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Northwestern fires head coach Pat Fitzgerald, reports say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:39 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. — A hazing scandal surrounding Northwestern University's football team has led to the ouster of its longtime head coach. According to numerous reports, the first from Pete Thamel of ESPN, Pat Fitzgerald has been fired in the wake of the release of an investigation into alleged hazing in the program on Friday, and then more details coming out over the weekend.After severe hazing allegations were levied by a whistleblower, which was first reported by The Daily Northwestern, the school added to its initial punishment for Fitzgerald, which was a two-week unpaid suspension.Northwestern University has yet to confirm the move.That came from an investigation that was launched late last year into these allegations and was led by former Illinois Inspector General Maggie Hickey of ArentFox Schiff. In her investigation, she found that anonymous whistleblower’s claims against the program were “largely supported by the evidence.”Fitzgerald is arguably one of the most prominent athl...

Lake County Public Works: Precautionary boil water order in effect for Forest Lake, Glennshire and some Hawthron Woods customers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:39 GMT

CHICAGO -- Aqua Illinois lifted a boil water advisory on Sunday, but about a quarter of its customer who are served by Lake County Public Works, are still being asked to boil water out of precaution until more test results come back.Aqua, the essential utilities company, announced the boil water advisory that was originally placed back on July 3 for Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer and Lake County Public Works was lifted on Sunday, July 9.Over the weekend, Aqua Illinois identified the problem causing low pressure across the system, a significant leak at Spencer Loomis Elementary School in Hawthorn Woods.Aqua released an update on Sunday confirming the boil advisory being lifted after water quality tests from a third-party lab indicated water in the areas is now safe for use and meets the necessary approval levels set by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).For now, Lake County Public Works announced it was keeping a precautionary boil order in effect for its customers in Forest...

Illinois lawmaker looks to create student-athlete bill of rights

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:39 GMT

CHICAGO -- A Illinois state lawmaker and former student-athlete have been charging hard for a student athlete’s bill of rights. And in light of the Northwestern baseball and football allegations, he thinks his plan will pass.Illinois State Representative and former University of Illinois football player Kam Bucker has turned focus on gender equity, guaranteed education benefits and more to protect student-athletes moving forward."We’ve got to do something different with the way we operate college sports in this country," Rep. Bucker said. "Listen, a college locker room is a very complicated place especially for a young rookie. It’s a very vulnerable time, I think, for a young athlete when they first step foot on campus."Buckner said in addition to homework, tests, and adjusting to life on campus, a young athlete must prove himself to his teammates, but the Northwestern allegations of widespread hazing, including sexual violations, cross the line."What we saw, what we heard, what the...

Sex offender charged with murder after 10-year-old Rockford girl found dead

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:39 GMT

ROCKFORD, Ill. — A registered sex offender from Blue Island has been charged with first degree murder after a 10-year-old girl was found dead in Rockford Saturday, according to the Rockford Police Department.Antonio Monroe, 44, was charged Sunday with first-degree murder, attempted murder, two counts of kidnapping and aggravated battery/strangulation. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Police: 10-year-old girl found dead in Rockford According to police, officers were dispatched around 12:07 p.m. Saturday after a call from a woman who said her 6-year-old daughter came home and that a man took her 10-year-old sister."This is truly a real-life nightmare and it’s honestly worse than any situation I could ever think of on my own,” said Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara. "I think this is, again, a real-life nightmare, with a real-life monster.”At around 12:40 p.m., Rockford police officers said they were flagged down by a male who said he found an unresponsive juvenile girl outside of a residence in the 1200...

Twins go pitcher heavy on second day of MLB draft

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:39 GMT

The Twins spent the second day of the Major League Baseball draft stockpiling arms to add to their minor league system.Six of the eight picks they made on Monday were pitchers — five righties, one lefty — to add to a draft class that already included 17-year-old prep pitcher Charlee Soto, whom they selected with the 34th overall pick on Sunday night.The Twins snapped up Tanner Hall of Southern Mississippi with their fourth-round pick, added Wisconsin high schooler Dylan Questad in the fifth round and capped their day by picking four college pitchers: Nolan Santos, Jace Stoffal, Jack Dougherty and Ross Dunn. Dunn was the college teammate of Twins’ second-round pick Luke Keaschall.The Twins’ first pick of the day, Brandon Winokur, is a high school outfielder whom MLB Pipeline wrote could fall “in the five-tool potential bucket.” The only other position player they took on Monday was sixth-rounder Jay Harry, a shortstop out of Penn State.The draft will conclude on Tuesday with the fina...

Little Canada father sentenced to prison in toddler’s fatal opioid overdose

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:39 GMT

The father of a 15-month-old boy who died after ingesting heroin and fentanyl at their Little Canada apartment was sentenced Monday to nearly five years in prison.Joseph Tanner Elajah Compton, 29, was convicted of second-degree manslaughter for his part in last year’s death of Ryder J. Compton. A third-degree murder charge was dismissed under a plea agreement Compton reached with prosecutors in May.Ramsey County Judge Kelly Olmstead sentenced Compton to 58 months — the presumptive sentence under state guidelines for someone with Compton’s criminal history. He has credit for 256 days served.The boy’s mother, Andrea Niccole Intveld, was sentenced to 41 months in prison in April after pleading guilty to second-degree manslaughter in the case.Heroin laced with fentanylJoseph Tanner Elajah Compton and Andrea Niccole Intveld. (Courtesy of the Ramsey County sheriff’s office)Ramsey County sheriff’s deputies responded to an emergency call, in which Intveld reported a child not br...

Expect I-94 closures this weekend due to Gold Line construction

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:39 GMT

A section of Interstate 94 will be closed this weekend due to construction of the new Metro Gold Line between St. Paul and Woodbury, according to the Metropolitan Council.I-94 will be almost entirely closed from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday between I-35E and I-694/I-494 as crews demolish the Maple Street Pedestrian Bridge in St. Paul in preparation for replacement this year. The westbound lanes of I-94 will be closed the entire distance while the eastbound lanes will be closed from U.S. 52 to U.S. 61.(Courtesy of the Metropolitan Council)Other impacts:Hudson Road in St. Paul will be closed to through traffic between Maple Street and Earl Street starting Tuesday. Hudson Road between Earl Street and Griffith Street will be closed starting July 24.The westbound I-94 off-ramp at Mounds Boulevard will be closed beginning Friday through the fall.Northbound Mounds Boulevard will be closed between I-94 and Kellogg Boulevard beginning Monday through fall.These closures are part of cons...

Major Case Squad detectives 'invested' in solving Pagedale homicide

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:39 GMT

PAGEDALE, Mo. – The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis is asking for the public’s help in identifying persons of interest in connection with a homicide investigation in Pagedale.More than 20 detectives with the Major Case Squad are assisting the Pagedale Police Department in the fatal shooting of Jaylin Johnson.The shooting happened around 1 a.m. on Friday, July 7, on St. Charles Rock Road at Engelholm Avenue. Police discovered Johnson’s lifeless body at the scene, as well as numerous shell casings. Johnson was 19.Police would like to speak with three people seen near the scene, and hope they may have information about Johnson's death. Parson signs laws for new moms’ health care, ban on texting while driving “We released three separate photos for three individuals—two females and one male—that were taken just prior to Jaylin’s death,” Sgt. Melissa Doss, a spokeswoman for the Major Case Squad, said. “We are hoping someone can tell us who they are, or those people recognize thems...

State Representative Quade holds gubernatorial kickoff event in hometown

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:39 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Democratic candidate Crystal Quade held her first event since announcing her run for governor in her hometown Monday morning. Quade, who represents Springfield, is the first Democratic candidate to throw her hat into the race. She was first elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in November 2016 and was later elected by her caucus to serve as the House Minority Floor Leader for the 100th General Assembly in 2019 and was re-elected in 2021 and 2023. She is in her last term as a state representative, serving eight years by the end of 2024. "Missourians don't need more of the same, doesn't want more of the same," Quade told a room full of supporters at a local coffee shop Monday. "I'm running for governor so that people who are working extra shifts today can make life better for those kids tomorrow."Quade was the first in her family to graduate high school and then went on to earn a degree in social work at Missouri State University. She is the former direc...

Crews working to repair water main breaks in St. Louis area

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:39 GMT

ST. LOUIS - FOX 2 team was on the scene near Tower Grove Park around 4 a.m. Monday, where crews were inspecting the site of the water line break.The St. Louis Water Division crews shut off the water from 11 p.m. Sunday until around 5 a.m. Monday due to the water main break at Magnolia Avenue and Grand. However, the line broke again around 7 a.m.Some residents are frustrated by the water issues.“Not being able to take a shower,” said Larry Lauder, a Tower Grove East resident. “That bugs me. I just want to take a shower. I just hope the city will get these things fixed, so people don’t run out of water and stuff. I know there’s a lot of lines they ain’t fixed yet.” Parson signs laws for new moms’ health care, ban on texting while driving St. Louis residents are paying more on their water bills this month after city leaders passed the first-rate increase in over a decade. They said the increase was necessary to match the rate of inflation and address infrastructure repairs and needs....