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ComEd bribery trial: Key witness told to not 'put anything in writing' by Madigan associate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

CHICAGO -- It's day nine of the ComEd bribery trial at the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago.The four defendants on trial are accused of bribing associates of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.Juror were shown secretly recorded videos and phone conversations, as well as heard testimony from the government's key witness. Final week as Vallas, Johnson close in on Election Day Former Senior Vice President of ComEd Fidel Marquez took the stand for the second day Tuesday. In 2019, Marquez was approached by the FBI to cooperate in an ongoing bribery investigation and become the government's key witness.On Tuesday, he spoke about his role in the alleged bribery scheme to payout contracts of associates of former Illinois speaker Michael Madigan in the hopes of gaining influence of the speaker.The four defendants, ex-City Club President Jay Doherty, onetime ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, and Madigan associated Michael McClain, are being tried for bribery and falsifying ...

Cook County property tax due date nears

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

COOK COUNTY, Ill. — The due date is near for Cook County property owners who were given an extra month to pay their first installment of taxes this year.Property taxes must be paid by Monday, April 3 to avoid late charges.RELATED NEWS | Cook County property tax hike riles homeowners: ‘What would constitute such a big increase?’The extension was due to many Cook County tax bills arriving late last year. Payments must be made before 11:59 p.m. on April 3 to be recorded on time.Payments can be made online at cookcountytreasurer.com.

Freeland Delivers A Good Budget, With A Bit Of Something For Every Canadian

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

Scattered rain showers expected overnight

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Cooler, cloudy conditions continue following our Tuesday morning cold front. As a weak disturbance moves over the area, light rain showers become more numerous late-evening through the overnight. Clouds with occasional rain showers continue on Wednesday and Thursday.Clouds/radar forecast at 6 a.m. WednesdayWinds turn back to the southeast late Wednesday, warming temperatures dramatically later this week.We are tracking another storm system moving out of the Rockies late-week, set to produce a large severe weather outbreak in the Plains and Deep South. The latest severe storm outlooks from the Storm Prediction Center do not show a severe storm threat for central Texas.Severe weather expected for much of the Mississippi Valley on Friday. Saturday is the annual ABC Kite Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Zilker Park. The forecast is for mainly dry weather under a partly cloudy sky with comfortable, low humidity. There is a chance of isolated showers and storms later in...

Woman in 70s breaks wrist, spends 2 nights in jail following 'misunderstanding' at AUS

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – A nearly deaf Florida woman in her 70s was arrested by police after she allegedly caused a disturbance at the Austin Bergstrom International Airport in September 2022. Her wrist was broken during the arrest, and she spent two nights in the Travis County jail.Austin civil rights attorneys representing the woman said that she was not actually causing a disturbance and that it was instead a misunderstanding that led to a broken wrist, two nights in jail and severe psychological distress, her lawyers said. Karen McGee, 71, was traveling alone from Florida to Seattle to visit her sister on Sept. 13 with a layover in Austin. McGee started losing her hearing in her early 20s and now can hear very little, relying mostly on lipreading and her hearing aids, her lawyers said. McGee does not use American Sign Language.On Sept. 13, McGee landed in Austin and had a couple of hours before her next flight to Seattle. Since she is hard of hearing, she sat in front of her gate to...

'I saw his eyes fill with hope': Young Austin FC fan gets thrill of a lifetime after home match

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Not everyone gets to meet their heroes, but a 10-year-old Austin FC fanatic stuck around Q2 Stadium long enough to get the surprise of his life after a match.Christian was in the stadium's parking lot with his mother Anne after Verde's 1-1 tie with the Colorado Rapids, and he saw a bunch of players leaving. The young soccer player himself, who does a spot-on impression of Maxi Urruti after he scores, thought he'd wave at the players as they pulled out and headed home.Christian, a 10-year-old Austin FC from Cedar Park, got the thrill of a lifetime after Austin FC players stopped to take photos and chat with him after Verde's 1-1 tie with Colorado on March 25. (Photo courtesy of Anne Leo)Christian, a 10-year-old Austin FC from Cedar Park, got the thrill of a lifetime after Austin FC players stopped to take photos and chat with him after Verde's 1-1 tie with Colorado on March 25. (Photo courtesy of Anne Leo)Christian, a 10-year-old Austin FC from Cedar Park, got the thr...

APD staffing CMT events with officers working overtime

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Roads are already closed in preparation for the several CMT Music Awards events that kick off Wednesday in downtown Austin. The show airs live from the Moody Center April 2, but outdoor concerts begin Wednesday. 7 free ‘CMT Music Awards Week’ events in Austin ft. Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban The Austin Police Department (APD) said it will staff the event with officers working overtime. "APD staffs multiple large-scale events throughout the year, and we analyze the needs for each event as plans are put in place," the department said in an email. APD said due to operational security, it will not disclose further specifics on the public safety plan. The event comes the same week the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) said it would send resources to Austin amid the city's police staffing shortages. We asked if DPS assistance would help limit how much overtime APD has to work during the CMT events. APD could not answer that question directly, and said APD and DP...

Schools stress need for resources to improve school safety

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- School districts across Texas largely support the sweeping new security requirements under consideration in the legislature, but some witnesses at this week's hearing on school safety stressed one thing: they need the money to implement them."There are a significant number of mandates that are placed on school districts that have a tremendous amount of cost," former state representative Paul Colbert testified.West Sabine ISD, for example, said the costs to implement just physical improvements would be prohibitive under current levels of state funding."Currently, my district has a school safety allotment of about $4,700," West Sabine Superintendent Carnelius Gilder said. "The average cost of just fencing alone is about $204,000."House Bill 3, the legislature's primary school safety bill, would fund these safety improvements by giving districts at least $10 per student in average daily attendance and $15,000 per campus. The Legislative Budget Board estimates this c...

$1M Powerball prize still unclaimed in Texas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Check your ticket! A $1 million Powerball prize remains without a winner after the lottery drawing in October.The Texas Lottery Commission said the prize is still unclaimed as of Tuesday. The Quick Pick ticket drawing was held Oct. 22 with winning numbers 19-25-48-55-60The winning ticket was bought at Tiger Mart 75 at 3070 N.E. Loop 286 in Paris. The deadline to claim the prize is April 20 at 5 p.m. local time.The commission is encouraging Powerball players to recheck their tickets to see if their numbers match. The ticket can be claimed at any Texas Lottery claim center or via mail with a claim form.

Kites to soar over Austin's sky

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Kites will take to the skies Saturday as Zilker Park once again plays home to the ABC Kite Fest. Kite flyers both young and young at heart have been filling the sky with their creations since 1929 when The Exchange Club started the event. Like the kites will do Saturday this event has soared in popularity over its 94 years.Kite flying in 2022 at the 94th ABC Kite FestSaturday will be a day of fun but it could also be a day to learn. Many will be building their own kite creations and, in the process, learn about the engineering in the construction of their kite. Our young kite "engineers" will learn how much wind is needed to successfully get a kite up and flying. The answer to that question is determined by the shape, the size and the weight. Engineering and physics. There are some kites created to be aerodynamic utilizing just a little breeze. Kites that don't weigh a great deal won't need much wind but the heavier a kite is the more wind will be needed to give it ...