a difficult case because it involved a defendant who was moving quickly across the country. He was very good at what he did.” Lindenwood University drops 10 athletic programs, cuts several jobs Police say he was targeting mostly Walmart stores and stealing cash using tricks. Court records say four days this past June netted him more than $16,000.Nationwide, court records say it added up to $109,452 during jus...

Missouri lawmakers hope to ban seclusion in schools

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:22 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Friday marked the first day for Missouri lawmakers to pre-file bills that they hope will become law next year. One state representative filed a bill that would ban solitary confinement for K-12 students in public and charter schools.State Rep. Ian Mackey (D-Clayton) is a former teacher. He backed a 2021 law that required schools to report cases of seclusion to parents and the state. The issue has been the subject of several FOX Files investigations. Three men charged in St. Charles County trafficking case plead not guilty Tracey Bloch, director of legislative advocacy for the Missouri Disability Empowerment Foundation, credits the attention for bringing greater awareness to the issue.“We have a lot of clients and a lot of family members who are put into seclusion rooms, and we are still trying to work through the trauma that all of that entails,” said Bloch.Mackey said last school year, Missouri students were sent to solitary confinement at least 8,000 times....