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Welcome to Lake Cow-nty: Giant cow sculpture pays homage to farmers and land — it just needs a name

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:12 GMT

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. — In some regards, the Lake County landscape is every bit as much as it was 150 years ago. But to a great extent, this county and plenty of others in Illinois and throughout America which were agriculturally base, have given way to the modern city and suburban lifestyle.Enter a sculpture of a larger-than-life bovine. It’s an artistic homage to the milk cow and all that she represents — and it’s all because of Greg Koeppen and the Lake County Farm Bureau.Koeppen is the executive director of the bureau and he saw a similar cow 20 years ago while driving through Door County, where German settlers brought them to Wisconsin to help in feeding a fast-growing Midwest.“In my head at the time I said, ‘One day that'll be so cool to have something like that here in a very urban Chicago area,” he said.So 18 months ago he pitched it to the board at the bureau and they loved it.“The minute I told him this is my idea is the vision I have for it they loved it. They embraced it and...

Tuesday Forecast: Temps in upper 80s with mostly sunny conditions

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:12 GMT

CHICAGO — Hazy sunshine and unseasonably warm Tuesday. Winds: SSW 5-10 mph. Air quality is Moderate for Chicagoland. High 88/81 lakeshore. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Partly cloudy and mild tonight. Winds: SSE 0-5 mph. Low 68.Wednesday Forecast: Increasing clouds, breezy and warm. Chance of PM showers/t'storms. Winds: SSW 5-15 mph. High 83.Extended outlook calls for temps to get back towards normal around 70 on Thursday with some rain at times and perhaps an iso. t'storm. We'll enter a significantly cooler weather pattern for the end of the week and through the weekend. High temps will struggle to get to 60, overnight lows will be in the 40s and each day has a chance of isolated showers. Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Study shows shouting at kids as harmful as physical and sexual abuse — and more

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:12 GMT

For Tuesday, Oct. 3, WGN’s Dina Bair has new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch Sepsis test could save lives & money A new blood test for sepsis could save lives and money, according to a finding from a lead researcher at Penn State. The test is called IntelliSep.The company behind the development requested decision modeling to understand its costs and benefits. Researchers did so in hospital emergency rooms. The test characterizes changes in a patient's white blood cells to provide a fast evaluation of whether the person is at high risk of sepsis. The results were published in critical care explorations. FDA warns against probiotic use in pre-term infants The FDA is warning hospitals against using probiotics in infants born prematurely. The federal agency said bacteria and fungi used in probiotics might put pre-term infants at risk of potentially fatal infections. The letter referred to the case of an infant who received the probiotic Eviv...

Never-before-seen photos, videos released in Tupac Shakur murder case

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:12 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Never-before-seen photos of the crime scene where Tupac Shakur was shot and videos from the night of the shooting are among the evidence shown to a Las Vegas grand jury and obtained by Nexstar's KLAS.Last week, a Clark County grand jury indicted 60-year-old Duane “Keffe D” Davis in Shakur’s murder.(Grand Jury exhibit/KLAS) Las Vegas Metro police arrested Davis near his Nevada home early Friday morning. The grand jury, which met at least five times over the course of three months, voted Thursday to indict Davis on a charge of murder with a deadly weapon with a gang enhancement. Prosecutors announced the indictment Friday. Tupac shooting investigator: Keefe D ‘talked himself into prison’ The shooting on Sept. 7, 1996, a block off the Las Vegas Strip, followed a fight earlier in the night. In the hours before the murder, Shakur’s group reportedly attacked Orlando Anderson, a member of a rival gang and Davis’ nephew. The files obt...

Bears sign veteran safety to aid injury-riddled secondary

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:12 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — With injuries piling up in the secondary, the Bears are adding a safety to the fold on a short week. Duron Harmon will certainly give the team plenty of experience as he starts a new chapter of his career in Chicago.The Bears have signed veteran defensive back Duron Harmon to the active roster from the Ravens’ practice squad..The three-time Super Bowl champ has played with the Patriots, Lions, Falcons & Raiders..He signed with Baltimore Sep. 12..@WGNNews pic.twitter.com/C2VaYvb5m6— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) October 3, 2023The safety was signed off the practice squad of the Ravens and onto the active roster for the Bears as they get ready for Thursday's game against the commanders at FedEx Field. This comes as the Bears are currently dealing with a few injuries in the secondary, including starting safety Eddie Jackson, who has been sidelined for the last two games with a foot injury. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson is still dealing with a hamstring issue al...

Taco Bell brings back Taco Lover's Pass: 30 days of tacos for just $10, including newest addition

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:12 GMT

(KTVI/WXIN) — There's a limited-time deal available for Taco Bell lovers unlike many others: For $10, you can score "30 consecutive days of tacos" — and the offerings include the chain's newest taco creation.Taco Bell's "digital taco subscription," known as the Taco Lover's Pass, rewards members who sign up for the promotion through the Taco Bell app on Tuesday or Wednesday, the restaurant announced. (The promotion can only be purchased on Tuesday or Wednesday, the latter marking National Taco Day.)Once purchased for the one-time price of $10, “a hidden category will unlock on the app menu, allowing fans to choose a taco and redeem in-restaurant for 30 days," Taco Bell said. Users can then redeem one of several taco varieties per day for 30 consecutive days. Taco Bell’s Nacho Sauce goes vegan Fans can stick to a personal favorite or expand their taste horizons by selecting any of the following options on any given day: Crunchy TacoCrunchy Taco SupremeSoft TacoSoft Taco SupremeSpic...

Canadian wildfire smoke blowing all the way south to Florida

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:12 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Instead of sunny skies and ocean breezes, Floridians found haze and smoke when they stepped outside Tuesday morning. Leigh Spann, a meteorologist at Nexstar's WFLA, said the haze is actually associated with Canadian wildfires."[The smoke] has come all the way down I-95 and should be with us for the next couple of days," Spann said.The New York Times reported that wildfires burning throughout Canada are contributing to the poor air quality lingering over portions of North America. According to the Times' forecast, smoke and haze were expected to blow down the entire East Coast through Tuesday evening. Free COVID tests arrive today – but they may look expired On Tuesday morning, the worst air quality in the U.S. was clustered in Florida. PurpleAir, which records air quality data, showed AQI readings up to 171 around the state. AQI scores above 150 are considered "unhealthy" for everyone, according to the American Lung Association.The Environmental Protection Com...

ERCOT trying to increase operating reserves ahead of winter

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:12 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Texas' electric grid operator is looking to increase its operating reserves in preparation for winter this year. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, sent a Request for Proposal (RFP) to stakeholders Monday to increase operating reserves to add up to an additional 3,000 megawatts for this winter's peak load season, per a release from ERCOT. “Our request to procure capacity in advance of winter is part of our continued commitment to maintain grid reliability and resiliency,” ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas said. “ERCOT is not projecting energy emergency conditions this winter season, but we want to be prepared and ensure all available tools are readily available if needed.”According to the release, the request was informed by several factors: significant peak load growth since last winter, recent and proposed retirements of dispatchable generation resources and recent extreme winter weather events. A report determined that if conditions ...

Man sentenced for 2021 murders of 2 teens in Caldwell County

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:12 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in the May 2021 deaths of two teens in Caldwell County, according to court documents. Michael Morris pleaded guilty to the murder charges with 50-year sentences for each charge, according to a Sept. 13 plea agreement. These will be served concurrently. In May 2021, the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call concerning gunfire. When deputies arrived, they found two people with gunshot wounds who died at the scene. The victims were later identified as 18-year-old James Melgar and 17-year-old Adian Zulacia. The sheriff's office identified Morris as one of two suspects connected to the murders.

Amid soaring rates of STIs, the CDC has a new recommendation to reduce them

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:12 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – To increase sexually transmitted infection prevention in groups at an elevated risk, medical professionals might consider prescribing a common antibiotic soon after a person has been exposed, according to a CDC and HHS draft recommendation released Monday. STI rates have reached record highs with no indication of slowing down— cases of gonorrhea, syphilis and congenital syphilis have increased in recent years, according to the CDC. There was a slight decrease in chlamydia cases from 2017 to 2021, but the CDC suggested this was a reflection of fewer people getting screened because of the COVID-19 pandemic and not a reduction in new infections. Over 2.5 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were reported in 2021, according to the CDC. In its draft recommendation, the CDC wrote that some researchers have collected data showing that using doxycycline as a post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) can be effective in preventing bacterial STIs in populations with h...