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'Tornado alley' could be shifting to include Illinois, says state climatologist

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:47 GMT

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WTVO) — The state climatologist says data suggests that "tornado alley" may be shifting eastward to include Illinois.Dr. Trent Ford, who has been the Illinois State Climatologist since 2019, said the state has seen an unusually high number of tornadoes this year. According to the National Weather Service, Illinois leads the nation in the number of confirmed tornadoes, with 86 so far this year and 22 in March alone.Illinois also leads every state in severe weather reports this year aside from Texas."Our peak is between April and June climatologically, so to get that many tornadoes, basically a year’s worth of tornadoes just in January, February, and March is really incredible,” Ford said, according to The Center Square.“This area here in Illinois and especially further south as you get into parts of Tennessee, Mississippi and down to the Gulf Coast has seen an increase in at least a frequency of those tornado days,” he said.In Belvidere, an EF-1 tornado ripped off th...

Illinois rideshare bill affecting Uber, Lyft passes Senate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:47 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — A new bill opposed by ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft is moving closer to becoming law, a move that the companies say could force them to end services in Illinois.The bill follows a case in which a Chicago woman sued Lyft after claiming she was sexually assaulted by the driver. Lyft argued since their drivers were defined by Illinois law not to be common carriers, they were not liable for any damages.A bill in the state capitol would remove the exemption of drivers of rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft, and lump them in with carriers such as bus drivers, train conductors, airline pilots, and taxi drivers, who have “vicarious liability”: if a bus rider for an unsafe ride sues the driver, the bus company can also be found liable for employing an unsafe driver under Illinois law.Lyft officials are strongly opposed to the bill. They argue with the current laws in place, only 0.0002% of their rides have a registered safety incident. Representatives...

House to debate broad border powers expansion in challenge to federal law

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:47 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- The Texas House on Tuesday evening is set to debate legislation to significantly expand the state's authority over the U.S. border.House Bill 20 by Tyler Republican Matt Schaefer would create the "Border Protection Unit" as a new agency under the Texas Department of Public Safety. Officers in that unit would have authority to arrest unlawful border crossers, build border barriers, search vehicles, use force against cartels and more. Their jurisdiction would extend not just to border areas, but to every part of the state."Our limited law enforcement personnel cannot effectively address fentanyl smuggling across our border when they're spending their time processing people," Schaefer said. "We have to restore order to the Texas border. House Bill 20 will invoke legal authorities in the United States Constitution which allow a state to defend itself when poison is being pumped into our neighborhoods."The bill asserts that drug and human smuggling on the southern bor...

'Shock, disbelief': Kyle church closing child care program, families left frustrated

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:47 GMT

KYLE, Texas (KXAN) - Families in Kyle are scrambling to find child care after a program provided by First Baptist Church Kyle announced its closing. "Shock, disbelief, a little bit of panic, right? Because now, where are we going to put our child?" said parent, Abigail Silva. Her daughter attends the Mother's Day Out Program offered at the church. "It allows families to have part time child care at an affordable rate and it's Christian based," Silva said. She was planning on sending her youngest there as well, but that's not possible anymore. RELATED COVERAGE: Austin City Council studying solutions for childcare affordability Now, she worries her family will go from paying around $400 a month to double that. "For a lot of families $1,100...$800, you know, a month that's a mortgage payment to a lot of families, that's car payments," Silva said. Along with the financial factor, she's concerned about the availability of child care with waitlists. "When are they going to be able to g...

Raise-the-age gun bill in peril as Texas House deadline looms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:47 GMT

(Texas Tribune) — The unexpected elation felt this week by gun control advocates and families of Uvalde shooting victims quickly faded Tuesday, when a bill that would raise the age to legally purchase semi-automatic rifles lost its newfound momentum and was left off the Texas House’s agenda ahead of a key deadline.If the bill isn’t added to the agenda soon, the development could permanently obstruct its path to becoming law.The proposal has long faced stiff odds in a state that has regularly loosened gun restrictions in recent years. But on Monday, in the aftermath of the deadly shooting in an Allen shopping mall, a House committee unexpectedly advanced the legislation in an 8-5 vote that included two Republicans supporting it.That left little time for the bill to be added to the House’s calendar, however. The final day the House can pass bills is Thursday, and the chamber’s agenda must be approved 36 hours ahead of when they convene. That creates a de facto deadline of around 10 p....

Women’s golf: Gophers freshman Isabella McCauley shoots herself back into contention at NCAA regionals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:47 GMT

Isabella McCauley bounced back from a rough opening round with a 5-under, second-round 67 at the NCAA Westfield Regional on Tuesday to put herself right in the thick of advancing heading into Wednesday’s final round.McCauley and fellow Gophers freshman Mariana Mesones are competing as individuals. Their only path of advancing to the NCAA Championship is by being the top finishing individual who isn’t already advancing with their team to next week’s championships. That possibility seemed out of reach after McCauley was 2 over after Round 1.But her round Tuesday — which included five birdies, four of which came on the big nine, versus no bogeys — has her firmly in the hunt. McCauley is currently 3 under for the tournament, good for a tie for ninth overall. The current individual advancer would be Xavier’s Abby Kiefer, who sits at 5 under.But that number could be a moving target. Xavier, for instance, is just three strokes out of a top-five team fini...

Friday funeral planned for slain Wisconsin deputy; ‘she had an amazing sparkle for life’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:47 GMT

Funeral services will be held Friday for western Wisconsin sheriff’s Deputy Kaitlin “Kaitie” Leising, who was fatally shot last weekend by a suspected drunken driver who later killed himself in rural St. Croix County.The 29-year-old Leising, of New Richmond, was lovingly nicknamed “Bug” and will be remembered as “small, but feisty” according to her obituary.She loved reading, puzzles, camping, hiking, kayaking, waterskiing and playing basketball. In addition she loved Harry Potter, crime shows and the Denver Broncos. But according to the obituary, her greatest passions were her young family: “On October 7, 2017, she was united in marriage to her best friend, Courtney Leising, and the two were blessed with their son, Syler in early 2023.”“She had an amazing sparkle for life, always making others around her smile and laugh. Her humor was infectious, her laugh contagious, and her loyalty for those she loved most unwavering and...

Colonie man sentenced for fatal 2020 shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:47 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Colonie man will serve 25 years to life in prison for shooting and killing a 21-year-old Troy man in 2020. Jarrell Howard was sentenced Tuesday afternoon in Albany County Court. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The 20-year old admitted to killing Nyjawaun Thomas in the area of South Pearl Street and Morton Avenue in Albany when he was 17. He was also accused of shooting two other victims with an illegally possessed handgun. Both suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Electric vehicles charging station may be coming to St. Charles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:47 GMT

ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The City of St. Charles is thinking about going electric. On Tuesday, the city council discussed installing charging stations for electric vehicles throughout the area.St. Charles is one of many municipalities that is making that change."I remember days ago, people thought it was in the future. Ten years ago, we were instrumental in starting the EVIT program," said Michael Myers, instructor for the IBEW Training Center. "Ten years ago, we started instructing journeyman wiremen on the installation of charging stations. When it comes to charging stations, there's not much to do. You bolt it to the ground, you wire it up, and it's done. The real problem comes in with the calculations. How much load can I put on that building? How many can I put on there? This is one of the issues they're going to come up tonight is, do we want level one chargers or level two chargers, or what are we expecting? I think the first thing they have to realize is what our goal is." Morga...

How CBIZ Colorado is redefining employee experience through wellness, balance and community engagement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:47 GMT

CBIZ’s commitment to its employees is evident in its employee engagement initiatives including professional development opportunities, wellness programs, community involvement projects and year-round social events that unite employees.CBIZ is one of many companies in the financial services industry. But what sets it apart from other companies is its commitment to creating a flexible and fun work environment that prioritizes employee engagement, wellness and growth.Founded in 1996, CBIZ is a leading financial, insurance, and advisory service provider to businesses throughout the United States. With over 120 offices in 33 states, including two in Colorado, CBIZ is one of the country’s largest accounting services and insurance brokerage providers.“When we appreciate our employees, we create an environment where they feel valued, respected, and motivated to contribute their best,” said CBIZ Colorado Senior Managing Director Dan Seff. “It’s not just ab...