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Shelter in place lifted after fire at Michigan paper mill produces plumes of heavy smoke

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:31 GMT

CHEBOYGAN, Mich. (AP) — People living near a northern Michigan paper mill that caught fire, filling the air with thick grey smoke, emerged from their homes Thursday after sheltering in place for more than a day, as environmental officials found the local air quality had improved to safe levels.Plumes of smoke could be seen for miles around on Wednesday morning after the fire broke out at the Tissue Depot property in downtown Cheboygan, about 290 miles (466 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.Fire crews contained the blaze to a storage building at the mill on Wednesday afternoon and they remained on the scene Thursday “putting out hot spots,” officials said.Cheboygan residents living with a 1-mile (1.6-kilometer) radius of the Tissue Depot were told to shelter in place until 1:30 p.m. Thursday, when officials lifted that order following air testing by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.The Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Department said in a Facebook post that the EPA found that level ...

How hard will Hurricane Lee hit New England? The cold North Atlantic may decide that

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:31 GMT

New England is known for its fickle weather, powerful nor’easters and blizzards. Destructive hurricanes, however, are relatively rare and typically don’t pack the same punch as tropical cyclones that hit the Southeast.Hurricanes usually lose some steam, becoming tropical storms, or extratropical storms, in northern waters.GEOGRAPHY MATTERSNew England, in the crosshairs of Hurricane Lee, is usually protected from the worst of a hurricane’s wrath by the cold waters of the North Atlantic, and that’s expected to help reduce Lee to a tropical storm by the time it arrives Saturday. A number of factors determine the path and strength of a hurricane. But the warm waters that can strengthen a hurricane are typically south of Cape Cod. North of there, the Atlantic waters are much colder.That doesn’t mean storms aren’t dangerous in New England. The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 brought gusts as high as 186 mph (300 kph) and sustained winds of 121 mph (195 kph) at Massachusett...

Thursday Forecast: Mostly clear, temps drop to 50s

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:31 GMT

Thursday: Mostly sunny, coolest near the lake, E 5-10. High: 72, Low: 68Thursday Night: Mostly clear, calm, E 0-5. Low: 54Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)Friday: Mainly sunny, coolest near the lake, SW 5-10. High: 77, Low: 74Saturday:  Mostly cloudy, 40% chance of showers    High;  74Sat. Night:  30% chance of showers – mainly in the evening, Decreasing clouds   Low:  55Sunday: AM 20% chance of showers – mainly lakeside, Partly cloudy   High:  72   Lakeside:  68Sun. Night:  Partly cloudy   Low:  53Monday:  Mostly sunny   High:  72   Lakeside:  69Mon. Night:  Mostly clear   Low:  53Tuesday:  Mostly sunny   High:  79   Lakeside:  74Tue. Night:  Partly cloudy    Low:  61Wednesday:  Partly cloudy   High:  83 ...

Trial day 4 of two former DCFS workers in connection with the 2019 death of 5-year-old AJ Freund

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:31 GMT

MCHENRY COUNTY, Ill. — The trial for two former Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) workers accused of child endangerment enters its fourth day Thursday.The multiple felony charges filed in Sept. 2020 against Andrew Polovin and Carlos Acosta stem from the April 2019 death of five-year-old Andrew “AJ” Freund of Crystal Lake. They are accused of having known Freund’s life was in danger four months earlier yet not taking action.WGN plans to livestream the trial within this story beginning at approximately 9:30 a.m. The livestream will pause when the court takes its lunch break, but will resume within this story following that break. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Cross-examination continues on Day 3 of AJ Freund’s death, DCFS workers’ trial The bench trial began on Monday with the McHenry County State’s Attorney providing an opening statement for the prosecution, and separate attorneys providing statements for each of the defendants. Defense attorneys spent most of W...

Rare brain-eating amoeba was cause of Arkansas child's death

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:31 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KARK) – An Arkansas child died after exposure to a rare brain-eating amoeba at a Little Rock splash pad, public health officials said.The Arkansas Department of Health said Thursday that the unidentified child died after exposure to Naegleria fowleri, a rare amoeba that can cause a brain-tissue-destroying infection.Health officials said they had investigated the death and determined the infection came from a splash pad at the Country Club of Little Rock. Samples from the pad were sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which confirmed one sample contained the amoeba.The club has closed the splash pad and pool. Brain-eating amoeba: How do infections occur, and where are they most common? The infection caused by exposure to Naegleria fowleri is called primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM. Symptoms of PAM include severe headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting which then escalates to stiff neck, seizures, and coma that can lead to death. Th...

Chicago Fire Furniture: Torched Wood Specialist In Search Of Beauty Through Destruction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:31 GMT

We love sharing untold stories here on Spotlight Chicago and some of the untold stories include those of independent artists, crafters and small business owners. We highlight a furniture designer and carpenter who incorporates fire in his work using hand tools in his creations. We spotlight Julius Dorsey of Chicago Fire Furniture. ChicagoFireFurniture.comInstagram: @FireFurnitureSpotlight Chicago airs weekdays on WGN from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Sacramento football player dies after practice, school officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:31 GMT

(KTXL) — A Sacramento City College football player died after practice on Monday, according to school officials. A spokesperson with the college said they don't know the cause of the student-athlete's death. River Delta Unified School District confirmed the football player was Justin McAllister, who graduated from Delta High School in Clarksburg in 2022. "We at Sacramento City College and the Los Rios Community College District simply cannot imagine the pain that this young man's family and loved ones dealing with right now," Sacramento City College said in a statement. "All of our thoughts are with them at this of unthinkable grief." Sacramento City players told Nexstar's KTXL that McAllister collapsed and was unresponsive after a 20-minute conditioning with helmets and no pads. Players said McAllister was struggling a bit, but he told his teammates he would be OK. After players found out McAllister collapsed, they were told to exit the stadium. Once they were outside, players saw ...

Manufacturer behind CapMetro's electric buses files for bankruptcy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:31 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- One of the electric bus manufacturers CapMetro entered into a procurement agreement with two years ago has filed for bankruptcy.California-based Proterra said in court filings it was navigating issues in being financially profitable while making custom-designed buses, The Washington Post reported in August.“While our best-in-class EV and battery technologies have set an industry standard, we have faced various market and macroeconomic head winds, that have impacted our ability to efficiently scale all of our opportunities simultaneously,” chief executive Gareth Joyce said in a news release announcing the bankruptcy. PAST COVERAGE: Nearly 200 electric CapMetro buses en route to Austin In September 2021, the CapMetro board of directors approved the procurement of 197 electric buses manufactured by both Proterra and New Flyer. The purchase came as the transit authority was advancing efforts to become a zero-emissions public transit fleet.A CapMetro spokesperson said ...

After selling out Target Center, country duo Dan + Shay book April stop at Xcel Energy Center

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:31 GMT

Country duo Dan + Shay will play their second local arena headlining show when they stop by St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center on April 5.Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Sept. 22 through Ticketmaster. Fans who register at danandshay.com/tour by 4 p.m. Sept. 18 will receive access to a presale. Neither the venue nor the promoter revealed ticket prices. Ben Rector and Hailey Whitters will open.Dan Smyers and James Shay Mooney were pursuing separate careers in Nashville when they met in late 2012. The pair hit it off immediately and started writing together the next day.Within two months, they had multiple publishing deal offers and less than a year later, they released their debut single “19 You + Me.” It went gold and paved the way for “Show You Off,” “Nothin’ Like You” and the duo’s debut album, “Where It All Began,” which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart. They’ve continued that success with three mo...

Washington County board OKs 2024 tax levy limit. Levy to increase, but tax rate will fall.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:31 GMT

The Washington County Board on Tuesday unanimously approved its maximum property tax levy – the upper limit of what the county can collect in property taxes for 2024.Although the $132.7 million tax levy is a 3.95 percent increase over 2023, county officials said the county tax rate is actually set to decrease by 7.3 percent. That’s because of the growing value of commercial property in the county and the addition of new construction to the county’s tax base.The board also approved a tax levy of $660,000 for the Washington County Regional Rail Authority, the same as in previous years.The proposed budget adopted by the board on Tuesday by a 4-1 vote includes $289 million in operating expenses; $59.2 million in capital projects and $15.3 million in debt service. Commissioner Michelle Clasen, who represents the Woodbury area, was the lone dissenter. Clasen said Thursday that she has concerns over equity and transparency in capital projects.Among the capital improvement projects pl...