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Slim Jim promotional car stolen in California is recovered outside Chicago-area hotel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:28 GMT

Ilana Arougheti | (TNS) Chicago TribuneA cross-country charcuterie con job came to a close Friday afternoon when a custom Slim Jim promotional car stolen in California was discovered outside of Chicago.Slim Jim, a Conagra brand, first discussed the theft publicly on Dec. 16. The car was reported stolen on Dec. 13, while on its way to a video shoot in Los Angeles, Conagra spokeswoman Amy Morgan told the Tribune.“We were incredibly surprised,” Morgan said. “I think we had all assumed we would never see it again.”The car was recovered Dec. 22 from the parking lot of a Holiday Inn Express in Hillside. Police came to the hotel after receiving a ping from Sirius XM around 1 p.m., Hillside police spokesperson Andrew Mack told the Tribune. The car had been loaded onto a transport trailer.Some cars equipped with Sirius XM radio have a tracking feature, which can be used by law enforcement to recover stolen vehicles, Mack said.“I suppose the fact that it’s a fancy-looking car probably contrib...

Herb Kohl, former US senator and owner of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, has died. He was 88

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:28 GMT

By TODD RICHMOND and FREDERIC J. FROMMER (Associated Press)Herb Kohl, a former Democratic U.S. senator from Wisconsin and former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team, has died. He was 88.His death Wednesday was announced by Herb Kohl Philanthropies, which did not give a cause but said he died after a brief illness.“More than anything, Herb loved Milwaukee and Wisconsin, and that is where he chose to live out his days,” Kohl’s foundation said in a statement. “He touched an incalculable number of lives, and those who love him would remark that he is among the most decent people to ever walk the earth.”Kohl was a popular figure in Wisconsin, purchasing the Bucks to keep them from leaving town, and spending generously from his fortune on civic and educational causes throughout the state. He also used his money to fund his Senate races, allowing to him to portray himself as “nobody’s senator but yours.”In the Senate, a body renowned...

Illinois babysitter charged with stabbing 2 young girls is denied pretrial release

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:28 GMT

WHEATON, Ill. (AP) — A suburban Chicago woman accused of stabbing two girls ages 4 and 1 while babysitting them was denied pretrial release by a judge Wednesday.Jennifer Kouchoukos, 51, of Naperville is charged with two counts each of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery to a child under 13 and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.Police responding to a call about a suicide attempt Nov. 17 at the girls’ home in Lisle found one in the kitchen and the other in a bathroom, both covered in blood, prosecutors and police said in a joint news release.Kouchoukos also was in the bathroom and soaked in blood, the news release said.The girls were initially taken to a local hospital and then transferred to Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago, the release said. Both had been stabbed multiple times in the back and chest but are recovering.DuPage County Circuit Judge Joshua Dieden granted the state’s motion to deny pre-trial release to Kouchoukos.Prosecutors also filed a mot...

Texas highway chase ends with police ripping apart truck’s cab and pulling the driver out

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:28 GMT

CHANNELVIEW, Texas (AP) — Texas police on Wednesday ripped apart the cab of a tractor trailer and pulled the truck’s driver out after pursuing him in a slow highway chase that shut down the road for hours.The dramatic confrontation on a stretch of highway east of Houston came hours after sheriff’s deputies began trying to pull over the truck, which could be seen on television news footage crawling along the interstate. The driver’s arrest left questions about what prompted his behavior and the heavy police response. Deputies finally brought the 18-wheeler to a stop on the shoulder of Interstate 10 using spike strips to puncture its tires.For hours, the driver had ignored police commands to exit and continued to rev the engine of the disabled vehicle, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. Even after it was stopped and surrounded by police cruisers and armored vehicles, one wheel of the truck could be seen continuing to spin in its punctured tire.Police eventually ...

Jury deadlocks in trial of Alabama man accused of 1988 killing of 11-year-old Massachusetts girl

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:28 GMT

LAWRENCE, Mass. (AP) — The trial of a 76-year-old Alabama man accused of the 1988 killing of an 11-year-old girl in Massachusetts ended Wednesday with a judge declaring a mistrial due to a deadlocked jury.Marvin C. McClendon Jr. had pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in connection with the death of Melissa Ann Tremblay. McClendon was arrested last year, decades after Tremblay disappeared. McClendon was linked to the killing through DNA evidence, according to the prosecutor.McClendon’s lawyer Henry Fasoldt said his client appreciated the jury being “deliberate and thoughtful” and looks forward to trying the case again.“Mr. McClendon maintains his innocence and I believe he’s innocent,” Fasoldt said.A spokesperson for the Essex County District Attorney’s office said they plan to retry McClendon.No new trial date has been set.Tremblay, of Salem, New Hampshire, was found in a Lawrence trainyard on Sept. 12, 1988, the day after she was reported missing. She had been stabbed and ...

Indiana man rescued after surviving 6 days in wrecked truck thankful for 'outpouring of support'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:28 GMT

PORTAGE, Ind. — A man who survived a crash along Interstate 94 that left him trapped inside his vehicle for nearly a week has issued his first public comments since Tuesday's daring rescue. Matt Reum, 27, of Mishawaka, Indiana survived six days on rainwater prior to being rescued from a mangled truck, according to Indiana State Police.In a statement issued on his behalf Wednesday, Reum sought to "thank everyone for the outpouring of support and all the well wishes, including the good Samaritans who found him, the first responders, and his caregivers at Memorial Hospital."The Boilermakers Local 374 union worker remains in critical condition after being airlifted to the South Bend-area hospital on Tuesday. Union representatives said part of Reum's left leg was amputated "about mid-shin down" following the crash and rescue. He continues to recover in the ICU. Illinois workers can begin earning time off under Paid Leave for All Workers Act starting Jan. 1 "No matter how tough things g...

Politics in 2024: A look ahead at next year's election season in Illinois

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:28 GMT

As 2023 draws to a close, Illinois is shaping up to be at the center of the 2024 political election season. History will be made, with much of it coming in the Midwest.The Supreme Court of Michigan has decided that former President Donald Trump can stay on the primary ballot after Colorado disqualified him for engaging in insurrection.Trump’s legal woes -- his ballot eligibility and 91 criminal counts across four cases – are sure to dominate headlines in 2024."It’s time for the Republican Party to unite to come together and focus our energy and resources on beating crooked Joe Biden and taking back our country," Trump said. Chicago selected to host 2024 Democratic National Convention Despite his troubles, polls show Trump as the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.The contest kicks off on Jan. 15 in Iowa."Let’s finish this job, I know we can," said President Joe Biden, who is all but certain to secure his party’s nomination. Biden wanted South Carolina to...

'That '70s Show' actor Danny Masterson begins lengthy sentence at California prison

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:28 GMT

(KTLA) – Actor Danny Masterson, known for his role in the sitcom “That ‘70s Show," was received by the North Kern State Prison on Wednesday, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The 47-year-old was sentenced to 30 years-to-life in prison on Sept. 7 for raping two women. South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun of Oscar-winning film ‘Parasite’ found dead An initial jury failed to reach verdicts on the three counts of rape Masterson was facing in December 2022 and a mistrial was declared. Prosecutors retried Masterson on all counts earlier this year, and he was found guilty of two of the three counts on May 31. He had been held in Los Angeles County jail in the months since while post-sentencing hearings were held and issues resolved, including the turnover of all the guns Masterson owned, some of which had to be located.His wife, actor Bijou Phillips, filed for divorce in the weeks that followed the verdict after a marriage of nearly ...

These states have the most LGBTQ residents: research

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:28 GMT

(The Hill) — California has the largest number of LGBTQ Americans, according to new research, while Washington, D.C., has the greatest percentage of LGBTQ residents and the South claims a larger share of LGBTQ adults than any other region.A report published by the Williams Institute at the University of California Los Angeles found an estimated 5.5 percent of U.S. adults, or about 13.9 million individuals, identify as LGBTQ, based off data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2021-2022. About 14.3 percent of D.C.'s population identifies as LGBTQ, while Oregon and Delaware, coming in at second and third, respectively, have LGBTQ populations of 7.8 and 7.5 percent. Vermont and New Hampshire are close behind — 7.4 and 7.2 percent, respectively, followed by Washington state at 6.9 percent and Colorado and Maine, where LGBTQ residents accounted for 6.8 percent of each state's population. California, the largest state by population, has the most LGBTQ residents — 1,54...

Gypsy Rose Blanchard, convicted in mom's murder, to be released from prison

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:28 GMT

(WPHL) – Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who infamously plotted to kill her mother, is expected to be released from prison on Thursday after serving more than seven years behind bars.The now-32-year-old was sentenced to 10 years in prison in July 2016 after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the death of her mother Clauddine "'Dee Dee" Blanchard. Gypsy’s ex-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, is serving a life sentence for fatally stabbing Dee Dee.For those unfamiliar with the case, which inspired the Hulu series "The Act," some experts believe Gypsy was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy -- a condition where a parent, guardian or caretaker fabricates symptoms to make it look their child is sick. Man with machete, knife arrested outside US Capitol: police Throughout her childhood, Gypsy was forced to use a wheelchair and undergo unnecessary medical procedures. Dee Dee began subjecting Gypsy to false medical diagnoses shortly after her birth in 1991, first claiming the infant ...