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Winter Weather Advisory issued Thursday for Chicago area; significant snowfall expected

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:08 GMT

CHICAGO — A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect Thursday from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. Friday for the Chicago area, Southern Cook is excluded. Most of the day will be quiet, but rain and snow will likely arrive for the evening commute.Accumulating wet snow is expected with 2-7 inches possible. Highest totals near Illinois/Wisconsin line. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Roads could become snow covered and travel is expected to be difficult for the evening rush, especially between 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Allow extra time and drive with caution.Friday Forecast: 50% chance of snow mainly early, cloudy with breezy conditions. High: 35.Full forecast details at the WGN Weather Center

Boy, 7, dead after fire at home of Chicago firefighter ID'd

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:08 GMT

CHICAGO — A 7-year-old boy has died after a house fire that erupted in the home of a Chicago firefighter on the Northwest Side Tuesday evening. The medical examiner's office identified the boy as 7-year-old Ezra Stewart. According to police, the fire broke out at a home in the 2550 block of North Rutherford Avenue in the Montclare neighborhood Tuesday night. Memorial services begin Wednesday for fallen Chicago officer Police said a 34-year-old woman, a 2-year-old girl, 7-year-old girl and boy were transported to the hospital in critical condition due to smoke inhalation. The boy succumbed to his injures Wednesday evening. It is reported that the fire started in the kitchen and was accidental. WGN is actively following this story.

Renters gain power in housing market

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:08 GMT

(NewsNation) — The rental market is “rapidly shifting in the favor of renters,” according to RealPage, a real estate software company.“Renters facing lease renewals suddenly have a lot more options — often attractively priced as apartment operators push hard to keep occupancy elevated,” RealPage economist Jay Parsons said in a report last month.Unlike in 2021 and 2022, when it comes to leasing renewals, renters have more incentive to shop around for better-priced alternatives.Source: RealPage Market AnalyticsPrior to February, no metro area in the United States experienced positive rent growth for six months, according to the Apartment List National Rent Report for March 2023.This favorable trend, among tenants, is expected to continue due to a “robust supply of new inventory hitting the market” this year.  Dating costs skyrocket in big cities amid inflation For the first time in six years, the national median rent price showed consistent decline from August through January, ...

Council to take up paid South Congress parking, petition requirements Thursday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin City Council will meet Thursday with roughly 40 items on their agenda. Here's some of what we're watching. Petition requirements Austin City Council could ask the city manager to create a charter review commission. It’s goal would be to look at City Charter and recommend changes, including possible changes to petition requirements.The resolution comes shortly after council voted to put two opposing petitions — both of which address police oversight — with the same name on the May ballot. In accordance with the law, when a determined number of signatures is reached, and then verified by the City Clerk, council’s only options are to adopt the petition outright or to send it to voters.In Austin, the magic number is 20,000 signatures, or 5% of voters, whichever is less. It’s been that way in Austin’s charter since 2012, according to council documents. Austin City Council eying changes to petition requirements “A piece of what we’re asking them to look at a...

City of Round Rock wants ownership of street lights, Oncor has other ideas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:08 GMT

ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) -- The city of Round Rock is interested in buying the streetlight system that is currently owned by Oncor in an attempt to save money and quicken response times to damaged lights. City council will vote Thursday night on sending a drafted letter to the utility to request the purchase of the streetlights. Gary Hudder, the city's department of transportation director, said the city is currently under contract with Oncor to provide maintenance and electricity for about 5,500 streetlights. The contract is a little under $1 million, according to Hudder. Cost savings on maintenance Hudder said the city will see a savings on maintenance fees if it decides to take full ownership. A consultant, Tanko Streetlighting Inc., found the city could be saving at least $500,000 every year on maintenance alone if the city took full ownership, Hudder said. If approved at the meeting, the city will send a letter of intent to Round Rock. "That really becomes the official notifica...

Austin Eastciders closes Barton Springs location

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A restaurant that opened three years ago on Barton Springs Road near Zilker Park announced on social media it shut down this week. The owners of Austin Eastciders Barton Springs posted on Instagram Wednesday they shut down the location at 1530 Barton Springs Rd.The message did not say why the Barton Springs restaurant and tasting room closed but did say their original tasting room called Eastciders Collaboratory would remain open at 979 Springdale Rd. In March 2022, our partners at Austin Business Journal reported Austin Eastciders CEO Brad McKeever retired and John Glick took over as president and general manager. As ABJ reported, for the four weeks that ended Feb. 19, 2022, Eastciders ranked No. 6 in the country among cider brands for sales, according to Nielsen data cited by Craft Beer Daily.

How Austin Public Library's used bookstore diverts 47K pounds of items from landfills each month

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a 5,000-square-foot shop off Burnet Road lies Recycled Reads, a nonprofit bookstore operated by the Austin Public Library system. For 14 years, customers have explored donated materials and former items from APL's collection to try and find their next treasure. It's a place where first-time customers have since become regulars, said Paola Ferate-Soto, manager of Recycled Reads."There's a couple that comes here on Thursdays, right before they go on a lunch date," she said. "They come weekly and they have beautiful smiles, always like, 'I found this, I'm so glad!"But beyond welcoming familiar faces and offering customers access to gently used finds, the bookstore also assists the city in its Zero Waste by 2040 initiative."The ultimate goal is to give a second life to these materials," Ferate-Soto said.How does Recycled Reads receive its materials?An APL spokesperson said many books and items are donated to Recycled Reads, while others come through a process APL call...

Crash on I-87 Northway southbound closes two lanes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:08 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- According to 511 NY, a crash on I-87 Northway southbound in the area of exit 2E; NY 5 eastbound; Wolf Road in Colonie has shut down two right lanes of four. The crash was first reported at 7:45 a.m. Get all of the latest news, weather, sports, and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Information regarding the crash is limited at this time. Stick with NEWS10 as more information regarding the crash and traffic in the area becomes available.

5 things to know this Thursday, March 9

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:08 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- "Nothing ruins a Friday like realizing it's Thursday" - Unknown. We're one day away from Friday, everyone. We're also two days away from the annual Albany St. Patrick's Day Parade, which will kick off at 2 p.m. at Quail Street and Central Avenue. Get all of the latest news, weather, sports, and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! According to Meteorologist Jill Szwed, we'll be catching a break after back-to-back days of clouds and blistery conditions. The gray skies will clear up as we head into the end of the week.Albany Police are currently investigating a shooting that happened on First Street that sent a man to the hospital. Also, according to Saugerties Police, the father of Paislee Shultis, Kirk Shultis Jr. was arrested for alleged burglary. Police say he was just bailed out of jail days before this arrest on separate burglary charges. These stories, and more, are covered in your five things to know this Thursday morning. 1. First Street ...

Watervliet awarded $5M in water quality grants

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:08 GMT

WATERVLIET, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The City of Watervliet has received $5M in water quality grants. The grants, three in total, will provide funding for buying the land adjacent to and the boarders of the Watervliet Reservoir, eliminating the remaining sanitary and storm sewers within the community, and replacing 13,150 linear feet of sanitary sewers, some being 100 years old. Get all of the latest news, weather, sports, and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The first grant will look to purchase 58 acres of land that borders the Watervliet Reservoir. Mayor Charles Patricelli says his primary focus is and has always been to protect the quality of the water supply source. The land bought with this grant will stay undeveloped and act as a natural buffer to the reservoir. This Water Quality Improvement Projects (WQIP) grant totals $480,000.The second grant will support the separation and elimination of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in the City's sewer system. CSOs are a mixtur...