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9 years after mine spill in northern Mexico, new report gives locals hope for long-awaited cleanup

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:17 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Nine years after a massive waste spill from a copper mine in the northern Mexican border state of Sonora, locals are still suffering from “alarming” levels of soil, air and water pollution, Mexico’s Environment Department said Thursday.Summarizing a 239-page report, officials also confirmed, using satellite images, that the spill was not solely caused by dramatic rainfall, as was initially reported, but by the “inadequate design” of a dam at Buenavista del Cobre mine, owned by the country’s largest copper producer, Grupo México.Locals and environmental advocates say the report offers the clearest view yet of the catastrophic scale of the accident and, with it, new hope that Grupo México may finally be held financially accountable after almost a decade of legal battles and broken promises.“We expect that, with this new document, we’ll have an easy path for getting the money,” said Luis Franco, a community coordinator with regional advocacy group PODER. “At th...

Pritzker: Illinois has spent $328M on helping Chicago's migrant crisis

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:17 GMT

CHICAGO -- Governor JB Pritzker said the state of Illinois has spent $328 million to help manage Chicago's migrant crisis and he's calling on the federal government to pitch in.Pritzker said on Thursday he has concerns about the $29 million "base camp" planned to house the migrants currently living in Chicago police stations, but the governor didn’t publicly explain what his concerns are.The City of Chicago has received more than 15,000 migrants. Some pointing to Republican governors for sending migrants to Chicago, but the democratic mayor of El Paso, Texas, chartered two buses of migrants to the city last weekend.Gov. Pritzker responded to democratic mayor of El Paso sending migrants to Chicago:"[He] needs to listen to the cities that he’s sending folks to and start thinking about whether or not this should be spread across the country. Why is he not sending anybody to Idaho, Wyoming?"The Illinois governor also stated that he has spoken with the Department of Homeland Security and...

Skilling: Cloudy here and there, but 80s return this weekend

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:17 GMT

Prediction of warming for Chicago in the days ahead intact, weekend temps here to average 10 to 14 degrees above normal and sunnier skies expected.An unseasonably warm weekend is on the way, though southeasterly lake breezes—in other words, winds which blow in from the southeast and therefore move over the area from Lake Michigan—will be present. They will come off southern Lake Michigan waters which have cooled 10.5 degrees since late August and now average 62 degrees with some shoreline locations reporting mid 60-deg water temps.The southeast weekend winds  will modestly lower beach and shoreline temps compared to the low and mid 80s expected inland. On Saturday, for instance, inland temps will surge to 83 Saturday while beachside temps in Chicago will reach 75. And on Sunday, the inland to lakeside spread should be 86 degrees inland to 77 on area beaches.Still, average weekend temps are expected to come in 10 to 14-degrees above normal.  And the WARMER THAN NORMAL WEATHER REGIME ...

Migrant students attacked after school in Rogers Park

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:17 GMT

CHICAGO -- Recent video shows a chaotic scene what appears to be Chicago minors and adults attacking a group of migrants in Rogers Park Wednesday afternoon.The families, who arrived from Venezuela a few months ago, said their children were attacked after school near Sullivan High School by a group made up of minors and some adults.Mirna Mendez, the mother of 15-year-old Asdrubal, said her son was hit twice with a bat and kicked several times, leaving him bruised with broken ribs and a black eye.Asdrubal said he's always been looked at differently for being new and learning the language, but he never imagined it would have lead to this.Another student, Anthony who was hospitalized after being kicked to the ground and hit with a bat during Wednesday's attack, said he's never experienced anything like this before.In a letter sent to families of Sullivan High School, Principal Jeff Cooks says safety is his top priority:“Physical altercations involving members of our school community hav...

Jerome Bettis talks Notre Dame, Bears & playing with asthma

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:17 GMT

CHICAGO — When "The Bus" makes a stop to talk, he's got a lot to say on a number of topics, and that was the case this week. Jerome Bettis had some thoughts on his alma mater, Notre Dame, the Bears while also talking about how he dealt with asthma during his successful football career. A former standout running back for the Fighting Irish, Bettis talked with WGN News Now about what he's seen out of Marcus Freeman's team so far in 2023. Despite the loss to Ohio State in heartbreaking fashion last Saturday, Bettis was quite complimentary of what the Irish will have to offer this fall. He also continues to watch football, and having played in the NFL for 13 years, Bettis had some thoughts on how the Bears along with quarterback Justin Fields handle a bad start to this season. As part of his appearance for Aire Serv, Bettis also discussed how he dealt with asthma during his entire playing career, and the steps he took to make sure he could be at his best on the field. The Hall of Famer ...

Will County Animal Control: Suspect(s) used dog for paintball target practice

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:17 GMT

WILL COUNTY — The Will County Animal Control Department (WCACD) is looking for the public's help in finding the suspects responsible for using a dog as paintball target practice, among other signs of abuse.WCACD officials said an animal control officer responded to a call Wednesday about a trapped dog on the caller's property, a local farm in unincorporated Washington Township near the village of Beecher. When the animal control officer arrived, they found the dog — later named Hermione — scared and caught in a trap. After calming her down and safely removing her, the ACO noted Hermione was underweight, had infections in both of her ears, and was clearly shot multiple times on both sides of her body with purple paint from a paintball gun. Photos of Hermione (Courtesy: Will County Animal Control Department)Photos of Hermione (Courtesy: Will County Animal Control Department)Photos of Hermione (Courtesy: Will County Animal Control Department)“She is recovering nicely and is receiving t...

How would a government shutdown affect national parks?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:17 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – As the clock ticks closer to the looming weekend deadline, a government shutdown was looking increasingly likely Thursday. A federal shutdown could end up being bad news for hundreds of thousands of federal workers, people who rely on government assistance to pay for food, and those with a trip planned to one of the country's 425 national park sites. Since the National Park Service is largely funded through Congressional appropriations, all 63 national parks, plus hundreds of additional monuments and sites, "are at risk of closing Oct. 1" if the government doesn't reach a deal to keep the government funded, writes the National Parks Conservation Association, a group that advocates for protecting the parks. If the government shuts down, will mail still be delivered? As The Hill has previously reported, it's somewhat unclear what would happen to national parks under an upcoming federal shutdown. The Department of the Interior hasn't announced its plan, either. The situat...

Austin Police search for east Austin gas station robbery suspect

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department said it was searching for a man in connection with an east Austin gas station robbery that occurred Sept. 13.APD said the robbery occurred between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. at the Shell gas station at 31 North Interstate 35 service road.Police said the suspect threatened the store employee and left the area with an undisclosed amount of cash.APD described the suspect as a 5’ 7” Hispanic man between the ages of 50 and 60 and weighing 190 to 200 lbs. Police said he was balding with short, shaved black hair. He also has distinct tattoos on the right forearm and left arm, according to police.Police said the suspect was last seen wearing sunglasses, a black vest, black pants and white tennis shoes without laces.APD asked anyone with information to contact its robbery unit at 512-974-5092. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477.A reward of up t...

Family of child attacked by dog asks City to consider 'human cost' of 'no-kill' policy after audit

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After an audit of the Austin Animal Center was released, parents who says their daughter was attacked by a dangerous dog released into the community by the shelter is asking the City to take its findings seriously. The del Rio family filed a lawsuit against the City of Austin last year saying even though a dog proved dangerous at the AAC, it was adopted out to their neighbor. The pit bull mix attacked a then-6-year-old girl delivering Christmas cookies in 2021, the lawsuit says. Noelle del Rio ended up with a concussion, a broken arm, a punctured skull and had to undergo treatment for bites to the head, which included having her "skin literally ripped from her cranial tissue," the lawsuit says. The family told KXAN the attack has "fundamentally changed" their lives. “The incident is unfortunate and one that occurred 16 months after a shelter adoption. This is an ongoing lawsuit and for that reason, we cannot get into the specific allegations related to that lawsuit....

KBVO Game of the Week: Vista Ridge takes on McNeil, Rangers hope to stay undefeated

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Vista Ridge puts its undefeated record on the line in a 6A-District 26 contest Thursday against McNeil at the Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex in the KBVO Game of the Week.The Rangers kept their perfect record intact with a 28-7 win over Cedar Ridge last week while the Mavericks lost 42-31 to Manor. McNeil is 2-2 on the season.REPORT YOUR SCORE: We'd love to post your team's score on our website, but we need your help to do it. Email the score of your game to [email protected] and we'll get it on our websiteVista Ridge is expected to be in the playoff hunt in the district, and if the Mavericks can pull off the upset, it'll go miles for them to get in. Vandgridft is the clear No. 1 in the district, but after the Vipers, there are three spots up for grabs with Manor and Round Rock both jumping out to early wins in the district slate.Defense is the name of the game for Vista Ridge. The Rangers shut out Schertz Clemens 24-0 in Week 3 and haven't allowed more than 17 points in...