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Paul Lisnek on the new House speaker, Trump’s federal gag order and more

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:32 GMT

WGN Political Analyst Paul Lisnek joined WGN Evening News to discuss several big stories from the week.The topics include the latest on the new Speaker of the House, former President Trump's federal gag order, the latest on the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel, and more.Tune in on Sundays for WGN-TV Political Report with Paul Lisnek.

Late season mild spell comes to an end as the first of two surges of cold air hits Friday evening sending temperatures plunging

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:32 GMT

New rain threat late Saturday night/Sunday followed by a reinforcing blast of chilly air that could include the season’s first snowflakes by HalloweenFRIDAY LATE AFTERNOON SET-UPMarkedly colder air just to the west of Chicago and poised to move inFORECAST HIGHS/DEPARTURES FROM NORMALMarkedly colder pattern takes hold ending string of 10 consecutive days with temperatures at or above normalEARLY SEASON SNOWSTORM PRODUCES 1-2 FEET TOTALSU.S. snow cover grows by nearly 5 times in just two daysNew round of rain arrives Saturday night into Sunday followed by the season's first snowflakes on HalloweenKristin Laidre — Narwhals and Polar Bears“Laidre is an ecologist who specializes in arctic mammals, which are especially cornered by global warming:”Narwhals spend most of their time in deep water, in and under dense ice. They need cold water. The other species I study is polar bears. Everything about being a polar bear is tied to the ice. It’s how they move around. It’s how they find mates. ...

Opinion: The Bears balled on Sunday, but they have situations to solve

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:32 GMT

Tyson Bagent, D’onta Foreman and Jaylon Johnson put the Chicago Bears on their backs last weekend, and they delivered to the tune of a 30-12 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, but where does that leave the state of this team?Let’s start with the positives.The Bears win at Soldier Field Sunday marked their first home win in more than a year after going winless in their previous ten home contests (a franchise record for consecutive home losses) — dating back to Sept. 25, 2022 — when they beat the Houston Texans, 23-20. Last Week: Loss to Vikings, Justin Fields injury return Bears to regularly scheduled programming Foreman and fellow running back Darrynton Evans ate all Sunday afternoon, headlining a Bears running attack that registered 173 yards on the ground with 2 rushing touchdowns at 4.6 yards per carry.With the return of guard Teven Jenkins, Chicago returned to the foundation of their offense from a year ago, one that could pound the rock at will. The Bears performance on the ...

On-and-off rain continues as we await Sunday cold front

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Slow-moving heavy downpours are wetting some areas Friday evening, but will slowly taper off during Friday night football games. Warm, humid weather conditions persist on Saturday with a few scattered downpours as we await a taste of winter on Sunday. View your neighborhood rainfall totals Texas football fans can expect a warm, muggy day Saturday afternoon for the game in Austin. While there is a 40% chance of a passing shower or thunderstorm, the forecast Saturday looks a little drier than recent days.Sunday, temperatures start off warm, but plummet late in the day as our first Arctic cold front of the season plows through the area.By Sunday evening, gusty north winds drop temperatures into the 50s areawide. Monday morning, temperatures drop to near 40 degrees with biting north winds dropping wind chills below freezing in much of the Hill Country.In addition to the cold, windy weather behind the front, widespread rain is likely Sunday night through much of the da...

Recent rain raises water levels at Lake Travis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:32 GMT

LAKE TRAVIS, Texas (KXAN) — The water levels of Lake Travis rose a couple feet after several days of rain this week.According to the Texas Water Development Board, the second-largest of the Highland Lakes rose roughly 2 feet compared to last Friday.This elevation comes after a long, dry summer where drought conditions led to the closure of many of the area's public boat ramps. Lake Travis boat ramp to close Tuesday due to low water levels Jacob Williams, owner of ATX Boat Rentals, said as water levels dipped lower and lower this summer, he had to send his dock further out into the lake to keep it afloat.For the first time in a long time, Williams said he can bring the dock back to the shore thanks to the elevated water levels."I think it's the first time in two and a half years I've actually had to bring the dock in because the lake has started to rise a little bit," Williams said.Tabata Indalecio has lived on Lake Travis for two years. In that time, she said drought conditions ha...

Women’s hockey: St. Thomas hangs with No. 1 Wisconsin before falling 5-3

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:32 GMT

Wisconsin came into Friday night’s game at St. Thomas Ice Arena as the No. 1 team in women’s college hockey and left with a 5-3 victory. But the Tommies might have gained something valuable, too — a sense that their program is starting to turn the corner.After being swept by No. 2 Ohio State and the Gophers the past two weeks, including one-sided losses in the two series openers, Friday night’s competitive showing against the Badgers was an impressive performance by the home team.“This is a different space for us,” St. Thomas coach Joel Johnson said. “I will be curious to see how our team shows up tomorrow night. I just got done sharing with them, we kind of did what we wanted to do, we just got outplayed.”While the Tommies are not celebrating after falling to 0-5 in the WCHA, there is something to be said for coming out of a game against the nation’s best and feeling like you belong.“I would say we played our best,” said St. Thomas defenseman Nicole Vallario, who scored the T...

Wild play better, earn point in Washington

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:32 GMT

WASHINGTON — Well, that was more like it.Washington Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper (35) blocks a shot as Minnesota Wild left wing Pat Maroon (20) waits for a rebound during the first period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)After allowing an average of 5.2 goals in their previous four games, the Wild held the Washington Capitals to two regulation goals and assured themselves of a point in a 3-2 shootout loss at Capital One Arena.Marc-Andre Fleury gave the Wild a chance to win it with one shootout goal, stopping the first six shots he faced, but Darcy Keumper silenced a phalanx of Wild forwards on the other end, and defenseman John Carlson finally won it for the Capitals.Marco Rossi gave Minnesota its first first-period lead since Oct. 19, and Ryan Hartman tied the game with an unassisted goal just over a minute into the third period, and Fleury stopped 30 shots in regulation and overtime, including all 17 he faced in the third peri...

Watch live: Update from Maine after reports suspect is dead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:32 GMT

LEWISTON, Maine (NewsNation) — Robert Card, the man accused of killing 18 people and injuring 13 more in two Maine shootings, is dead, federal law enforcement sources tell NewsNation.A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that Card is believed to have died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police are expected to provide an update on the investigation at a 10 p.m. news conference.Card has been sought since Wednesday, when investigators say the suspect allegedly entered two separate Lewiston businesses — Schemengees Bar and Just-in-Time Recreation — and opened fire, killing and injuring multiple people. Murder warrants were issued against the 40-year-old.According to eyewitness Kenny Moore, the gunman’s AR-style rifle allegedly jammed at the bowling alley and the shooter fled the facility shortly after.Investigators were able to identify Card through vehicle registration after his white Subaru was discovered near the Lisbon boat dock. According to information from ...

Missouri lawmakers hold closed-door meeting amid speaker controversy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:32 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A group of Missouri lawmakers met Friday for hours behind closed doors to discuss a personnel issue. That closed-door meeting lasted for more than four hours in the basement of the Capitol. There's no confirmation about who or what the group was talking about; other than it was regarding a personnel inquiry, but this all comes as other lawmakers are calling on House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres to resign. "That's all I can say, I have no further comment," chairman of the House Ethics Committee Rep. Hannah Kelly, R-Moutain Grove said to reporters Friday afternoon.  Attorney loses license after double life is exposed The role of the House Ethics Committee is to investigate complaints regarding members of the lower chamber. This comes at a time when the top leader in the House is making headlines. Calls for Plocher's resignation come after he began paying back roughly $4,000 that he was reimbursed for regarding work-related travel that he paid out of ...

Winter-like weather forecast for this Halloween weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:32 GMT

UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. -- Quick-moving thunderstorms rolled through the area this evening as a cold front begins the process of flipping our weather pattern from warm and humid to cold and almost wintry.  The thunderstorms were well-timed for this evening’s Trunk-or-Treat in University City, the city’s first since the start of the COVID pandemic.  Kids from across the area flooded into Heman Park this evening dressed as superheroes, dinosaurs, Star Wars characters and future first responders.  None of them minded the pre-event rainfall, which cooled temperatures some 20 degrees from the record-tying high of 85 degrees.   St. Louis radar: See a map of current weather here The rest of the weekend will be much colder, with highs in the 50s on Saturday and 40s on Sunday, with several rounds of rain possible from late Saturday through Sunday.  Even colder weather will arrive early next week, with widespread freezing temperatures Monday night and Tuesday night.