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Illinois watchdog calls proposed Nicor rate hike 'unjust and unreasonable'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:24 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — The Illinois Citizens Utility Board is calling Nicor's $321 million rate hike request "unjust and unreasonable."In January, the gas utility asked for the increase, but CUB says the amount should be slashed by $106 million, based on expert testimony by independent analysts.In a statement, Nicor said the increase would be necessary to run their business because of inflation and global impacts, such as the war in Ukraine.Nicor said their request for a hike would add just over $9 a month to the average customer's monthly gas bills. More migrants expected this weekend in Chicago Nicor offers energy assistance programs to help low-income residents.Illinois has announced an additional $300 million in funding to help Illinois residents pay their energy bills.The money comes from the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and is available for families who meet criteria to receive natural gas, propane, or electricity bill assistance.A chart with eligi...

Vandal breaks into vacant Indiana hospital, posts medical records on YouTube

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:24 GMT

La PORTE, Ind. — A hospital in Northwest Indiana has informed its patients that some of their medical information may have been uploaded on YouTube after a vandal broke into the former La Porte Hospital — which is scheduled for demolition — and took video of medical records that were still on site. According to Northwest Health-La Porte, the hospital learned of the incident in early March after a video was uploaded to a YouTube account that showed the medical records. Former Indiana councilman accused of illegally entering home and performing sex act in homeowner’s bedroom The hospital said the medical records were illegally removed from locked shredding bins that were still being stored at the old La Porte Hospital. The records were scattered on the ground by the vandal(s) and filmed for the video that would eventually be uploaded to YouTube.The old hospital is vacant and scheduled for demolition but not all the hospital property has been removed from the site yet, Northwest Hea...

These are the most obese states in the US, report finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:24 GMT

(WTRF) – Obesity is a common, chronic disease among many U.S. adults and children, but some states have higher rates than others.US News & World Report factored CDC adult obesity rates into the outlet's annual state rankings and found that West Virginia is the most obese, with a 40.4% rate."Obesity is a complex disease involving an excessive amount of body fat," according to the Mayo Clinic. "Obesity isn't just a cosmetic concern. It's a medical problem that increases the risk of other diseases and health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers." The 100 best brunch restaurants in the US, according to Yelp The CDC defines obesity as "weight that is higher than what is considered healthy for a given height." To classify as obese, and not overweight, one's body mass index (BMI) – or one's weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters – must be 30.0 or higher.The adult obesity rate is one of six metrics U.S. News used to ...

Austin Police Oversight: What you need to know heading into Election Day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin will vote on two individual police oversight measures Saturday. The two measures, one backed by a political action committee that focuses on public safety and the other by the police association, have very similar language but oppose each other. The propositions are expected to be decided by less than 10 percent of voters, said Brian Smith, a professor of political sciences at St. Edward's. He also noted people in Leander that also fall within Austin city limits could impact the results. "They have a bond election that affects people's taxes, that affects how much they're paying, that affects their schools. So that part of the city has more incentive to come and vote because not only are they voting on police oversight, but on the future of their school district," Smith said. Breaking down the ballot measuresOne petition was put forth by the advocacy group Equity Action. It calls for, among other things, the Office of Police Oversight to have more access to c...

Missouri lawmakers pass $50B state budget, key step to expand Interstate 70

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:24 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri's Interstate 70 will be expanded to three lanes across the state as part of a roughly $50 billion state budget approved Friday by lawmakers.Republican lawmakers took up GOP Gov. Mike Parson's January call to pour money into I-70 this year, and they went even further than he initially requested.Instead of targeting only the most congested areas of the highway in urban areas as Parson proposed, the Legislature went big and set aside $2.8 billion to complete lane expansions from St. Louis to Kansas City. Trending: Kim Gardner supporters upset; some not surprised by her resignation “This represents the single greatest investment into our transportation network in the state's history,” Republican House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith said.The governor appears likely to sign off on the highway plan. Parson's spokeswoman, Kelli Jones, in a Friday email said funding for the project is “well spent money.”The budget also prioritizes funding for pre-K...

Strawberry season starts strong for St. Louis-area farmers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:24 GMT

BELLEVILLE, Ill. - Early May is the start of the fruit crop seasons here at our local farms, many which are gearing up for people to pick their own strawberries as soon as this weekend. At Eckert’s Farm in Belleville, strawberry season offically kicks off Saturday. “It looks like a great crop, which I think then is a great indicator for the rest of the year," said Jill Tantillo, Vice President at Eckert’s. If the strawberries are good, then the rest of the year’s going to be great.”  Top Story: St. Louis circuit attorney resigns amid controversy Tantillo says that they love bringing families out to the farm, so they can see how strawberries are grown and of course do some sampling right off the bush. “You can’t get any better than that," said Tantillo. "The strawberries we buy the rest of the year in the store, they’re good. But there’s nothing better than right off the plant,” she said. Tantillo says they’ll be open this weekend, but their full season starts next weekend, along w...

Long Beach man drives to Utah to kill brother, set fire to his home before dying in police shootout

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:24 GMT

A Long Beach man apparently drove 12 hours to Utah to kill his brother and set fire to his home before he died in a shootout with police, authorities said.The man was identified by the Weber County Attorney's Office as Jeffrey Roberts, 66. Investigators believe Roberts drove to North Ogden, Utah with the intention of killing his brother, Scott. Doorbell camera and police body camera footage show the moments leading up to the deadly shooting and the chaotic moments that followed.On April 27, around 7:10 p.m., Scott Roberts and his wife, Jodi, were eating dinner when Jeffrey arrived at their front door, authorities said.Jeffrey Roberts, 66, can be seen on the Ring camera of his brother Scott's home moments after Jeffrey opened fire and killed him on April 27, 2023. (Weber County Attorney's Office)In the video captured by Scott's Ring doorbell camera, a brief conversation between the two brothers ends in gunfire when Jeffrey pulls out a handgun and begins shooting. Both Scott and his w...

Supreme Court halts execution of Oklahoma convict Glossip

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:24 GMT

By Tierney Sneed | CNNThe US Supreme Court on Friday put on hold the execution of Richard Glossip, an Oklahoma death row inmate whose capital conviction the state attorney general has said he could no longer support.The latest round of litigation was brought to the Supreme Court by Glossip, with the support of the Oklahoma Attorney’s General office, who asked for his May 18 execution to be set aside.The emergency hold on his execution will stay in place while the justices consider his request that they formally take up his case.There were no noted dissents from Friday’s order. Justice Neil Gorsuch did not participate in Friday’s ruling.Glossip has maintained his innocence, having been convicted in 1998 of capital murder for ordering the killing of his boss.A review launched by Oklahoma’s Republican attorney general found that prosecutors had failed to disclose evidence to Glossip that they were obligated to produce and that the evidence showed that the prosec...

Ex-SF fire commissioner being investigated for bear spray attacks on homeless people

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:24 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Former San Francisco fire commissioner Don Carmignani is now under investigation for a string of bear spray attacks on unhoused people. San Francisco police commissioners had some questions for Police Chief Bill Scott regarding that development and why the public wasn't made aware of these attacks sooner. No plea deals for alleged Jasper Wu killers, Alameda County DA says At a recent San Francisco Police Commission meeting, Scott faced questions about the eight bear spray attacks, which date back to November 2021. Scott says information reported that the suspect description in each case is the same is not accurateAccording to San Francisco police investigators, the suspect is described predominantly as male. In one incident, the suspect is reported to be female. Race has been described as white or Hispanic, age between 30 to 50, and weight from as low as 160 up to 300 pounds.These bear spray attacks came to light during a recent criminal proceeding at the H...

Slingsby, Aussies go for SailGP 3-peat and another $1M

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:24 GMT

Sometime late Sunday afternoon on San Francisco Bay, with the Golden Gate Bridge looming in the background, one of the world’s best sailing crews will spray each other with Champagne and be handed a check for $1 million as the champion of SailGP’s third season.Odds favor it being Tom Slingsby and his deeply experienced Team Australia, who will be going for a three-peat in tech tycoon Larry Ellison’s global league aboard their foiling 50-foot catamaran nicknamed the Flying Roo for the big yellow kangaroo on the wingsail. They are the only crew to have clinched a spot in the three-boat Grand Final going into the San Francisco regatta.The other two spots will be determined by three fleet races Saturday and two more Sunday. Slingsby’s rival from across the Tasman Sea, Peter Burling of New Zealand, who is the two-time reigning America’s Cup champion helmsman, is sitting comfortably in second place in the season standings and must finish no worse than fifth i...