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Letters from jail: Prison guards accused of calling Richard Allen 'kid killer,' wife had to abandon home for safety

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:28 GMT

CARROLL COUNTY, Ind. — In a letter written to the Carroll County Clerk, dated April 11, an inmate at Westville Correctional Facility claimed that Richard Allen was being abused and mistreated by inmates and guards alike. The inmate said prison guards would call Richard Allen "a kid killer" while also teasing him by claiming that he had family visiting. Delphi documents: Richard Allen told wife he killed girls; investigators believe knife used in murders The inmate went on to claim that prison staff even went as far as recording other inmates as they mocked Allen and told him to kill himself or threatened his life. Allen, who is accused of killing Libby German and Abby Williams in February 2017 deaths near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi, was moved to Westville in November after the Carroll County Sheriff requested his transfer into the care of the Indiana Department of Correction.Allen was put on "suicide watch" when he first arrived at Westville but later was taken off the watch...

2 killed in wrong-way crash on I-55

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:28 GMT

WILMINGTON, Ill.  — Two people were killed and several others injured in a crash on Interstate 55 in Wilmington late Tuesday.Officials say four vehicles, including two semi-trucks, were involved in a wrong-way crash around 9:50 p.m.According to police, two adults and three juveniles were in a GMC Yukon that was headed southbound on I-55 near the Lorenzo Road exit when a black F-150 truck struck the Yukon head-on after driving the wrong direction.The Yukon was also hit by a truck tractor-semi-trailer.Police said the two adults in the front were killed, while the three juveniles were sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.The Will County Coroner's Office identified the two people who died as Ronald Dube, 35, and Kelly Quinlan-Dube, 34, both of Emington. The driver of the F-150 also suffered non-life-threatening injuries.Police believe alcohol may have played a factor in the crash.Southbound lanes were closed at Lorenzo Road for several hours. Lanes reopened around 5 a...

Evanston man identified in I-94 rollover crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:28 GMT

CHICAGO -- A 20-year-old man died Tuesday evening after their SUV rolled over on I-94.According to the Lake County Coroner's Office, Illinois State Police and the Northbrook Fire Department responded to the eastbound lanes of I-94 on reports of a single-vehicle crash just before 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 27.Investigators report that a 2007 Cadillac Utility Vehicle, for an unknown reason, left the roadway onto the right shoulder and struck a guardrail causing the vehicle to rollover. The driver was ejected from the vehicle.The driver was transported to a local hospital where they were pronounced dead.The driver was identified as Anthony Jimenez, 20, of Evanston.The crash remains under investigation.

Supreme Court to decide on student loan forgiveness

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:28 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The fate of millions of student borrowers hangs in the balance.The Supreme Court could weigh in on the Biden Administration's student loan forgiveness program as early as Thursday, deciding if roughly 43 million Americans can have some of their student loans forgiven."We are waiting any day now,” said U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.He said he's hopeful the justices will side with the Biden Administration, allowing it to follow through on plans to erase $10,000 of student debt for most eligible borrowers."They shouldn't be fighting to give $10,000 to people who are middle class people, who are people struggling to make ends meet,” said Cardona. “The Supreme Court’s decision is going to be a critical one.”But those challenging the forgiveness program call it inherently unfair and argue the president abused his emergency powers to create it."The answer is pretty clear he did,” said GianCarlo Canaparo, a legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation.Canaparo sa...

Why are teens pretending to die from McDonald's Grimace Shake?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:28 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — A "grim" — but light-hearted — new trend has hit TikTok. The premise is simple: Users post videos of themselves tasting McDonald's new Grimace Shake (named after the restaurant's iconic purple character) and then "dying" or pretending to befall some other horrific fate.McDonald's debuted the berry-vanilla (and very purple) shake earlier this month as part of its “Grimace Birthday Meal.” But in the weeks since, the shake has gone viral for reasons that McDonald's likely couldn't have imagined. What the heck is Grimace? And why is it getting its own McDonald’s meal? As of Wednesday afternoon, videos tagged under the trend — sometimes called "The Grimace Shake Incident" — had millions of views, with users becoming increasingly more creative with faux-gruesome deaths while covered in the signature purple concoction. As NBC News noted, sometimes the purple liquid is seen flowing from their mouth or noses.Some users have even posted follow-ups to their "death" videos, postin...

New Starbucks drinks give off summer vibes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:28 GMT

(KSWB) — Starbucks is kicking off the summer with a tropical twist.On Tuesday, the coffeehouse company unveiled three new fruity frozen drinks — Frozen Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers — to its menu. “Since Starbucks Refreshers Beverages joined the menu in 2012, our customers and partners (baristas) have creatively customized their beverages, such as adding coconut milk, lemonade or blending with ice,” Matt Thornton, senior beverage developer at Starbucks, said in a statement. “Inspired by these customer and partner creations, we’re excited to bring the new Frozen Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers Beverages to the permanent menu this summer.” Pepsi is launching a condiment made specifically for hot dogs Starbucks said the Refreshers are its fastest-growing drink category at its company-operated U.S. stores as of 2021. The new offerings include:Frozen Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade Starbucks Refresher: Pineapple and passionfruit flavors are combined with diced pineapple and lemonade.Fr...

Positive West Nile mosquito pool reported in Travis County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:28 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Public Health announced Tuesday it identified a positive mosquito pool for West Niles Virus in the 78721 zip code, according to a release from APH.Although no human cases of West Nile were identified, the positive mosquito pool indicates the virus is in the community, APH said. In 2022, there were six positive mosquito pools in Travis County, 410 positive pools across the state of Texas and 46 confirmed West Nile virus cases in people, according to APH.“As more people are spending time outdoors, especially with the upcoming holiday, it’s crucial that we get the word out on how to protect yourself from mosquitoes and the viruses they may carry,” said Marcel Elizondo, Environmental Health Services Division Chief. “Let’s follow the four Ds and use the prevention tools at our disposal to keep ourselves, our families and communities safe.”West Nile Virus is the most common mosquito-borne disease in the U.S., the release said. It is typically spread to people by th...

Madonna postpones her upcoming greatest hits tour, which included a St. Paul stop

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:28 GMT

Madonna has postponed her upcoming greatest hits tour, which included a July 30 stop at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center.In an Instagram message posted Wednesday afternoon, the 64-year-old’s manager Guy Oseary wrote that she developed a “serious bacterial infection” on Saturday, which led to a stay in the ICU.“Her health is improving, however she is still under medical care,” Oseary wrote. “A full recovery is expected. At this time we will need to pause all commitments, which includes the tour. We will share more details with you as soon as we have them, including a new start date for the tour and for rescheduling shows.”Madonna herself has not posted anything on social media over the past week.A representative from Xcel Energy Center had no further details at this time beyond Oseary’s statement.Dubbed the Celebration Tour, Madonna’s upcoming outing was set to kick off July 15 in Vancouver and include a total of 84 shows in North America and Europe. According to...

Poll: Most New Yorkers oppose housing migrants at SUNY

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:28 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) -- A Siena Research poll shows 54 percent of New Yorkers oppose temporarily housing migrants on SUNY campuses. And this past legislative session, lawmakers attempted to move a bill that would provide health insurance for migrants. Our Capitol Correspondent, Amal Tlaige took a closer look at where the migrant crisis currently stands and how the state plans to react. NYSDOT taking public input on reimagining I-787 During session, lawmakers proposed a bill known as Coverage For All - which would use federal dollars to provide health insurance for undocumented people. That bill passed in the Senate, but not the Assembly. Assemblywoman and sponsor of the bill, Jessica González-Rojas told me what comes next. "And we’re hoping to work with the governor’s office and continue to work with our Assembly colleagues to advance this early in the year, but certainly doing our work over the summer and fall to continue to address any of the concerns the governor has regarding t...

NYS getting millions in federal funding to expand broadband

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:28 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y.(NEWS10)--- Senator Chuck Schumer announced on Tuesday New York State will be getting hundreds of millions of dollars for broadband to help close the digital divide. "$670 million dollars which New York State will get, should come pretty close to allowing every New York resident to have broadband," said Schumer.There are over 100,000 underserved locations in New York State, according to Democratic Congressman Paul Tonko."The announcement has been made," said Tonko. "They are distributing the dollars now because they want to get the dollars out the door as quickly as possible to speak to the sense of urgency people have out there"Both Tonko and Schumer say this is the largest single investment for broadband in the state’s history. According to Schumer, the money will go to the governor who will then have to submit a plan to the commerce department. The pandemic highlighted the importance of having access to high speed internet.\Schumer "Too many of our homes in rural area...