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Nearly 9 inches of rain reported: Skilling details Sunday's record breaking deluge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:08 GMT

Chicago's weekend deluge was a record-breaker!Widespread rains centered on central Cook County ranged from 3 to 8 inches.Nothing like the drenching rain of this past weekend has happened in more than three years at our official Chicago observation site at O'Hare. There, the total weekend rainfall came to 3.82". Nothing close to that amount has taken place on a single day there for more than three years, report my NWS Chicago colleagues.At Midway Airport, 4.01" fell Sunday which, reports veteran Chicago NWS observer Frank Wachowski, sets a new July 2nd record at the South Side site, eclipsing the previous July 2nd of 2.50" set back in May 2020.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog Other sections of the Chicago area were swamped by rains totaling 4 to nearly 9 inches--in particular a site one mile north/northeast of Berwyn---where an astounding 8.96" of rain fell, most of coming down Sunday. That's an amount of rain twice that which falls in the full month of M...

Hungry ticks use a static trick to land on you and your pets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:08 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Hungry ticks have some slick tricks. They can zoom through the air using static electricity to latch onto people, pets and other animals, new research shows.Humans and animals naturally pick up static charges as they go about their days. And those charges are enough to give ticks a boost to their next blood meal, according to a study published Friday in the journal Current Biology.While the distance is tiny, “it’s the equivalent of us jumping three or four flights of stairs in one go,” said study author Sam England, an ecologist now at Berlin’s Natural History Museum.Ticks are “ambush predators,” explained Stephen Rich, a public health entomologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Charles Barkley rewriting his will to make Auburn ‘more diverse’ in wake of affirmative action ruling They can't jump or fly onto their hosts, he said. Instead, they hang out on a branch or a blade of grass with their legs outstretched — a behavior known as “questing” — an...

'Outlaw' stars Adam Devine and Nina Dobrev on working with a James Bond

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:08 GMT

Pierce Brosnan heads the A-list cast of the new Netflix film “Outlaws."All the crazy flight problems last week kept him from interviews, but we caught up with two of his costars, Adam Devine and Nina Dobrev.The talked about what it was like to work with the former James Bond.And you may remember Devine from the Pitch Perfect movies and Modern Family. He said this movie is not groundbreaking and that's o-k.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too! Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Illenium provides drug overdose education during Austin concert

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — American DJ Illenium is currently on his biggest tour yet and he wants to make sure his fans stay alive to see him again.The GRAMMY-nominated artist and producer performed in Austin at the Moody Center on Friday before 4th of July weekend. The "Good Things Fall Apart" hitmaker is no stranger to speaking about his experiences, and during this tour, he wanted to make sure his fans stay safe.Illenium, whose full name is Nicholas Miller, teamed up with the University of Texas to use his show to raise awareness about drug-related overdoses. It’s a topic that he experienced firsthand. Miller shared his personal struggle with drugs and how it almost cost him his life in 2012.“Six years ago I overdosed on heroin. I struggled with opiate addiction from a young age. I was trapped in it, had no passion, no direction, and truly hated myself,” Miller wrote in a 2018 letter to his fans. “It was such a dark time for me and my family because when it gets bad enough, hope begins to d...

What's that green plant growing on Lady Bird Lake?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thousands of paddleboarders and kayakers are expected to float on Lady Bird Lake for the Fourth of July.If you’ve looked at the lake lately, you may have wondered what’s growing out on the water?From all sides of the surface, large green plant patches paint the waterways.According to the Austin Watershed Protection Department, these pervasive plants are Cabomba Caroliniana, also known as fanwort.Brent Bellinger is the department’s conservation program supervisor.“The growth really gets going in the summer and the plant is kind of living its best life right now in these warm waters,” he said.Bellinger said the plant lives in Austin’s waterways year-round. Yet, it grows a lot larger in the summer. What is growing in Lady Bird Lake? “This is a plant that can get 15 feet tall,” he said. “If you're in five feet of water, there's going to be a lot more biomass at the surface.”Berezi Fenix got tangled in it, while kayaking under the Barton Springs Bridge.“I’ve been seeing...

Police: Bear sighting in Albany

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:08 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Albany Police Department is reporting a black bear sighting in the area of New Scotland Avenue and Ontario Street. For those in the area, if you see the bear, you are advised not to approach it or follow it. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Officers are currently in the area with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police Department. If you see the bear, you are asked to call (518) 438-4000.

University City starting downed limb curb pickup today, power resotration continues

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:08 GMT

UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. - Locals in University City can place any downed tree limbs at their curb for pick-up starting Monday.The area was hit especially hard by storms on Saturday. Officials shared that crews will be out in the coming weeks to pick up debris, but it could take a few weeks to get it all. Frustration, grief over child’s death following delayed emergency response A large portion of UCity is still without power Monday morning.  A city official explained that more than 600 Ameren linemen are working to restore power and remove downed lines.

St. Ann residents forced to evacuate apartment after broken pipe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:08 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - Dozens of people evacuated from a St. Ann apartment building early Monday morning becuase of a broken pipe.Firefighters said a sprinkler pipe broke on the sixth floor of the 'St. Ana Apartments,' causing flooding all the way down to the basement. Anyone under the sixth floor was forced to leave.Firefighters are working with the city to make sure those people have somewhere to go. Frustration, grief over child’s death following delayed emergency response "So we'll work with St. Ann City and try and find a place for these people to go until it can get cleaned up - mainly it's just dealing with the people and making sure they're taken care of at this time." Community Fire Protection District Batallion Chief John Duffey said. The people who are displaced were reportedly taken to the St. Ann Community Center. Firefighters explained that the apartment building is stable and their main concern is making sure the water isn't creating any electricity hazards.

Belleville police monitoring consumer firework use during holiday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:08 GMT

BELLEVILLE, Ill. - The city of Belleville is reminding locals that consumer fireworks are illegal within the state of Illinois. Ameren customers still without power in Missouri and Illinois after weekend storms Belleville has its own ordinances against fireworks. Police there shared they will be actively monitoring and enforcing fireworks violations, which means a citation for anyone who is caught.

Hike atop this extinct volcano in Southern California

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:08 GMT

You don't have to jet set to Hawaii to hike atop a volcano because there's remnants of one right here in Southern California.A dog-friendly trail in east Carlsbad leads adventurers and outdoor enthusiasts alike around a 1.8-mile loop with plenty of sights to see along the way, KTLA sister station KSWB reports. Nearly 600 miles have been added to the National Trails System: Here’s where The beaten path can be found at Lake Calavera Open Space Preserve, which is home to a well kept non-swimming or boating lake that fuels wildlife in the area. It's also home to Mount Calavera, which rises to around 513 feet. What's especially unique about the area of Lake Calavera Trails, according to the City of Carlsbad, is that at one point there was a volcano here. In fact, Mount Calavera -- also known as Cerro de la Calavera -- is actually a volcanic plug reportedly created millions of years ago.These mountainous remnants of past volcanoes are created when magma hardens within a vent on an activ...