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Weekend need-to-know: Royal Winter Fair kicks off 10-day festivities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:04 GMT

The 101st Royal Winter Fair begins this Friday just in time for the first burst of cold temperatures this weekend. There are lots of other indoor activities to help you stay warm. There is also a full weekend closure on the TTC to keep in mind as you travel through the city.Here’s what’s going on this weekend: Top eventsRoyal Winter FairThe annual Royal Winter Fair kicks off it’s festivities at Exhibition Place this Friday and runs until Nov. 12. The fair is the world’s largest combined indoor agricultural and equestrian show. The event celebrates the best in agriculture, local food, and equestrian competitions from across the country. It’s Royal Ambassador this year is Kay: a year-and-a-half old Polled Dorset yearling ewe.Tickets are available to purchase on their website and runs from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day except Sunday and Monday when it closes at 6 p.m.Good Mourning Festival at Evergreen BrickworksA new festival at Evergreen Brickworks is hoping to a...

Serbian police arrest 7 people smugglers and find over 700 migrants in raids after a deadly shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:04 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian police said Friday they made seven arrests on suspicion of smuggling people into Hungary as part of a days-long crackdown on irregular migration in the wake of a shooting last week in the border area that killed three migrants and wounded one.Reports of violence and gun battles have become common near the border between Serbia and Hungary, a European Union member state. Thousands of people have been camping in the area, looking for ways to cross with the help of people smugglers.Police said Friday they made arrests both in the capital Belgrade and in Subotica, a city near the border with Hungary. Migrants pay 2,350 euros ($2,500) each to cross, said the statement.Since the shooting last Saturday near the border town of Horgos, police have launched daily raids in the forested area. Late on Thursday, police reported finding a total of 738 migrants, some near the border with Hungary, but others in a town near the border with Bulgaria, in the east. When f...

Man dies after being shot while driving, crash on South Side

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:04 GMT

CHICAGO — A 33-year-old man has died after being shot while driving, then crashing his vehicle on the city's South Side.Police said it happened around 8:50 p.m. Thursday in the 6600 block of South Woodlawn. The man was traveling in his vehicle when he heard multiple shots fired and felt pain.According to police, the victim came to a stop after striking a tree and light post in the 1300 block of East Marquette.He was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Police: Man approached brothers with extension cord, zip ties at Des Plaines park No one is in custody. Area One detectives are investigating.

Northern lights could ramp up next year, and so could these strange occurrences

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:04 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — We’ll soon reach the peak of Solar Cycle 25, improving our chances of seeing the northern lights. This point in the cycle could also, however, bring influxes to our infrastructure. And according to new predictions, the solar activity behind it all could be larger than originally expected.NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) previously predicted the sun would reach its most active point, solar maximum, in mid-2024. While that timeframe hasn’t changed much — new predictions put it between January and October — it’s now expected to come quicker and be stronger than previously thought. Solar cycles are an 11-year period when the sun flips its magnetic poles, sparking space weather. That includes coronal mass ejections, or CMEs — an explosion of plasma and magnetic material from the sun that can reach Earth in as little as 15 to 18 hours, NOAA explains.  The northern lights are heating up: Could they come to all 50 states? “The sun won't get that material...

Monitory Team reports police reform moving slow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:04 GMT

CHICAGO -- The court appointed Monitoring Team released its latest assessment of CPD reform efforts and the CPD will get a chance to respond and discuss the progress that has been made.After more than four years under federal oversight, the CPD Monitory Team's report compliance continues to lag but also expresses hope under new police superintendent Larry Snelling. Led by attorney Maggie Hickey, the team published its eight report this week which states: "The CPD has reached full compliance on just six percent of consent to decree requirements. The team examined reform efforts between Jan. 1st to June 30, a period where there were three superintendents."It writes CPD has yet to implement a comprehensive consistent and transparent policing strategy. It adds that the department could make significant progress across all parts of the Consent Decree if it did that. Chicago residents fed up with lack of communication on migrant housing locations The team reports progress in addressing ...

The attempt to bar Trump under the 14th Amendment explained

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:04 GMT

(The Hill) -- An effort to use the legal system to bar former President Donald Trump from returning to the White House — on the basis that he aided an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021 — is picking up speed.Proceedings began before the Minnesota Supreme Court on Thursday, while a separate but similar case has been running in Colorado since Monday. Other broadly comparable efforts are at earlier stages in other states. Trump 14th Amendment disqualification efforts reach Minnesota Supreme Court The idea that the front-runner for the Republican nomination could be thrown off the ballot may seem outlandish on its face.But it has begun to seem less so. For example, an effort by Team Trump to get the judge in Colorado to throw out the case has failed. Here are the big things to know.What’s the core of the case?The idea of barring Trump from holding office is based on the 14th Amendment.Section 3 of the amendment notes that no one can hold office if, having previously done so and taken...

More neighbor testimony expected at Kaitlin Armstrong murder trial Friday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:04 GMT

Editor's note: The above video shows KXAN Live's top headlines the morning of Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The first two days of Kaitlin Armstrong's murder trial involved graphic crime scene images, home surveillance video of the night the Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson was killed, and in-depth questioning about the process of gathering evidence at the scene.Armstrong is accused of shooting and killing Wilson in May 2022. KXAN's Brianna Hollis will be in court Friday providing live updates on social media platform X: KAITLIN ARMSTRONG DAY 3: Testimony will continue in about 30 minutes. I’ll be live tweeting on this thread. Catch up on some of yesterday’s coverage in the video below as well as this link @KXAN_News >> https://t.co/PFzpTWuYVx pic.twitter.com/uEMblXi46m— Brianna Hollis (@BriHollisNEWS) November 3, 2023 While the state mapped out a timeline through phone, GPS, video surveillance and DNA evidence prosecutors believe pin Armstrong for Wilson's murder, the de...

New play to be staged in downtown Bastrop record store

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:04 GMT

BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — Lost Pines Theatre Guild is presenting "Love and Vinyl" — a new play by Bob Bartlett. Set against the backdrop of a charming vintage vinyl shop, this quirky romantic comedy will run at Astro Record Store in Bastrop from Nov. 2-18."Love and Vinyl" tells the story of long-time friends Bogie and Zane, who meet for an evening of browsing at their favorite record store to indulge in their shared passion for vintage vinyl. As they explore the shop's treasures, they encounter Sage, the store's new owner. What unfolds is a delightful exploration of life, love, loneliness and the music that connects us all."Love and Vinyl" offers a truly unique experience as it will be performed in Astro Record Store (910 Main Street), located on Bastrop's historic Main Street. The limited seating ensures an up-close and personal connection between the audience and the performers, making each performance an intimate, unforgettable experience.The cast includes Michael Lovestrong as Bog...

Celebrating daylight saving time with a few drinks? What the time change means for alcohol sales

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:04 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It’s a question the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission gets every year, ‘what does daylight saving time mean for booze sales?’“Business owners across the state want to make sure they're doing the right thing and not running afoul of state law and of course, customers always have questions too as they plan their night,” said TABC Spokesperson Chris Porter.The answer is yes, you get an extra hour to buy alcohol with the time change.“Just that that one night of the year, they get an extra hour because 2 a.m. becomes 1 a.m. And then they get to continue on for the extra hour,” explained Porter. Daylight saving 2023: Here’s what a sleep expert says about the time change The TABC warns the extra hour of sales comes with extra patrols.“We will continue to be doing our patrols as we normally do in Austin and across the state every every weekend,” said Porter.“We have folks doing open inspections as well as undercover inspections just to make sure that businesses have the...

Officials celebrate the completion of Northside Village in Schenectady

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:04 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Local officials gathered on Thursday to celebrate the completion of a two-phase public housing redevelopment project. Northside Village offers 300 modern, energy-efficient homes affordable to households earning at or below 80 percent of the Area Median Income. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! “My administration is committed to expanding housing opportunities and creating stable, vibrant communities across New York,” said Governor Hochul. “This means preserving existing housing stock and revitalizing public housing developments like Northside Village so that more families have access to the affordable, safe homes they need to thrive.”The development revitalizes the former Yates Village public housing complex. New additions include 37 two-story buildings with 211 apartments, two new playgrounds, a basketball court, a resident seating area, and landscaped greenspaces. The housing development includes 6...