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$1.55 billion Mega Millions prize grows as 31 drawings pass without a winner

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:17 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — There is no mystery why the Mega Millions jackpot has grown to $1.55 billion, making it the third-largest ever ahead of Tuesday night’s drawing.The prize has ballooned because no one has matched the game’s six winning numbers since April 18, amounting to 31 straight drawings without a big winner. The nearly four-month-long unlucky streak could be all the sweeter for the person who finally lands the top prize, which is inching toward the record lottery jackpot of $2.04 billion won in 2022 by a player in California.“It’s a fun thing,” said Merlin Smith, a retired real estate appraiser who stopped Monday at a gasoline station in Minneapolis to buy five tickets. “But if you’re depending on winning, you’d be disappointed a lot.”WHY DOES IT TAKE SO LONG FOR SOMEONE TO WIN?It has been a long stretch of jackpot futility, but Tuesday night’s 32nd straight drawing since the last winner still isn’t a record. The longest run for a Mega Millions ja...

Girl, 9, fatally shot in head in Portage Park; offender in custody

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:17 GMT

CHICAGO — An nine-year-old girl is dead after she was shot in the head in Portage Park Saturday night. According to the Chicago Police Department, 43-year-old Michael Goodman approached a group from across the street near the 3500 block of North Long Avenue around 9:40 p.m. and shot the girl in the head.The girl had just bought ice cream from an ice cream truck, got on her scooter and was headed home when she was shot.She was transported to Stroger Hospital in critical condition where she was later pronounced dead. The girl has been identified as Sarabi Medina. 2 injured after being electrocuted on CTA tracks in Oak Park on their way to Lollapalooza Community activist Andrew Holmes met with the child's father who said he witnessed the entire incident and attempted to take Goodman's gun away. During the struggle, Goodman was shot in the face and transported to the hospital in critical condition. Goodman was placed into custody and has been charged with first degree murder. He is du...

Officer Ella French scholarship gives 'life to a legacy'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:17 GMT

CHICAGO — At Chicago Police Headquarters, in a glass case, there is a piece of Elizabeth French’s heart in the shape of a star. “Just that piece of her, it was an important part of who she was,” French said, looking at the badge her daughter, Officer Ella French, wore. “I always want to touch it, kind of like as if I was touching her. I just want to touch it.”It’s been two full years since Ella French was killed in the line of duty. On August 7, 2021, Officer French was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Englewood that also left her partner, Officer Carlos Yanez, Jr., fighting for his life.“It’s hard to think that she’s not there anymore,” Elizabeth French said. “I miss her every day.”Elizabeth French reaches out to touch her daughter Ella's star at the Chicago Police Headquarters. (Photo/WGN)French, 29, had only been a member of the Chicago Police Department for three years, but in that short time, she became known for community outreach. “Very young, very short time on the j...

CPD seeking to identify Riverdale homicide suspects

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:17 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago Police Department is seeking to identify a group of individuals connected to a homicide that happened in the Riverdale neighborhood nearly two weeks ago.Suspect vehicle connected to a Riverdale homicide, according to CPD.Photo from gas station security camera footage of three individuals connected to a Riverdale homicide, according to CPD.Photo from gas station security camera footage of three individuals connected to a Riverdale homicide, according to CPD.Photo from gas station security camera footage of three individuals connected to a Riverdale homicide, according to CPD.According to CPD, the homicide happened in the 8600 block of South State Street around 4:10 p.m. on Wednesday, July 26.In a video posted to CPD's YouTube channel, the suspects can be seen pulling into a gas station, riding in a black Dodge Durango with black rims. After driving closely by a silver vehicle, the Durango stops just before pulling back out of the gas station. The driver and two ...

Map: Does drinking water in Illinois contain 'forever chemicals'?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:17 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – So-called “forever chemicals” have been found in 45% of the nation’s tap water, according to a recent government study, but is your tap water affected?If you're wondering whether or not your tap water might contain synthetic chemicals known as PFAS, nonprofit Environmental Working Group created an interactive map using official records and data from public drinking water systems to show where forever chemicals were found to be above and below the advised maximum concentration level, 4 parts per trillion (PPT). EWG notes that while researchers used the highest quality data available, contamination levels are based on a single point in time and may not reflect changes to the water system or treatment efforts.(Copyright © Environmental Working Group)Search the map for your own address.The synthetic compounds known collectively as PFAS are contaminating drinking water to varying extents in large cities and small towns — and in private wells and public sys...

Workers strike at Loretto Hospital enters second week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:17 GMT

CHICAGO — Workers at Loretto Hospital were back on the picket line Monday as the strike enters its second week. Workers continue to call for living wages, saying low pay has created an understaffing problem that now impacts patient care. At least 200 workers at Loretto Hospital on the city’s Southwest Side walked off the job the morning of July 31.A union representative says over the weekend, both sides inched closer toward an agreement, though one was not reached. Some issues remain a sticking point, such as how officials plan to address the turnover rate at Loretto Hospital, which stands at nearly 60%.PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Hundreds of Loretto Hospital workers walk off the job "It's not right for Loretto to leave these workers, who have invested and stayed and done the work, day in and day out, risked their lives and their safety, to not be honored in this contract," said the executive vice president for the SEIU Erica Bland-Durosinmi. Union representatives add that Teamsters could ce...

Veterans: Important deadline coming up for PACT Act benefits

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — It's been almost a year since the PACT Act was signed into law, promising sick veterans and their families healthcare and compensation. Now a critical deadline is approaching for veterans who want to apply for backdated benefits. Desert Storm veteran Tim Hauser says he developed life-threatening health issues after being exposed to toxic burn pits. Then, he spent decades fighting for military health benefits. "The day that we got the letter saying that my claim was finally approved, my wife looked at me and said 'yeah your fight's not over is it?' I says, 'no this can't happen to no other veteran,'" Hauser said. He decided he didn't want any other veteran to have to struggle to get benefits like he did, so he joined a movement to demand change. Last August, Hauser and other advocates finally got what they'd been pushing for. Congress passed the PACT Act, promising healthcare benefits for veterans exposed to toxins.  ‘It’s a game chan...

Doctors perform rare double lung transplant on two patients with rare genetic condition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:17 GMT

CHICAGO —Two patients both breathed a huge sigh of relief Monday after receiving new sets of lungs one month apart.A double lung transplant is rare, now add to that the underlying genetic condition Dennis Deer and Yahaira Vega share that caused the organs in their chest to form in the reverse.“To be able to breathe! I spent a lot of time not being able to breathe,” Deer said.“Before I felt like a prisoner, like a bird in a cage,” Vega said.“It’s rare enough to do one lung transplant for this condition, forget about doing two in the span of one month,” Northwestern Medicine thoracic surgeon Dr Ankit Bharat said.It’s called Situs Inversus and the unusual anatomy posed challenges for Northwestern Medicine surgeons. More from Med Watch: Less blood, better outcomes: Combination treatment for women with fibroids “The inside of the body is essentially a mirror image of itself, so the right lung is where the left lung should be, and the left lung is on the right side and then the hea...

Court denies Josh Duggar's child porn conviction appeal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:17 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KNWA/KFTA) — A federal court has denied an appeal from former reality TV star Josh Duggar to overturn his child pornography conviction and receive a new trial.Duggar, 34, was convicted on a pair of child pornography charges in federal court in Fayetteville in December 2021. The defense has maintained Duggar’s innocence and filed a federal appeal shortly after sentencing. Federal appeals court hears Josh Duggar oral arguments Judges Lavenski R. Smith, David R. Stras, and Jonathan A. Kobes listened to both sides present their arguments at the Charles Evans Whittaker Courthouse in Kansas City, Missouri on Feb. 16.In a document filed today, the court announced its intention to uphold the original judgment. "After consideration, it is hereby ordered and adjudged that the judgment of the district court in this cause is affirmed in accordance with the opinion of this court," the document said.

APD: Suspect arrested after stabbing at Barton Creek Square mall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department said a suspect was arrested after a stabbing at the Barton Creek Square mall in southwest Austin on Monday afternoon. Austin-Travis County EMS said they responded to the mall at 2:33 p.m. One person was transported to a hospital with potentially serious injuries. APD said no others were injured, and there is no ongoing threat to the public. This is a developing story. Check with KXAN for updates.