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Rolling Thunder's Ride to Remember on Memorial Day weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:15 GMT

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. — A Ride to Remember was held outside of the Lovell VA Hospital in North Chicago on Memorial Day Weekend. "We honor the sacrifices of fallen members who put their lives on the line for our nation, for us and for future generations of fellow Americans," Ret. Col. Wayne Kirkpatrick said. Memorial Day Parades & Ceremonies For the 35th year, the Rolling Thunder is a 54-mile trek from North Chicago, south the Hines VA in Chicago and then to Cantigny Park in Wheaton.The ride honors the 645,000 Americans lost in battle since World War I, with special recognition for the nearly 82,000 POWs and MIAs."It's not just a day for a cookout but a day to honor veterans, past, present," Kirkpatrick said.The honor from nearly 200 riders reflects the sacrifices of those who've served in America's armed services.The Lake County Sheriff's Auxiliary served as guides on the first part of the journey.It was a way of saying thank you to those who've protected our fragile freedoms an...

Escaped Ohio inmate found dead in the Ohio River

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:15 GMT

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) -- A multi-day manhunt for escaped Ohio inmate Bradley Gillespie has come to an end.Police in Henderson, Kentucky said a preliminary investigation shows Gillespie's body was found in the Ohio River by a boater during a press conference Sunday evening. Gillespie and another inmate, James Lee, were reported missing from the Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio on Tuesday. They had last been seen on surveillance video inside the facility shortly before 9 a.m. Monday. An investigation later determined the two had hidden in a dumpster to escape. Search for American teen missing in the Bahamas called off Wednesday morning, Henderson Police found what they believed to be a stolen vehicle occupied by Gillespie and Lee just after 3 a.m. on Highway 41 near Atkinson Park.When officers tried to pull the vehicle over, a pursuit began. They say the fugitives crashed a short time later and then ran from the vehicle. Lee was apprehended and taken to a hospit...

Tennessee woman goes missing during cross-country trip with boyfriend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:15 GMT

CHEATHAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) -- A Tennessee family is desperately trying to find their loved one after they say she disappeared while traveling across the country with her boyfriend, who is currently wanted on an unrelated arrest warrant. Toni Alcaraz last spoke with her 33-year-old sister, Nikki Alcaraz, also known as Nikki Cunningham, three weeks ago. Nikki had set out in her black Jeep with her boyfriend, Tyler Stratton, and a dog to visit family in Orange County, California."I talk to her almost every day, so I am scared something happened to them," said Toni. "It's a trip she's done hundreds of times. Our uncle is still in Southern California, and she goes to see him often."During their cross-country trip, the couple had a run-in with law enforcement in Torrance County, New Mexico. According to a Torrance County Sheriff's Office report from May 4, a witness saw Stratton punch Nikki in the face. The report went on to say that Stratton claimed he was also hit, with blood coming ...

Austin-aimed bills in the legislative session: What's headed to the governor, what's not

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:15 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Another legislative session in Texas, another round of bills aimed at the city where it all happens. Texas’ 88th Legislative Session: Which bills made it to the governor’s desk? "Every two years, it seems that the state legislature has the city of Austin in its sights. And we kind of always hoped that absence might make the heart grow a little fonder, that that won't be the case. But usually what happens is familiarity breeds contempt," said Brian Smith, a professor of political science at St. Edward's University. Here are some of the Austin-inspired bills and where the stand at the end of the session: HB 2127: Texas Regulatory Consistency ActA bill that strips a local government's ability to create laws more strict than Texas' in some cases will head to the governor's desk. It takes away the City of Austin's ability to create things like labor laws and water restrictions in a drought. "This is what the opponents called the 'Death Star' bill. And this limits munic...

Texas softball swept by No. 4 Tennessee in super regionals, ends season with 45 wins

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:15 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns softball team ran into a Tennessee orange-colored buzzsaw in the super regionals.The Longhorns won't be returning to the Women's College World Series after Saturday's 9-0 loss to the fourth-seeded Tennessee Lady Volunteers at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in Knoxville. Tennessee won 5-2 on Friday, and the Lady Vols swept the best-of-three series to end Texas' season.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersTennessee outscored Texas 14-2 over two games to advance to the WCWS in Oklahoma City beginning June 1. The Lady Vols will play either fifth-seeded Alabama or 12th-seeded Northwestern in the WCWS, and the Longhorns ended their season with a 45-15-1 record.In Saturday's game, shaky defense led to five errors and the biggest of them all allowed four runs to score in the seventh inning. Giulia Koutsoyanopulos hit a single to right field with the b...

Jose Berríos helps Blue Jays blank Twins, 3-0

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:15 GMT

José Berríos made another solid start. Alejandro Kirk delivered a timely hit. Daulton Varsho did a little bit of everything.The Toronto Blue Jays took another step toward a turnaround at the end of a rough month, posting their first series win in four tries in well-rounded fashion.Berríos pitched around a season-high five walks and into the sixth inning for Toronto to beat his old team, and the Blue Jays blanked the Minnesota Twins 3-0 on Sunday.“Hopefully, this kind of springboards us forward,” manager John Schneider said after the Blue Jays played their 17th game in 17 days.Kirk hit a two-run single in the second inning that held up for Berríos (5-4), who has allowed two or fewer runs in seven of his last nine turns after a rough start.Varsho scored all the way from first base on Kirk’s hit. Handling center field for Kevin Kiermaier — the day after he twice had a leaping catch attempt turn into a Twins home run when those balls bounced off his glove and into the grass berm —...

Upper Sioux Agency State Park will go to community — but not yet

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:15 GMT

Legislation that will lead to the transfer of Upper Sioux Agency State Park land to the Upper Sioux Community has been adopted.However, that doesn’t mean the land will be transferred anytime soon.“The park will be open this summer,” said Ann Pierce, parks and trails director for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. More than 30,000 people visit the park each year.In three separate bills, the Minnesota Legislature approved about $6.5 million to pay for the transfer of about 1,400 acres. The last of them was adopted last Monday, the final day of the 2023 session.Review processThis year, the DNR will begin reviewing any barriers to the transfer of the land and looking for areas to develop comparable recreational opportunities in the area, Pierce said.A meeting has been held with people who own land near the park and more meetings will be planned as the process unfolds, she said.There could be barriers to transferring the land, because federal and state funds were used to make...

Red-hot Ryan McMahon leads Rockies to 11-10 slugfest victory over Mets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:15 GMT

Someone plugged in the power in LoDo and the charged-up Rockies zapped the Mets, 11-10, Sunday afternoon at Coors Field.The Rockies nearly blew the game when the Mets scored three runs in the ninth off reliever Justin Lawrence, who gave up a two-run triple to Tommy Pham.Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon, who entered the weekend series in a serious home run drought, finished a triple short of the cycle and drove in five runs. He hit a three-run double in Colorado’s four-run fourth inning and followed up with a two-run homer in a five-run fifth.McMahon hit a home run in all three games of the series, the second time in his career he’s launched homers in three consecutive games. Colorado won two of the three games to clinch its sixth series over its last eight.The clubs combined for 29 hits, much to the delight of an announced sellout crowd of 47,471.The Mets’ fans — and there were a lot of them — got to see a three-run homer from Francisco Alvarez in the fourt...

Woman goes missing during cross-country trip with boyfriend to Orange County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:15 GMT

A Tennessee family is desperately trying to find their loved one after they say she disappeared while traveling across the country with her boyfriend, who is currently wanted on an unrelated arrest warrant. KTLA's sister station WKRN reports. Toni Alcaraz last spoke with her 33-year-old sister, Nikki Alcaraz, also known as Nikki Cunningham, three weeks ago. Nikki had set out in her black Jeep with her boyfriend, Tyler Stratton, and a dog to visit family in Orange County, California."I talk to her almost every day, so I am scared something happened to them," said Toni. "It's a trip she's done hundreds of times. Our uncle is still in Southern California, and she goes to see him often."During their cross-country trip, the couple had a run-in with law enforcement in Torrance County, New Mexico. According to a Torrance County Sheriff's Office report from May 4, a witness saw Stratton punch Nikki in the face. The report went on to say that Stratton claimed he was also hit, with blood comi...

Astros tee off on Oakland pitchers in record fashion, hand hapless A’s 11th straight loss

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:15 GMT

OAKLAND – A small positive for Oakland A’s right-hander Luis Medina as he continues to gain experience at the Major League level is that he’s only allowed 28 hits through his first 27 2/3 innings pitched.The bad news for the 24-year-old Medina is that 10 of those hits have been home runs, including the three he gave up Sunday in the A’s 10-1 loss to the Houston Astros before an announced crowd of 8,809 at the Coliseum.Medina allowed home runs to Jake Meyers, Chas McCormick, and Jose Altuve as the Astros swept the three-game series and handed the A’s their 11th straight loss, their longest losing streak in close to three decades. Meyers’ homer was a three-run shot in the fourth inning, and McCormick and Altuve hit back-to-back solo shots in the top of the seventh.The A’s allowed an Oakland record seven home runs in all, with Yordan Álvarez hitting two, and José Abreu and Jeremy Peña each connecting on one.Abreu took Sam Long deep in the eighth inning for his first homer of the season...