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Double — and — triple take: Suburban high school has 12 sets of twins, triplets graduating 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:19 GMT

VERNON HILLS, Ill. — The senior class at Vernon Hills High School may have locals seeing double as several twins and even triplets are set to graduate on Thursday. Heath Field (L) and Hunter Field (R) talk to WGN News (Photo/WGN News)Heath and Hunter Field are among a unique group of students walking across the stage. "There’s 12 sets of twins, one set of triplets and 27 people. That’s a lot," Hunter said.Added Evan Moore: "It's kind of crazy. I didn’t realize we had this many twins."Anagha Shreesha, also a twin, thinks the occurrence is "really unique."The special group accounts for about 8% of the senior class preparing to walk into the next chapter of their lives.     "I think the neat thing about twins, in general, is they can celebrate their uniqueness in one another while also having this special bond and special comradery," said Vernon Hills High School principal John Guillaume. ‘The Henry Puffer Podcast’: Downers Grove elementary school students ho...

Volunteers step up to help migrants staying at Chicago police stations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:19 GMT

CHICAGO — The City of Chicago is continuing its search to find a solution for migrants without shelter.Now, volunteers are stepping up to provide resources to those in need. See where you can help migrants arriving in Chicago The Chicago Police Department's 12th District is still being used as a temporary shelter as the city looks for bigger facilities to convert them into respite centers.One woman, who made the long journey from Venezuela, has been at the police station for almost two weeks. She said the conditions aren't ideal but feels fortunate that it's safe and is trying to look at the bigger picture."To have the possibility to have legal documents that will allow me to be part of this community and country," she said. "I also have dreams of owning a house, having a family and creating a beautiful future. I want to go to school and work too." Chicago’s Migrant Crisis and Challenges Ahead for Mayor Brandon Johnson She is just one of about 30 migrants sleeping in the lobby o...

Field Museum set to unveil 'Spinosaurus' dinosaur attraction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:19 GMT

CHICAGO — The Field Museum is bringing in a new dinosaur attraction.  The Field Museum is welcoming a new fossil friend: the Spinosaurus aegyptiacus. (Photo/Field Museum)At 46 feet long, the Spinosaurus aegyptiacus is four feet longer than the iconic sue.  The semi-aquatic predator lived some 95 million years ago. The Spinosaurus exhibit is a cast created from fossils found in the Sahara Desert of Northern Africa. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesIt will be suspended from the ceiling to greet visitors below.  The exhibit opens Saturday, June 3.

Chicago to pay man who spent 24 years in prison for fatal fire he didn't commit $27 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:19 GMT

CHICAGO — A man from Chicago has been awarded $27 million in a civil suit against the city after he spent 24 years in prison for a deadly fire he didn't set.Now in his forties, Gray filed a lawsuit in 2018 claiming the Chicago Police Department framed him into confessing to a fatal fire in 1993. Who killed Alexandra Anaya in 2005? FBI doubles reward to $20,000 for the answer. "These dirty cops need to be stopped," Gray said. "It's out of control. Break down the wall of silence."In March 1993, Gray was 14 years old. The then-teen, who lived in Brighton Park, was arrested by CPD in connection to a fire at a two-flat building that killed two elderly residents. Gray's attorney said there was no physical evidence linking Gray to the fire, which turned out to be classified as accidental, not arson. A federal jury ruled police officers forced Gray into confessing to the fire. "Gradually over time, they broke down a 14-year-old kid, which when you think it, isn't hard to do," Jon Loevy, w...

Group accused in $225K 'dice sliding' cheating scheme at Las Vegas casino

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:19 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) -- A group is accused of cheating over several days at a Las Vegas Strip casino, netting more than $200,000 in a dice sliding scheme, documents investigators at Nexstar's KLAS obtained Thursday said.The alleged cheating incidents happened at The Cosmopolitan in November and December 2021, involving an estimated loss of more than $225,000, investigators with the Nevada Gaming Control Board said.Investigators learned “the cheating involved multiple suspects and occurred on the Azure Roll to Win Electronic Craps table,” documents said. The game “is an electronic version of the game of craps,” according to investigators. Rapper Fetty Wap sentenced to 6 years in prison “The cheating method involved dice sliding and sliding occurs when the shooter slides one or both dice across the table in order to prevent the cubes from rolling,” the documents said. “The dice will be in the same position as they started, allowing the shooter to control the outcome of the game.”Investi...

'It's gotten the most attention': See what Joe Gibbs has to say about Chicago's NASCAR races

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:19 GMT

HUNTERSVILLE, NC — One of NASCAR's most prominent owners is enthusiastic and intreged about the new stock car event that's coming to Chicago in July."Everybody's excited about it," said Joe Gibbs, the founder and owner of Joe Gibbs Racing about the Chicago Street Race when talking with WGN News Now as part of a discussion on his team's effort to aid veterans this weekend. "It has got, I would say it's gotten the most attention of any race this year."Gibbs will have teams in both races on the 2.2-mile street course - The Loop 121 Xfinity race on Saturday, July 1, and the Grant Park 220 Cup Series event on Sunday, July 2. Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, and Christopher Bell will compete in the top series for the team Sunday with John Hunter Nemechek and Sammy Smith in the Xfinity race. For the veteran Gibbs, his drivers, crew chiefs, and pit crews, tackling the streets of Chicago will be like no other race on the 2023 schedule. It's certainly different than when he put cars ...

NOAA predicts up to 17 named storms, up to 4 major hurricanes this hurricane season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:19 GMT

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (WGHP) — The nation's leading hurricane tracking and research experts have revealed their forecast for the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the prediction during a news conference Thursday morning at the NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction in College Park, Maryland. NOAA releases summer weather predictions for all 50 states NOAA Under Secretary of Commerce Rick Spinrad said that NOAA's prediction leans towards a "near-normal" Atlantic hurricane season with a 40% chance that the season sticks within the usual range. There is a 30% chance of an above-normal hurricane season and a 30% chance of a below-normal hurricane season. NOAA predicts 12 to 17 named storms, 5-9 hurricanes with maximum winds of at least 74 miles per hour and one to four major hurricanes of a category 3 or above with winds of at least 111 miles per hour. Three consecutive years of a La Niña pattern have meant less hurricane ...

IMS beefs up security as Indy 500 nears

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:19 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS -- Crowds at the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 are expected to be back at pre-pandemic levels. IMS is beefing up security and has some key tips to keep in mind if you're planning on coming to the track this weekend."I can tell you that this year's crowd is going to be the best crowd that we've had in the last 25 years. With the exception of 2016," said IMS President, Doug Boles. With that many people in one spot, IMS says security is top of mind. This year, IMS will be using the new CEIA OPENGATE® devices.The screening devices allow fans to be screened without emptying their coolers, pockets or removing any clothing.   "If you go through the gates and you have things that you should not have, some of those prohibited items, especially weapons, it will flag and you will have to go to a secondary screening and we will definitely find it," said Boles.Safety doesn't stop there. Traffic will be a big focus this weekend. Speedwa...

MAP: Which school districts have increased teacher pay for the 2023-24 school year?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Ahead of the upcoming school year, several districts are looking to attract new teachers by increasing salaries.The budget decisions come as state lawmakers fight over school choice and teacher pay at the Capitol. Several districts are waiting to see what, if anything, the legislature requires before setting salary schedules. Others will be finalizing budgets over the coming months.KXAN reached out to all 58 school districts in our viewing area to compare starting salaries across the board. The maps below show salaries in each district for new teachers with no experience.Of the districts that have released new pay scales for the 2023-24 school year, Del Valle ISD is offering the highest starting salary, at $58,000. That's a 7.4% increase, or $4,000, over 2022-23."Del Valle ISD teachers and staff are the heart of the district, providing our students with care and love," Superintendent Dr. Annette Tielle said in a press release. "Our raises over the past...

St. Paul school budget plan calls for more spending than revenue

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:01:19 GMT

Even with a big increase in state aid coming, St. Paul Public Schools plans to spend more than it takes in next year.The second round of federal coronavirus relief grants expires in September, and district leaders aren’t ready to eliminate promising grant-funded initiatives like elementary reading specialists. They’re proposing to spend $23 million in general fund reserves next year to maintain that program and others.A preliminary budget outline presented to the school board Tuesday projected $51.8 million in new money from the state, thanks largely to legislative efforts to reduce cross-subsidies for English learners and special education and a 4 percent increase to the per-pupil formula; the actual number should be a bit higher as the district didn’t account for new state money to cover summer unemployment insurance payments to hourly workers.However, the district also calculated $76.4 million in line items that will hurt the budget, including a $12.8 million revenue loss due to ...