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Lollapalooza lures record number of hotel guests, but Taylor Swift is still queen

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:06 GMT

CHICAGO — More people stayed in downtown hotels for Lollapalooza weekend than any other time in the music festival’s 32-year run Chicago.A whopping 131,190 hotel room nights were booked Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, according to the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association. That’s not only a record for Lolla weekend but also 18% higher than last year.  As Chicago works to bounce back from the pandemic experts are closely watching hotel occupancy numbers to see if tourists can help fill the crater left by a lull in business travelers.“Last weekend was the second best weekend of the summer for Chicago hotels,” Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association president and CEO Michael Jacobson said. “It is major events like these that not only benefit Chicago’s economy but boosts our city’s image and reputation on the global scale.” Beyoncé vs Taylor Swift vs NASCAR: Who’s been the biggest boon to Chicago? While Lollapalooza drew huge crowds downtown, Taylor Swift is still the reigning q...

A rare picture & yearbooks of Michael Jordan sell big at auction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:06 GMT

NEW YORK — A picture is sometimes worth a thousand words, but one taken of the best player in Bulls' history is worth a lot more than that.At least that's the case at the 2023 Lelands Classic Summer Auction, which closed on August 5, where a picture of Michael Jordan netted some big money at auction.This PSA Type 1 photograph of Jordan from his rookie year sold for $141,954 from a buyer who wanted this piece of memorabilia from the six-time NBA champion and five-time regular season MVP.It's from his first game against Washington on October 26, 1984 at Chicago Stadium, showing him dribbling up the court with his tongue hanging out. The photograph was taken for the Chicago Sun Times. Jordan would score 16 points with seven assists, six rebounds, and four blocks in 40 minutes of action that night in the first of 1,072 regular season games. It was Orlando Woolridge who would lead the charge for the Bulls that night, scoring 28 points in a 109-93 win.Along with this picture, two of Jorda...

Pilots' miscommunication blamed for United jet's plunge toward ocean: NTSB

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:06 GMT

(The Hill) -- The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Friday that a December incident in which a United Airlines flight came within 750 feet of the ocean was caused by pilot miscommunication.In a report on the incident, the NTSB said United Flight 1722, a Boeing 777, “lost altitude” a “minute after departure” from Kahului Airport on the island of Maui in Hawaii on Dec. 18. The flight descended about 1,350 feet to nearly 750 feet above the water. “No injuries were reported and the airplane was not damaged,” the report said.  Maui mayor compares wildfire destruction to ‘war zone’ The NTSB concluded the incident was caused by “the flight crew’s failure to manage the airplane’s vertical flightpath, airspeed and pitch attitude” after a “miscommunication about the captain’s desired flap setting during the initial climb.” The Hill has reached out to United for comment.A passenger on flight 1722 interviewed by CNN in February said the incident reminded him of the ...

Dean's Weekender: Pink, John Legend, LL Cool J, Eric Church and more

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:06 GMT

Check out Dean’s Weekender for the latest events coming to the Chicagoland area this weekend.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!

Grand jury indicts Raul Meza Jr. in 2 Austin area murders

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:06 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A grand jury indicted Raul Meza, Jr., 62, in the 2019 death of his neighbor, Gloria Lofton, and in the 2023 death of Jesse Fraga, according to the Travis County District Attorney's Office. Online court records show he's being held on $1,000,000 bond. In May, he was arrested by the Austin Police Department for the murders. Meza faces capital murder and murder charges in Lofton's case. According to indictment documents for Lofton's case, the grand jury ruled that Meza strangled Lofton "in the course of committing and attempting to commit the offense of aggravated sexual assault." TIMELINE: What we know of Raul Meza’s criminal history The grand jury also indicted Meza on charges of murder and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in the death of Fraga. Arrest records from May state Meza had been living in Fraga's Pflugerville home. According to indictment documents filed this week in the case, the grand jury ruled Meza knowingly caused Fraga's death by cutting, stabbin...

A prison guard says she was forced to stay at her post during labor pains. Texas is fighting compensation for her stillbirth.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:06 GMT

AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — On a warm November night, Salia Issa had just begun her shift as an Abilene prison officer when she felt the intense pain of what she believed was a contraction.Seven months pregnant, Issa said she quickly alerted her supervisors. She told them she needed to go to the hospital but knew prison policy wouldn’t allow her to leave her post until someone could replace her.No one came for hours.Issa kept calling for relief, but her supervisor repeatedly refused her, even telling her she was lying, according to a federal lawsuit filed against the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and prison officials.“You just want to go home,” the supervisor allegedly told her.Eventually, two and a half hours after the pain started, the expectant mother said she was allowed to leave the Middleton Unit. As quickly as the pain would allow her, Issa drove to a nearby hospital, where doctors rushed her into emergency surgery after being unable to find a fetal heartbeat. The baby wa...

Having trouble breathing from wildfire smoke? Advice from a respiratory protection expert

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:06 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Smoke has been billowing from the sky as Central Texas firefighters work to contain wildfires, making it hard for some people to breathe.“Wildfire smoke is a large contributor to air pollution, to those small particles that are in the air,” said Dr. Nikki Vars McCullough a Respiratory Protection Expert with 3M.“You really want to be paying attention to the air quality index. That is a number that you'll see often reported by the Environmental Protection Agency telling you how healthy or unhealthy the air is.”If the air quality index is high, consider taking measures. “The larger the number the less healthy the air is for you,” said Dr. McCullough. “You should start really paying attention to keeping your indoor air quality good, even if it doesn't look smokey.”She suggests, “first of all, closing your doors and windows to make sure that you aren't getting more outdoor air pollution inside of your home.”Also, using a high efficiency filtrete filter with a high rating...

Motor Oil Coffee closes in Schenectady, more shops planned

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:06 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Motor Oil Coffee has closed its location inside b.inspired home at 1671 Union Street in Schenectady. The announcement was made on the Motor Oil Coffee Facebook page on July 29. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "We appreciate our time in the Electric City on Upper Union and made the decision, alongside our friends at b.inspired home, not to renew the lease in that location," said co-founder Joe Bonilla.Bonilla said they are looking for a new location in Schenectady County. He ideally wants a location where the shop will be able to have a liquor license. Life Made Simple Boutique in Burnt Hills closing its doors The coffee chain also had a Troy location at 200 Broadway inside 518 Craft. Bonilla said that was a temporary pop up and they intended to eventually close it. Motor Oil Coffee also has two more locations planned outside of the Capital Region, said Bonilla.Motor Oil Coffee currently has locat...

DOJ: Fort Ann nurse unlawfully distributed drugs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:06 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A nurse from Fort Ann pleaded guilty on Friday to distributing drugs outside the course of professional practice and for no legitimate medical purpose. Danielle Simonson, 51, faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1M, as well as up to three years of post-imprisonment supervised release. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Simonson admitted that from at least January 2020 to October 2022, she unlawfully prescribed drugs to a total of 54 patients in her criminal plea agreement. These prescriptions were for the opioids hydrocodone and oxycodone, benzodiazepines (clonazepam, diazepam, and lorazepam), and amphetamine (Adderall). The DOJ says Simonson admitted she issued a total of 63 oxycodone prescriptions to two residents of Suffolk County without treating either of them for a medical condition. These residents reportedly paid Simonson by mailing ...

Car show fundraiser for cancer patients returning to Ashland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:06 GMT

ASHLAND, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Windham Rotary Foundation's 11th annual Cancer Patient Aid Car Show will be returning to Ashland Town Park this weekend. The event is scheduled for August 13. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Vehicles of all years, makes and models will be on display at the show, including a replica of the famous Family Truckster from the movie "National Lampoon's Vacation". Funds raised from the event will support cancer patients in Greene County through the Greene County Women's League.The show will offer a wide variety of food vendors, as well as prizes, 50/50 raffles and live music. Entrance to the event is free for spectators. New eatery opens at former TJ’s Cafe location in Colonie Cars can be registered with a $15 minimum donation. Registration will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and the car show will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.Ashland Town Park is located at 12187 State Route 23 in Ashland. Anyone interes...