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Weekend Break: Coffeecon

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:23 GMT

Join WGN Weekend Morning News with Erik Runge at Coffeecon!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.

State Department urges non-essential personnel to depart Israel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:23 GMT

(The Hill) — The Biden administration released an updated travel advisory for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza on Saturday as the ongoing conflict in the region persists.The State Department authorized the departure of all "non-emergency U.S. government personnel and eligible family members for U.S. Embassy Jerusalem and U.S. Branch Office Tel Aviv." "Terrorist groups, lone-actor terrorists and other violent extremists continue plotting possible attacks in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza," the advisory states. "Terrorists and violent extremists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities." Biden’s Israel response creates sharp contrast with Trump The updated guidance comes as Israel is expected to launch a ground offensive on the Gaza Strip, a region which Palestinian militant group Hamas operates. Israeli officials gave Palestinians in the area just over 24 hours to evacuate —...

Civil rights activist and photographer to win award for advocacy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:23 GMT

Civil rights activist and photographer Bernie Kleina is expected to win award for advocacy starting with a special photo he took of Martin Luther King Jr. at Soldier Field in 1965.

Alarms sound over high turnover among election workers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:23 GMT

Experts are sounding alarms just over a year out from November 2024 that the presidential election could suffer from chaos and confusion after high turnover of local election officials and workers in key states. Threats and scrutiny often linked to false claims of voter fraud have contributed to a surge of local election officials leaving their posts in recent years. The exodus could mean understaffed and inexperienced teams are left to grapple with continued conspiracies and misinformation surrounding the election process in 2024, with some running a high-stakes presidential election for the first time. Richard Hasen, an election law expert and a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, said he’s “quite worried” about the attrition of election officials and workers nationwide but argued it’s “not surprising” given the threats and harassment lobbed at many in the jobs. “Some of the language that's been used against these officials has been...

Head into shopping season ready to manage your spending and debt

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:23 GMT

(NerdWallet) - Retailers once again have begun their bid for consumers’ attention with big sales early in fall, such as what amounts to a second Amazon Prime Day sale. A longer holiday shopping season lets you spread out expenses, but it also could lead to overspending.Danetha Doe, founder of financial education company Money & Mimosas, said in an email, “It's easy to go into unplanned debt during this time because many of us show love to those we care about by buying gifts or by spending money on travel to be with loved ones.”NerdWallet’s 2023 holiday shopping report bears that out: 52% of Americans incurred credit card debt from holiday shopping last year, and 31% of them still have lingering balances. Survey results also show that nearly 2 in 5 2023 holiday shoppers (39%) feel pressure to spend more on buying gifts than they’re comfortable spending this year, and 12% of 2023 holiday shoppers say they will likely use some of their emergency savings to buy gifts.Whether you’re ...

PHOTOS: Solar eclipse passes over Austin area

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:23 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An annular solar eclipse passed over Central Texas on Saturday.Many KXAN viewers shared their eclipse photos with us. Here's some of their pics:Photo of annular eclipse taken in northwest Austin on Oct. 14, 2023. (Courtesy Debbie Herrington)Photo of annular eclipse taken in northwest Austin on Oct. 14, 2023. (Courtesy Debbie Herrington)Photo of annular eclipse taken in northwest Austin on Oct. 14, 2023. (Courtesy Debbie Herrington)Comet looks at eclipse shadows in Round Rock on Oct. 14, 2023. (Courtesy Candida Wydra)Solar eclipse photo from Elgin, Texas, on Oct. 14, 2023. (Courtesy Cirilo Laura Alicia Kai Almanza)Eclipse pattern shows on Kiwi the dog in the North Shoal Creek neighborhood of Austin. (Courtesy Catherine Kelly)Eclipse view through binoculars on Oct. 14, 2023. (Courtesy Kim Yarbrough)Dripping Springs eclipse watch party Oct. 14, 2023. (KXAN Photo)Dripping Springs eclipse watch party Oct. 14, 2023. (KXAN Photo)Dripping Springs eclipse watch party Oct. 14,...

The 'most popular' Halloween candy in New York, according to online sales data

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:23 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Which kinds of hardened candy residue will your child’s dentist be scraping from their teeth at the next visit? Well, it might depend on where you live. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! CandyStore.com, an online candy retailer specializing in wholesale and bulk orders, has sought to determine the “most popular” Halloween candies in each state, based largely on the past 16 years of the company’s sales data in the months leading up to Halloween. Distributors and manufacturers who work with CandyStore.com also “chipped in” to provide additional stats, according to CandyStore’s analysts.While the top candies vary from state to state, CandyStore estimates that Reese’s Cups, M&Ms and Hot Tamales are the country’s three “most popular” candies overall (and in that order) based on sales per pound between 2007 and 2022. Castle of Terror coming to Schenectady Armory But which sweets, specifically, might your local dentist...

Three metros on the verge of passing St. Louis in size

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:23 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The Greater St. Louis Metropolitan Area’s population hasn’t changed much in recent history. Around 2.8 million residents call the metro home in the present day, a number that's increased modestly by 12% over the last half-century.The St. Louis bi-state region is currently 21st largest in size among US metros and the largest consisting of Missouri, according to U.S. Census figures. That said, recent population trends reveal that three U.S. metros are on the verge of potentially passing the population of Greater St. Louis within the next few years if regional population trends continue in a similar direction as they have since 2020. St. Louis football coach shot by parent shares his comeback story The next three closest metros are within 150,000 people of St. Louis. All three have gained around 100,000 people since the start of a new decade. Greater St. Louis, meanwhile, has lost around 20,000 residents within the same time span.Keep an eye on these three metros...Orlan...

Oregon man dies in UTV crash in Lincoln County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:23 GMT

LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. - A man from Portland, Oregon, died overnight in a UTV crash in Lincoln County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. MSHP has identified Jerome Vogt, 48, as the victim. Next of kin has been notified. The crash happened around 2:30 a.m. Saturday near Jacks Road and Poppy Lane. From Israel to St. Louis: Couple’s journey home filled with hope for peace A MSHP crash report states that Vogt was traveling too fast for the conditions and failed to negotiate a curve properly. He went off the side of the roadway, then overcorrected, which caused the vehicle to overturn. Investigators say he was pronounced dead at the scene. The Missouri State Highway Patrol and Lincoln County authorities are investigating the crash.

Pritzker announces $1 billion Midwest Hydrogen Hub to combat climate change

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:23 GMT

CHICAGO (WMBD)-- Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan have received a federal funding award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the Midwest Hydrogen Hub, a $1 billion decarbonization network that uses strategic hydrogen use to reduce carbon emissions.A Governor's Office news release states the new hydrogen hub will reduce carbon emissions by approximately 3.9 million metric tons a year.“The fight against climate change and the path toward a sustainable future require innovative solutions,” said Governor JB Pritzker. How to see the “Ring of Fire” eclipse on Saturday He continued, “Through this collaborative partnership with our neighbors and with the federal government’s support, we will foster a healthy economic environment for the hydrogen production market, while creating more clean energy jobs and lowering emissions across the region.”Hydrogen use will soon be coming to industrial sectors including steel and glass production, power generation, refining, heavy-duty transport...