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Former University of Illinois basketball star sworn-in with new Peoria police recruits

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:07 GMT

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD/WYZZ) -- Peoria's Da'Monte Williams has a new team.Williams, a former standout basketball player for Manual High School and the University of Illinois, is now with the Peoria Police Department.He was sworn in with 15 other recruits in a ceremony at the Peoria Civic Center on Monday. The department said the 16-person class is the largest recruiting group in the PPD's history. Peoria Police make “30×30” Pledge to hire more female officers Williams said he made the decision to pursue a career in law enforcement earlier this year after his first season over pro basketball was cut short by an injury last fall. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 2020. He still has to complete officer training.

2 utility workers honored for heroic actions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:07 GMT

CHICAGO — Two Peoples Gas utility workers were honored in a ceremony on Tuesday for their actions in helping three injured Chicagoans over the summer.Peoples Gas Utility Workers Cesar Arreola-Sandoval and Dominique Westbrook, both Unites States military veterans, were honored for their actions when they happened upon emergency situations only one week apart. Friday Morning Swim Club canceled for the season According to Peoples Gas, on Monday, May 15, Arreola-Sandoval was nearing the end of his shift while working at an apartment in Garfield Park when he spotted a man, who lived in the building, slumped over near the front entrance. Arreola-Sandoval performed CPR on the victim until paramedics arrived and transported him to the hospital.Peoples Gas says the man survived the emergency and after he was released from the hospital, during a visit from Arreola-Sandoval, the man told Cesar that he had saved his life.“He said it was a blessing from God that I was at the right place at the...

Friday Morning Swim Club canceled for the season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:07 GMT

CHICAGO — The Friday Morning Swim Club at Montrose Harbor has come to an end for the season. The early end of the third season comes days after the club’s last event was canceled, but hundreds still showed up.Friday Swim Club founders Andrew Glatt and Nicole Novotny, who started the swim club two years ago, made the statement in an Instagram post on Tuesday.  “We will not host any additional swims this summer due to last Friday’s events and the complex communication that is happening between the Chicago Parks District and the city,” Novotny said. Friday Morning Swim Club continues amid reports of cancellation Hundreds of swimmers showed up to last Friday’s event after the swim club announced on social media that it would not be hosting the meet-up. “What happened last Friday isn’t what we envisioned for Swim Club, ever,” Glatt said.According to the club’s founders, who were not present at Friday’s event, park district employees and Chicago police officers showed up while...

Skilling: Cooler, windy Wednesday for Chicagoland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:07 GMT

WINDY, COOLER—almost autumnlike cool air is to sweep into Chicago on "NNE" winds which arrive after a long, wave-generating trek southward the length of Lake Michigan Tuesday night and Wednesday.The time such winds spend over Lake Michigan equips them uniquely to develop waves and rip currents---and these features are behind the BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT which is in effect on our Chicago area beaches into Wednesday night. White-capped waves will populate the lake surface later tonight and Wednesday and swimmers will find water treacherous for swimming Wednesday.We have only 2 days left in August and the 3 month meteorological summer season, which spans June, July and August. Seven of the past 8 months have posted TEMP SURPLUSES IN CHICAGO---and though the temp surpluses in each of the Summer 2023 months have been MODEST—the summer season had managed a 3-month average temp which is among the 20% warmest of any of the past 153 summer seasons here.The cool temps riding into the area will...

HeyJB LIVE: Hurricane Idalia strengthens into Category 2 storm south of Tampa

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:07 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Idalia strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane Tuesday and is expected to rapidly intensify in the Gulf of Mexico.As of a 5 p.m. update, the National Hurricane Center said Idalia is about 195 miles southwest of Tampa, moving north around 15 mph. The storm's wind speeds have increased to 100 mph. Real-time wobble tracker monitoring Hurricane Idalia’s shifts in Gulf of Mexico Idalia is forecast to track west of Tampa and make landfall along the northwest Gulf Coast of Florida sometime on Wednesday as an "extremely dangerous" Category 3 major hurricane, to the NHC said.Storm surge remains the biggest threat with Idalia, with some areas north of Tampa Bay expected to see 8 to 15 feet of storm surge, with 4 to 7 feet in the Tampa Bay area and 3 to 5 feet south of Tampa Bay.The storm surge threat is increased thanks to higher-than-normal high tides due to Wednesday's Super Moon. Do I need to evacuate? Orders issued for several counties ahead of Idalia A hurrican...

Bears get one advantage after NFL roster cuts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:07 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The NFL's deadline for teams to cut their rosters to 53 players before the 2023 regular season has come and gone. Here are the full list of moves by the Bears in order to cut down their active roster to 53 players. .DE Trevis Gipson, CB Kindle Vildor, QB Nathan Peterman among those cut today..@WGNNews pic.twitter.com/NQVJv7TYph— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) August 29, 2023That was a 3 p.m. on Tuesday, with Ryan Poles getting his Bears' roster down to 53 players. Among those bigger names cut were defensive end Trevis Gipson, cornerback Kindle Vildor, quarterback Nathan Peterman, and wide receiver Nsimba Webster.Now the general manager has one advantage when he looks for players to potentially add to the team - and it has to do with where they finished in 2023.Since the Bears were the worst team in the NFL, they'll get the No. 1 spot on the waiver wire, with the ability to claim some of the players that were let go by other teams. This could be advantageous f...

Miami billionaire gives away 600 pairs of sneakers to Boys and Girls Clubs in Chicago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:07 GMT

CHICAGO -- A Miami billionaire and real estate mogul donated around 600 pairs of shoes to 21 Boys and Girls Clubs across Chicago on Tuesday.The charitable endeavor is all thanks to Miami billionaire and real estate mogul, Patrick Carroll, who says the organization is near and dear to his heart.“I grew up in the boys and girls club system in Tampa, Florida," Carroll said. "Played basketball and it was great escape for me. Met a lot of good friends and mentors so, it’s a great place a great organization.”He started this sneaker giveaway in Tampa before he made stops in other cities like New York and Atlanta.Carroll being a sneaker fan himself says he wants to give these kids a sense of dignity and confidence."I’m really excited because I don’t have a lot of school shoes and I basically only one pair so yeah and they’re not for gym," 10-year-old Susan Rizo said.The Chicago Bears mascot, Chance The Rapper, and other celebrities teamed up with Carroll to supply the shoes to the students ...

Thousands raised for It Takes a Village Chicago during Chicago Triathlon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:07 GMT

On Saturday, Chicago welcomed thousands of triathletes for the 40th annual Chicago Triathlon.Among them, was WGN’s Mike Lowe.He participated and also raised money for a good cause — It Takes a Village Chicago.Cam Paulson is the founder and president of the organization. Lessons of strength, hard work inspiring youth beyond club weight rooms Over the last six years, Paulson, through his charity have built 10 state-of-the art weight rooms each costing $100,000 dollars or more at community centers and Chicago schools that otherwise couldn’t afford them.Paulson said they raised $6,000 from the triathlon.Each Tuesday in August, WGN-TV is bringing viewers and readers stories about the Triathlon.Part 1:  Lessons of strength, hard work inspiring youth beyond club weight roomsPart 2: Father & daughter train together to compete against each otherPart 3: Top 40: Bolingbrook man prepares for 40th consecutive Chicago triathlonPart 4: Athletes defined by determination – ...

North winds keep temperatures and humidity a bit lower

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:07 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- We are enjoying a break from the recent extreme heat and humidity in the wake of Sunday evening's cool front.Breezy north winds are keeping humidity at lower, more comfortable levels through much of the week, and also helping lower temperatures back to more typical levels for late August.Dry weather is forecast through the rest of the work week locally. The Texas football home opener looks hot and dry, as do the remainder of your Labor Day weekend plans. BLOG: Could PDO mess with our wet El Niño? Tracking the TropicsHurricane Idalia is intensifying quickly in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, expected to make landfall early Wednesday in Florida's Big Bend as a major category 3 storm. This is expected to be the strongest hurricane on record to hit the Apalachee Bay area, and could bury portions of the Florida coastline in 10-15 feet of water from ocean level rise. Texas will remain unaffected by Idalia. Austin Interactive Weather Stats (2023) FIRST WARNING WEATHER: Sta...

Q&A: William Shatner talks previous trips to Texas, and space, ahead of weekend Austin visit for GalaxyCon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:07 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — You may know him as Captain Kirk, or the oldest person to ever travel to space. William Shatner, 92, is making his way to Austin this weekend for GalaxyCon, a three-day, comic-con-style convention featuring more than 150 guests as well as photo ops, Q&As, panels, costume contests, cosplay events, workshops, parties, gaming tournaments and celebrity meet and greets. Comic-con style event coming to Austin Labor Day weekend It won't be the actor's first time in the capital city. He's been before, but one trip in particular, driving overnight from West Texas, stood out as other-worldly. “Driving those distances through those small towns,” he remembered, “it's all sleepy; it's all closed down. There are red lights paralleling the freeway. For a long time, I thought it was a runway. For a long time, I couldn't figure out what it was, but they are wind -- power mills. That wasn't apparent at two o’clock in the morning. Now, we arrive at Austin, and Austin was rio...