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Cubs hiring Craig Counsell to replace David Ross as manager

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

CHICAGO — Longtime Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell will be heading down I-94 to take over the reigns of the Chicago Cubs from David Ross.Counsell, 53, has managed the Brewers since 2015. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal reported that he will sign a five-year deal worth more than $40 million — which makes Counsell the highest-paid manager in MLB history.MLB insider Jeff Passan pointed out that Counsell's deal, which eclipses the yearly salary Joe Torre received from the Yankees, is "industry-shaking." Toward the end of October, Counsell was granted permission by the Brewers to interview for multiple teams — with many connecting him to the Mets. New York hired Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza Monday morning and MLB insiders then said Counsell is expected to be hired by a team with a current manager.David Ross was hired in late 2019 after World Series champion Joe Maddon was not brought back following a division collapse to the Cardinals.The Notre Dame graduate, who was born in Sou...

Body pulled from Fourth Lake in unincorporated Lake Villa ID'd as missing hunter

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. — A body pulled from Fourth Lake in unincorporated Lake Villa has been identified as a 60-year-old man who went missing while hunting last week.Coroners in Lake County have confirmed that a body discovered Saturday is that of Patrick R. Serzynski, who had not been heard from after he went hunting in the area, Serzynski died by drowning, a preliminary autopsy found. Car crashes into Naperville Apple Store; burglary investigation underway It was on Monday, Oct. 30, that Serzynski reportedly disappeared. Though Serzynski’s boat and property were found at his duck blind, a daylong recovery mission ensued after authorities could not locate his whereabouts.The incident is under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. 

2 men indicted for alleged bank robbery spree across Chicago area

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

CHICAGO — Two men face federal charges for their alleged role in a string of bank robberies across the Chicago area, prosecutors announced Monday.Charles Lawler, 53, of Villa Park and Tarandle Lee, 44, of Bolingbrook are accused of committing bank robberies in 2021 and 2022. Prosecutors allege the pair robbed four banks together. Lawler is also accused of robbing another bank on his own. Police seek man suspected in armed robbery of convenience store in Wadsworth The incidents:Sept. 22, 2021: Lawler allegedly robbed BMO Harris Bank in NapervilleSept. 28, 2021: Lawler and Lee allegedly robbed Old Second Bank in LisleOct. 6, 2021: Lawler and Lee allegedly robbed Bank Financial in WestmontJan. 3, 2022: Lawler and Lee allegedly robbed BMO Harris Bank in WoodridgeApril 14, 2022: Lawler and Lee allegedly robbed DuPage Credit Union in Downers Grove 12 face federal charges after allegedly trafficking fentanyl-laced drugs on Chicago’s South Side Charles LawlerCharles Lawler allegedl...

Police officers severely disabled by COVID-19 denied benefits

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

(NewsNation) — Chicago Police Detective Sergeant Joaquin Mendoza says he knew he wanted to be an officer from the moment one came to speak to his class.“When I got home that day, first thing my mom asks me is, ‘Hey, so what do you want to be when you grow up, for your career?’ I'm like, ‘I want to be a big Irish cop,”’ Det. Sgt. Mendoza told NewsNation. “And my mom said, ‘Well, the Irish ain’t happening, because you know me and your dad, we’re Mexican. The big, that's probably not going to happen either, because neither one of us are big people. But if you study hard, and you do well in school, and you're a good kid, then maybe you'll get the chance to be a police officer.’ So I lucked out and got my dream job.”Over his 22 years on the police force, he worked on some of the grisliest crimes, helping to solve the murder of Leticia Barrera. The pregnant mother of three was shot and killed in front of her house on Halloween day, while holding her little girl’s hand. COVID hospitaliza...

Covenant School shooter: Images purportedly showing 'manifesto' prompt investigation

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Images of unverified pages from The Covenant School shooter's writings were released to the public Monday by a conservative radio host. Steven Crowder posted images of three pages from a notebook allegedly from the shooter's so-called "manifesto."Crowder told Nexstar's WKRN the images were taken by a detective at the Covenant School scene and sent to his source within the Metro Nashville Police Department. His team flew to Nashville to obtain the images and verify the source.He did not disclose if he has any more pages to share, but added Metro police should be able to authenticate the documents since they have possession of the shooter's journals. Metro police spokesperson Kris Mumford told WKRN the department is "still looking into it."On March 27, six people, including three children, were shot and killed by 28-year-old Audrey Hale at the Covenant School in Green Hills. The victims were identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, ...

Here are the 21 routes being cut by American Airlines at Austin airport

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

The above video shows KXAN News Today’s top morning headlines for Monday, Nov. 6, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) — American Airlines has revealed the list of 21 nonstop flights from Austin that are being cut from its schedule in 2024.The canceled routes include six international destinations and 15 domestic destinations. Service will be cut between January and April.Thirteen of the 21 routes are currently served by other airlines, but the cuts mean eight destinations will no longer have direct service from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: American Airlines to cut routes from Austin airport Here's a look at when service on each route will end:Some of the new routes were only launched earlier this year, including Memphis, Fort Myers and Sacramento. International service to Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Cozumel, Mexico, was launched in June 2022.The airline previously ended nonstop service to San Juan, Puerto Rico, in November 2022, and St. Louis in May 2023."Austin remains...

Why Texas' constitutional amendment elections historically have low voter turnout

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Tuesday is Election Day in Texas, with 14 constitutional amendments on the ballot along with a handful of other local items Austin area voters will weigh in on. There are more than 17.7 million registered in Texas — yet as of the close of early voting on Friday evening, just over 1.2 million ballots were cast, marking a statewide turnout of 6.99%.That turnout volume is slightly lower compared to previous off-year election cycles, yet still on trend for typical voting behavior, said Dr. Brian Smith, a political science professor at St. Edward's University. RELATED: How many people have voted in the November 2023 election? "When we look at the election, it's what we call a 'low salience election,'" he said. "There's no real partisan issues out there. There's no real individuals driving turnout. There isn't a lot of media coverage that will get people excited to the polls, and there's not a lot of other races out there, other than maybe some local races or local bond ...

Texas House unveils latest education plan, proposing more money for ESAs and public schools

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- As the third legislative session lapses without movement to increase public school funding or establish Gov. Greg Abbott's priority of education savings accounts, lawmakers are reviewing a new proposal they plan on debating if and when the governor calls them back for a fourth special session.State Rep. Brad Buckley, the Fort Worth Republican who chairs the powerful Public Education Committee in the House, shared a draft overview of a bill he intends to file in the next special session. He says the bill "has been shaped by extensive discussion between House Members, the Governor's Office, and key education stakeholders over the past several months.""In the likely event that Governor Abbott calls us back into session... my intent is to file this bill at the earliest opportunity," Rep. Buckley said in a letter to House colleagues. It is possible the Governor starts another 30-day legislative session as soon as Wednesday. State of Texas: Hope fades for deal on sch...

Gobble, gobble! Wild turkeys gather in Austin backyard

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — 'Tis the season? An Austin man discovered a flock of 10 turkeys in his backyard late last week near Taterwood Drive and Anderson Mill Road in northwest Austin.Texas is home to three subspecies of turkey: the Eastern, Rio Grande and Merriam turkeys, according to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. The Rio Grande subspecies is the most popular of the three, with all turkeys tending to reside near rivers and lakes due to their high water intake needs. An Austin man discovered a flock of 10 turkeys in his backyard late last week near Taterwood Drive and Anderson Mill Road in northwest Austin. (Courtesy: Jerry D. Harper)Today, turkeys are present in 223 of Texas' 254 counties, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. But that wasn't always the case: A hundred years ago, TPWD documents said turkeys nearly vanished in Texas "due to unregulated hunting and loss of habitat." That all changed following both hunter and landowner supports, bag limits and hunting r...

Whitney Wolfe Herd stepping down as CEO of Bumble

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:55 GMT

AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) -- Bumble Inc. co-founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd is stepping down almost a decade after starting the Austin-based dating app company.Herd will officially step down as CEO on Jan. 2, and she will be succeeded by Lidiane Jones, who is currently CEO at workforce communications company Slack, according to a Nov. 6 announcement. Herd will remain at Bumble as executive chair.Herd founded Bumble in 2014 after being a co-founder and vice president of marketing at Tinder. She built Bumble into a fierce rival with a differentiated approach to dating – requiring women to make the first move and following up with a series of user experience rules that helped keep women more comfortable and safer in the rapidly emerging world of app-based dating. In addition to its namesake dating app, Bumble also operates Bumble for Friends, Badoo and Fruitz.Bumble went on to become a billion-dollar company and had its initial public offering in 2021. It is perhaps no surpri...