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Chicago suburb tops 'Best Places in Live in Illinois' list

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:48:39 GMT

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. — A Chicago suburb with a population of a little over 1,300 is the best place to live in Illinois, according to the latest rankings from Niche.com.Bannockburn was not only named the best place to live in the state but also ranked 8th out of 544 for Places with the Best Public Schools in Illinois. SEE ALSO | Brookfield Zoo named 5th best zoo in new pollThe north suburban community in Lake County scored an 'A+' grade for public schools, health and fitness and family upbringing. The suburb was also given an 'A' grade for crime and safety, nightlife, and outdoor activities. Closely following with an 'A-' grade, Bannockburn ranks the best in the state for jobs and daily commutes. The rest of the breakdown:Diversity — BHousing — B-Weather — C+Cost of Living — The top 10 'Best Places in Live in Illinois' are ranked below:1.) Bannockburn2. ) Long Grove3. ) Clarendon Hills4. ) Naperville5.) Inverness6.) Hinsdale7.) Buffalo Grove8.) Western Springs9.) Kildeer10.) EvanstonNic...

Body found in Illinois River near Peoria

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:48:39 GMT

PEORIA, Ill. -- A unidentified body was removed from the Illinois River near Peoria Tuesday morning.According to the Peoria Police Department, the body was discovered by a person walking on the bike trail, who called 911.The body was found by Peoria police around 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday just north of the Riverplex, according to Nexstar affiliate WMBD-TV. Man shot, killed during Rogers Park home invasion Jamie Harwood, the Coroner for Peoria County, the body was found on the bank of the river, and partially submerged.Harwood said that they are not releasing any additional information on the body until it has been identified and the next of kin has been notified.No other information is available at this time.

City of Austin collecting second round of storm debris March 31

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:48:39 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Resource Recovery (ARR), a department of the City of Austin, has started its second pass through the city to collect storm debris from customers, according to a news release from the city. This latest collection should be completed later this week.ARR is also on the schedule to finish the final pass by the end of April, the release said.According to the city, ARR is collecting an unprecedented amount of debris from the winter storm. So far, crews have collected more than 166,000 tons of debris in more than 23,000 truckloads through March 20.Crews typically collect approximately 6,000 tons of material in a year of semiannual large brush collections, the city said.Customers do not need to call 311 to request a collection for the final citywide pass, the release said. Crews are driving all streets and picking up debris that is properly set at the curb, the city said. Furthermore, all existing 311 service requests for storm debris will be closed at the end o...

Rural districts fret as Gov. Abbott rallies supporters for 'school choice' at Capitol

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:48:39 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Gov. Greg Abbott hosted a rally for "parental empowerment" at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday, advocating for his plan to subsidize private education in front of supporters his team bussed to Austin.Senate Bill 8 is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday. That legislation, which the governor dubs the "parental bill of rights," would create education savings accounts the state would fund with $8,000 per eligible family to send their children to private or home school.Gov. Abbott said Texas would increase funding for public education this session while also lambasting unspecified policies in public schools he argued hurt transparency and teach harmful material."Our children are being taught a radical, woke agenda," Abbott told the crowd. "Listen, there's no reason why any student should have a woke agenda pushed on them. Our schools are for education, not indoctrination."Gov. Greg Abbott holds rally at Texas Capitol for "school choice." ...

State boys basketball tournament: White Bear Lake falls to Wayzata in 4A quarterfinals

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:48:39 GMT

Facing one of the hottest teams in the state, the White Bear Lake Area boys basketball team was shooting its way right along with Wayzata early Tuesday in the Class 4A quarterfinals at Target Center.The Bears might have fallen too much into the opponent’s pace and strategy.White Bear Lake Area’s shots started to miss the mark and the Trojans’ upped the pressure to advance in the state tournament with an 81-61 win.“Every time they had an open look tonight, they made it,” Bears coach Greg Burke said. “We ran out of bullets a little bit, or we ran out of ammunition as far as shooting the ball. This is what they do. We like to play inside-out a little bit more. We did make some shots early and maybe we fell in love with it a little bit too much because we normally play inside-out. They normally shoot threes, and we couldn’t make enough of them tonight.”Jack Janicki led White Bear Lake (21-8) with 16 points, but he was 5-of-18 shooting from the field in the game. Jack Misgen added 15 poi...

State boys basketball: Eastview holds off Minnetonka late in 4A quarters

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:48:39 GMT

Eastview flexed the very depth that defines the team’s success in a big way Tuesday, and it’s why the Lightning are moving onto the Class 4A state semifinals for the second consecutive season.On a day where leading scorer Jonathan Mekonnen was limited by foul trouble, others stepped up to vault Eastview past fourth-seeded Minnetonka 72-68 on Tuesday at Target Center.Leading the charge was sixth-man Dylan Omweno, who entered the contest averaging 10 points a game.But with Mekonnen often on the bench, Omweno sensed that someone else would need to carry the bulk of the scoring load. He gladly volunteered, splashing three triples en route to a season-high 25 points.That it came on such a large stage should come as no surprise.“I’m just a showtime player. I like the crowd — it gets me going. Once I hit one shot, I feel like a lot are coming,” the senior guard said. “I feel like after my second shot, nothing was stopping me.”Eastview jumped out to a 9-0 advantage, but a first half t...

Proponents step up push at Minnesota Capitol for paid family and medical leave

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:48:39 GMT

Supporters of creating a paid family and medical leave system in Minnesota rallied at the state Capitol on Tuesday and lobbied their lawmakers to try to push the plan over the finish line.“You know that anywhere else in the developed world, paid family and medical leave is the norm,” Democratic Gov Tim Walz told a crowd in the packed rotunda. “You know that in 12 states and and the District of Columbia, paid family-medical leave is being offered.”As currently proposed, the legislation would set up a mandatory paid family and medical leave insurance program funded by a 0.7% payroll tax that businesses could partly pass on to employees. It would allow up to 12 weeks of partial wage replacement in a 52-week period to care for a sick family member or a newborn or adopted child, and up to 12 weeks for an employee to attend to their own health issues. That could add up to 24 weeks of paid time off in a year.Walz told reporters afterward that he’s feeling good about getting the propo...

Kathleen Collins: Support Ukraine’s victory out of moral necessity and for national security

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:48:39 GMT

Defeating Russia in Ukraine is crucial. Morally, we must help end Putin’s atrocities and genocidal aims and support Ukrainian sovereignty and democracy. Ukraine’s victory is also vital to our national security. As increasing numbers of Americans are losing interest or wearying of inflation and the war’s costs, President Biden and Republican leaders should unite in making the case for Ukraine to the American people.Russia’s war on Ukraine, the bloodiest in Europe in the post-World War Two era, is an unambiguous violation of international law. Putin is not only committing crimes against humanity but also pursuing genocidal ends: the mass murder of Ukrainians and the erasure of their identity as a people, as a bipartisan Senate resolution this February recognized. Putin’s goals in Ukraine include the destruction of the Ukrainian nation, its language and its religion.Russia is targeting entire cities, as it did Mariupol, for elimination.Russia is using mass graves to hide the slaughtere...

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates clash over abortion, legislative maps

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:48:39 GMT

MADISON, Wis. — The liberal candidate for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court didn’t back down from her support for abortion rights or her belief that the state’s Republican-drawn legislative maps are unfair during a debate Tuesday in which her GOP-backed opponent accused her of being “bought and paid for” by Democrats.Janet Protasiewicz called her conservative opponent, Dan Kelly, “a true threat to our democracy” because he consulted with Republicans about their plan to seat fake electors to support Donald Trump after he lost Wisconsin in 2020.Whoever wins the April 4 election for a seat vacated by the retirement of a conservative justice will determine majority control of the court for at least the next two years, including leading up to the 2024 presidential election. Control of the court, which came within a vote of overturning Trump’s 2020 defeat in the state, could be crucial, with abortion access, legislative redistricting, voting rights and other key issu...

Wild winger Marcus Foligno hoping injury bug is finally in his past

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:48:39 GMT

NEWARK, N.J. — The most frustrating part for Marcus Foligno is he was finally back to feeling like himself. He was running hot for the Wild earlier this month with a pair of goals and a pair of assists in the span of a week.Not bad for a player who hadn’t been able to gain much traction to that point.Unfortunately for Foligno, right when it looked like he was starting to rediscover his scoring touch from last season, the injury bug bit him once again. Midway through the March 12 loss to the Arizona Coyotes, Foligno fell awkwardly to the ice, then landed on an opposing player’s skate.He suffered a contusion near his groin, and missed recent games against the St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals.“It was a little freak incident,” Foligno said before the Wild played the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night at the Prudential Center. “A weird area to get clipped.”After taking some time to let the contusion calm down, Foligno made h...