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See the progress of the Arlington Park demolition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:12 GMT

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — What was once a prominent horse racing track in the northwest suburbs is now almost completely unrecognizable.The majority of the grandstand that was once the prominent feature of Arlington Park has been torn down as the Bears continue to clear the land they purchased back in February. SkyCam 9 flew over the 326-acre property on Friday which revealed the significant progress of the demotion of the race course that began in June, when the NFL team got permits to tear down the exterior of the building.Demolition of the interior began in May with the completion of the exterior teardown initially expected to take until the end of the year, but it appears they may be ahead of schedule based on the video from SkyCam 9 on Friday.The office, paddock, and jockey building started to be demolished in the fall and are expected to be completed by the end of the year. While the Bears own the property, which they purchased for $197.2 million, they still have not fully com...

Conversion of West Side park into migrant shelter leaves youth football team in the dark

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:12 GMT

CHICAGO — The Windy City Dolphins Youth Football Team has been a part of the West Side community for three decades, but they are unsure of where their home will be once Amundsen Park is converted into a migrant shelter."This is all we have," said Darryl Adams, coach of the Windy City Dolphins. "I’m not sure if it’s going to displace our kids … lose kids to the streets."Residents in the Galewood neighborhood booed the idea at a meeting earlier this week, upset they weren't consulted on the plan to move 200 migrants into the fieldhouse for up to the next six months. City, state officials working with Homeland Security to manage Chicago migrant crisis Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed the pushback today from neighborhoods where migrant shelters are popping up."The weight and the burden of this sacrifice has been on Chicagoans," Johnson said. "And I'm hearing loud clear from our Black residents in particular, that they have high expectations — as they should."Johnson also said he has co...

Over 250 new Divvy stations coming to Chicago through 2025

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:12 GMT

CHICAGO — The ribbon was cut on a new Divvy Station in Belmont Cragin on Thursday, the first of nearly 250 stations that will be coming to the city through 2025, officials say.Officials from the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), Lyft, and 31st Ward Alderman Felix Cardona Jr. joined Belmont Cragin community leaders as they celebrated the unveiling of the new station. A Chicago Marathon runner honors mother, raises awareness for suicide prevention The new addition to the Divvy fleet comes as the bikeshare system works to expand access, particularly on the Northwest, Southwest and Far South sides of the city. Organizers said nearly 3,000 new classic bikes are being added to the fleet to ensure riders a balance of e-bikes and standard pedal bikes. “The addition of new stations and bikes will ensure that Divvy not only serves the entire city, but gives residents more equitable access to both classic bikes and e-bikes,” Acting CDOT Commissioner Tom Carney said in a release se...

Drunk driver gets 90 days in jail for White Bear Lake crash that killed ex-brother-in-law

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:12 GMT

A drunken driver was sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years of probation Thursday for a 2021 crash in Maplewood that killed one passenger and severely injured another.Chue Asham Yang, 59, of Maplewood, had pleaded guilty to driving drunk and crashing into a pickup truck on U.S. 61, a wreck that killed his backseat passenger, Tou Moua, 52, of Fresno, Calif.Chue Asham Yang (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)Moua was Yang’s “best friend” and former brother-in-law, according to Yang’s attorney. Yang’s ex-wife was injured.Court records show Yang was convicted of DWI three times in Minnesota between 2008 and 2019.In departing downward from state sentencing guidelines Thursday, Ramsey County District Judge Timothy Carey cited Yang’s amenability to probation and treatment and his “clear sense of remorse.” The judge stayed a four-year prison sentence.Prosecutors did not oppose a departure; they asked Carey to give Yang a year in jail.In July, Yang pleaded guilty to c...

Body found in Mississippi River near East St. Louis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:12 GMT

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - An investigation is underway after authorities discovered a body in the Mississippi River near East St. Louis on Friday afternoon. Police responded to 100 block of Riverfront Drive around 2 p.m. Friday, then found the victim in the river. The victim was believed to be a woman in her 30s or 40s. Vacant Railway Exchange building catches fire in Downtown St. Louis Additional details on what led up to authorities finding the body are unavailable. The St. Clair County Coroner's Office will perform an autopsy amid the investigation. Illinois State Police are handling the investigation. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.

Wentzville UAW workers clear one hurdle amid weeks-long strike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:12 GMT

WENTZVILLE, Mo. - General Motors will include electric vehicle battery production work within its next national contract, clearing one hurdle amid the United Auto Workers union's weeks-long strike. UAW announced the agreement on Friday, which represents a breakthrough concession on unionizing electric vehicle battery plants."This is a historic step forward. It guarantees that the transition to electric vehicles at GM will be a just transition that brings good union jobs to communities across America," said UAW in a statement emailed to FOX 2. Vacant Railway Exchange building catches fire in Downtown St. Louis Since mid-September, around 13,000 workers linked to the United Autoworkers union nationwide have taken a stand against three automaking giants – General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis. This is includes workers from the GM plant in Wentzville, Missouri. Following this agreement, UAW said it will not expand its strikes against Detroit's three automakers. Other union priorities ...

1 hospitalized after Downey bar shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:12 GMT

One person was hospitalized after shots rang out at a Downey bar on Thursday night.Downey police responded to reports of shots fired at The Glen located at 7356 Stewart and Gray Road around 11:30 p.m.Arriving officers found a male victim, identified only as a 31-year-old Long Beach resident, with a gunshot wound.Witnesses told police the victim and the suspect, Rafael Figueroa, 44, became involved in an argument at the time. During the confrontation, Figueroa pulled out a gun and shot the victim.The popular local bar was open for business and filled with patrons at the time.One person was hospitalized after shots rang out at a Downey bar on Oct. 5, 2023. (KeyNews)One person was hospitalized after shots rang out at a Downey bar on Oct. 5, 2023. (KeyNews)One person was hospitalized after shots rang out at a Downey bar on Oct. 5, 2023. (KeyNews)One person was hospitalized after shots rang out at a Downey bar on Oct. 5, 2023. (KeyNews)One person was hospitalized after shots rang out at ...

2 charged in insurance fraud scheme that allegedly denied employees wages in O.C.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:12 GMT

An Orange County business owner and his office manager have been charged in an insurance fraud scheme that apparently put employees at risk and denied them wages, according to the California Department of Insurance.Bobby Levell Gilbert, Jr., owner of B&J Tree Service, faces 96 felony counts of wage theft, denial of workers’ compensation benefits to employees, workers’ compensation fraud, failure to pay taxes and perjury, officials said.His office manager, Bertha Rubi Sanchez, 30, of Anaheim, was also charged with multiple felonies for her alleged role in the scheme.An investigation found that Gilbert allegedly took advantage of his workers by denying them what they earned “for his own enrichment,” according to the Department of Insurance.A total of 32 workers were either denied wages or workers’ compensation benefits they were entitled to when injured on the job, or both.Between October 2013 and August 2021, Gilbert, 66, of Santa Ana and Sanchez allegedly conspired to underrepor...

Colorado market massacre suspect fit to stand trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:12 GMT

By Jesse Bedayn | Associated Press/Report for AmericaBOULDER, Colo. — A judge ruled Friday that the man accused of killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in a 2021 rampage is mentally competent to stand trial.The decision allows the prosecution of Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa to move forward. Judge Ingrid Bakke ruled that Alissa, who has schizophrenia, is able to understand court proceedings and contribute to his own defense.Bakke presided over a hearing last week to consider an August determination by experts at a state mental hospital that Alissa was competent after previous evaluations found otherwise. Alissa’s defense attorney asked for the hearing to debate the finding.In her ruling, Bakke said she was convinced that, following forced medication, Alissa was more communicative and had a “far improved capacity to elucidate his reasoning and decision-making.” That’s a critical component of competency, which partly hinges on Alissa being able to make informed ...

Ex-San Jose Sharks coach fired by WHL team for making ‘derogatory comments of a discriminatory nature’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:12 GMT

Former San Jose Sharks coach Kevin Constantine was fired as coach of the Wenatchee Wild this week shortly he was suspended indefinitely by the Western Hockey League for making “derogatory comments of a discriminatory nature.”Constantine, 64, was let go by the Wild on Thursday, just one day after he received the suspension from the WHL.In its first season in Washington state after moving from Winnipeg, Manitoba, the major junior team said associate head coach Chris Clark and assistant coach Andrew Sarauer would continue to direct the club while it searches for a new permanent head coach.Constantine was suspended on Sept. 24 pending an independent investigation that found he violated the WHL’s standard of conduct policies. The league said he will not be eligible to apply to the commissioner for reinstatement until 2025 at the earliest.“The WHL holds our players and staff to a very high standard of conduct at all times,” WHL Commissioner Ron Robison said in a statement on Wednesday. “W...