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Court docs: Fake baby cries used as ruse after Ana Marie Townsend killed in arson fire

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

MARKHAM, Ill. — Fake baby cries were used as a ruse to throw off Ana Marie Townsend's grandparents after the toddler was already dead from an arson fire, prosecutors said in court Friday.Melody Townsend, 40, was arrested last month in California, south suburban authorities announced Thursday. She's been charged with two counts of child endangerment and concealing/aiding a fugitive.Her daughter, Ana Marie Townsend, 2, was found dead July 3, 2017 at the scene of a vacant house fire at 155th and Hamlin in Markham.In bond court Friday, prosecutors outlined what they think happened before Townsend was discovered in the fire.At the end of June 2017, prosecutors said Melody Townsend was living with her daughter's father at a hotel. According to court documents, one day Townsend left Ana with the father, who has not been identified or charged at this time, and went to work.When she returned from work, Ana Marie appeared to be not breathing on the bed. Prosecutors allege Townsend t...

Chicago & House Music: A relationship over four decades in the making

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

CHICAGO -- This fall, ARC Music Festival will mark their third year of honoring a form of music that uniquely can only be from Chicago.ARC Music Festival is scheduled to take over Union Park Labor Day weekend, Sept. 1-3. Organizers said the ethos of the festival was to bring the global scene back to the birthplace of house music."Chicago is arguably the most important dance music city in the entire world," Grammy Award winning artist Fatboy Slim said in the ARC Music Festival 2022 Official Aftermovie.Since house music hit the mainstream, many may be unaware that a small community in Chicago laid the foundation for something that people would soon love around the globe.“It's an incredible story of resilience of these communities forced underground and coming up with something that now has this worldwide global residence," Max Chavez, Director of Research & Special Projects with Preservation Chicago said.The End of the Disco EraWhen some hear the words "Chicago" and "disco," many ...

Displaced Little Village Discount Mall vendors find new home

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

CHICAGO — Dozens of vendors who lost the right to sell their goods at the Little Village Discount Mall will be able to reopen at a new location at 51st and Kedzie.The vendors were first notified in February that they had a little more than one month to pack up their shops and move out of the mall. However they did not go quietly, instead choosing to try and delay the eviction with the help of local leaders. El Chapo sons among 28 Sinaloa cartel members charged by US Just days before the scheduled eviction date of March 26 the group collectively petitioned a judge for an emergency injunction to stop the eviction. On March 24 the judge denied the petition.At the time, 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez had said they were working to secure another location for the vendors, though he would not state where.Friday, Sigcho-Lopez gathered with a group of vendors to announce they were in the process of officially securing space at the former K-Mart on the northwest corner of 51st and Ke...

The best places to see California's superbloom

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

With California's historic wet winter firmly in the rearview mirror, many Californians are flocking to state parks to catch a glimpse of the spectacular superbloom.Many wildflowers have sprouted all at once, providing plenty of beautiful photo opportunities throughout the Golden State. The California Department of Parks and Recreation is recommending several places for people to see the colorful superbloom in person.Southern CaliforniaAnza-Borrego Desert State ParkAntelope Valley California Poppy ReserveChino Hills State ParkColonel Allensworth State Historic ParkEastern Kern County Onyx Ranch State Vehicular Recreation AreaRed Rock Canyon State ParkTule Elk State Natural ReserveNorthern CaliforniaMount Tamalpais State Park China Camp State Park Trione-Annadel State Park Sugarloaf Ridge State ParkLake Elsinore, a popular spot to view the superbloom, is closed to visitors this year to ensure "the safety of public land and wildlife," the city said. Officials want to prevent the chaos ...

Judge says Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen can be moved to new facility

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

CARROLL COUNTY, Ind. -- Judge Fran Gull says Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen can be moved to a new facility, although the judge didn’t specify where he would go.Allen faces two counts of murder in the deaths of Abby Williams and Libby German in February 2017 in Delphi. The case went unsolved for years before Allen’s arrest was announced in late October 2022, more than five years after the murders. ‘Prisoner of war’: Attorneys for Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen want him moved to Cass County facility Gull’s order, issued Friday, followed an emergency motion from his defense attorneys last week in which they expressed concerns about their client’s deteriorating mental and physical state.Booking photo of Richard Allen. (Indiana State Police)The state filed its response Friday, although those documents are under seal. Gull’s judgment referenced a Nov. 3 order out of Carroll County that said Allen could be moved within the Department of Correction if circumstances warranted and...

DOJ, White House announces efforts to crack down on fentanyl trafficking

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

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - Attorney General Merrick Garland announced a major operation to disrupt fentanyl trafficking from Mexico Friday."The United States government is using every tool at its disposal to combat the fentanyl epidemic," Garland said.The DOJ says the Sinaloa Cartel makes the drug using chemicals from China, and sells them in the U.S., mixed with other drugs or as counterfeit pain medications."Many Americans are unaware that they are purchasing and being poisoned by fentanyl," Garland said.The new effort is part of the Biden administration's broader fight against fentanyl traffickers."Cracking down on the supply is a multi-faceted endeavor," Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Josh Geltzer said.The administration wants to hurt the supply chain by working with banks here and abroad to go after the drug makers' financial accounts."Ultimately what people want to do off this is profit from it, and if we can disrupt that, we're getting at a key piece of that," Geltzer said.The ...

Can the Bulls keep a regular season trend going to make playoffs?

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

MIAMI — It's a professional postseason that, at the moment, has a bit of a college feel.That's because the Bulls are about to play their second "Win or Go Home" game in three days, just like they do in the NCAA Tournament. With one successful elimination contest against the Raptors on Wednesday under their belt, the Bulls will try to keep their season alive for at least another week on Friday in Miami. That's when they'll face the Heat at 6 p.m. central time in the play-in tournament, with the winner earning the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. That gets them a date with the top-seeded Bucks in the first round, with Game 1 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee set for Sunday at 4:30 p.m.If Billy Donovan's team wants to keep their season going, all they'll have to do is keep up a trend from their regular season.(Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)The Bulls faced the Heat three times over the past six months and beat them each time, including twice on their own home floor. On Open...

Storm chance tonight ahead of near-record Saturday

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

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Clearing skies bringing increasing sun should push highs in the low 80s today. This Friday afternoon's temperatures are expected to be the warmest we have seen in a week and a half. El Niño watch issued: Here’s what that means We've increased rain and storm chances slightly after 9 p.m. tonight as a cluster of storms may be able to overcome the cap in the atmosphere and head toward Central Texas. The highest storm risk appears to our south, but some of our southern counties may get clipped by some storms or rain later tonight. The Storm Prediction Center has placed portions of our area from Blanco to south Austin and Giddings and south, in the "marginal" risk area for a severe storm Friday night. Large hail and damaging wind would be the greatest threat. Storm Prediction Center OutlookSaturday starts with some areas of low clouds and fog before sunshine quickly develops. Ahead of a late Saturday cold front highs on Saturday should soar into the low 90s. The record...

Supreme Court grants temporary pause on abortion pill ruling

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

The Supreme Court briefly paused a ruling from a federal court that would severely restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone.The short order from Justice Samuel Alito on the court's emergency "shadow docket" will keep the status quo in place until at least midnight Wednesday while the administration's emergency request for a stay is considered by the full court.After the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Wednesday night essentially rolled the clock back to 2016 in imposing new limits on access to medication abortion, the Justice Department and the manufacturer of the brand name version of the pill separately asked the Court to temporarily allow full access to the drug, or to quickly schedule briefing and oral arguments to review the case before the court’s term ends this summer.The appeals court on Wednesday ruled 2-1 that mifepristone may remain on the market as the federal government’s appeal of a decision from Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the Northern District of Texas...

Record amount of fentanyl seized during traffic stop in Mission, Gov. Abbott says

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

MISSION, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Reynosa man was arrested in Mission after a traffic stop revealed one of the largest single fentanyl seizures during Operation Lone Star, Gov. Greg Abbott announced.On April 10, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper stopped a black Cadillac SUV at the intersection of 43rd Street and Gumwood Avenue in Mission. During the traffic stop, authorities found five tape-wrapped bundles containing a white powdery substance, a news release from Abbott stated. The substance tested positive for fentanyl, and weighed approximately 14 pounds. According to the release, this is the equivalent of 3.1 million doses. (Photo: Office of the Texas Governor Greg Abbott)"Fentanyl is the single greatest drug threat our state and country has ever known, and this record amount of fentanyl seized would have otherwise made its way into communities across Texas and the nation because of President Joe Biden's open border policies," said Governor Abbott. "Through Texas' hist...