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Round Lake Beach man charged with murder of his 3 children pleads guilty but mentally ill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:40:00 GMT

ROUND LAKE, Ill. — The Round Lake Beach man charged with the murder of his three children will be sentenced to life in prison.On Friday, the Lake County State's Attorney's Office said Jason Karels, 36, entered a plea of guilty but mentally ill to three counts of first-degree murder for the June 13, 2022, killing of his three children, ages 2, 3, and 5. With that plea, Karels will be sentenced to life in the Illinois Department of Corrections without the possibility of parole.  Prior to entering into the plea agreement, the state's attorney's office said, the prosecutors and victim specialist consulted extensively with the family of the victims. Several members of the family were present in court for Friday's hearing.  “This case has devastated the Round Lake Beach community and beyond," Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a news release. "We hope that (Friday's) resolution provides some measure of closure, and we will continue to provide support to the ...

Illinois county board incumbent wants primary opponent disqualified for misspelling 'Republican'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:40:00 GMT

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. (AP) — A county board incumbent in Illinois wants election officials to disqualify his primary opponent because he misspelled “Republican” on his nomination papers.McHenry County Board member Eric Hendricks has filed an objection to primary opponent Bob Nowak’s candidacy, the Northwest Herald reported Wednesday. Chicago cousins exonerated after serving longest wrongful conviction sentence in Illinois history Hendricks wrote in the objection that Nowak filed to run as a member of the “Republian Party,” omitting the “c” in “Republican.” Hendricks argues such a party does not exist.Nowak said he had heard there was an objection to his candidacy but hasn’t seen a copy of it.County officials have scheduled a hearing on the objection for Tuesday. The primary is March 19.Nowak previously served on the county board but lost his seat to Hendricks in 2022.

You can now book a parking spot at Austin airport in advance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:40:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin airport is making it easier to find a parking spot before your next flight.A new online parking reservation system has been launched on the airport's parking website, ABIAParking.com, allowing passengers to book and pay for a spot in advance.The new system allows you to book a spot in both parking garages and all the surface parking lots at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Reservations can be made up to 24 hours before your arrival time at the airport. Austin airport passenger totals still on track for record-breaking year… again "For AUS, it is a priority to provide our passengers with convenient and comfortable experiences — even before they get to the airport," said Mookie Patel, chief business and finance officer for the airport. "Guaranteeing a parking space makes things less stressful and saves time for travelers. This reservation system eliminates the guesswork for travelers hoping to snag a space day-of during busy peak periods."Revenue ge...

Urban Land Institute's 2024 Housing Predictions: A New Era in Real Estate?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:40:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new report from the non-profit Urban Land Institute (ULI) claims that the real estate sector will need a "new era of thinking" in 2024, and can no longer relay on metrics that were once relied upon.What's in the report?The report "Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2024" is an annual publication by ULI in its 45th year. Previous reports, according to a ULI spokesperson, ranked Austin in the top 10 for overall prospects since 2010. This year's report ranks the city as fifth in that list and as the top for homebuilding prospectus (financial security of the industry).These results are the topic of a Dec. 5 luncheon held by the local ULI branch. A report co-author reviewed the report, and a panel discussion covered the local market's place in the data.ULI Programs Committee Chair Lance Copeland attended the meeting and shared his takeaways in a December 8 interview."The report was perhaps more somber than reports of past. Everybody being pretty realistic about the impact o...

Cute kitchen gifts from The Pioneer Woman that’ll arrive in time for Christmas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:40:00 GMT

BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details.These kitchen gifts are so cute, and they’ll make it in time for gifting“The Pioneer Woman” and “cute kitchen gifts” are practically synonymous. Ree Drummond’s brand is well-known (and beloved) for creating affordable, adorable and practical kitchen items that any home cook would love to receive this holiday season — and thanks to her partnership with Walmart, which offers fast shipping to almost anywhere in the U.S., you still have time to shop for gifts that will arrive in time for Christmas.From pumpkin-shaped mini cocottes that will look perfect on your holiday table, to a cow-shaped butter dish they’ll want to display all year long, here are some of the cutest kitchen items in the Pioneer Woman’s Walmart line that you can still grab in time for holiday gifting this year.The ultimate gift guide for foodies These Pioneer Woman kitchen gif...

Gypsy Blanchard will release an eBook after being released from prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:40:00 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — After eight and a half years in prison, Gypsy-Rose Blanchard will be released later this month. She will also be releasing a new ebook following her incarceration. The Gypsy Blanchard Story Part 1: The con artist The ebook titled, "Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom" is an exclusive collection of interview transcripts and journal entries, plus her own illustrations and photos, according to PenguinRandomHouse.com.In the book's description, it states "Released" is a declaration of Blanchard’s resolve to turn her pain into perseverance, take accountability for her actions, and help others escape the trap that circumscribed her life for so long.Blanchard wrote the ebook with Melissa Moore and Michele Matrisciani."Released" will be available on Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, Google Play Store, and Kobo on Jan. 9, 2024. Gypsy Rose Blanchard is now married despite still being in prison Blanchard, 32, pleaded guilty to murder&nb...

Over 5,000 children in need receive toys from The Salvation Army

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:40:00 GMT

From bikes to big box toys, the Salvation Army of Greater St. Louis passed out joy in St. Ann this week. They gave out donated gifts to thousands of local children and families in need at their Angel Tree distribution center.  "The Salvation Army has the simple mission of saving the world, but we realize that we can't do that by ourselves, and today's distribution is a perfect example of that. It's because of the generosity and the giving spirit of our community that were able to meet these needs,” said Major Adam Moore, St. Louis Metro Area Commander.The Angel Tree initiative began taking gift donations back in October. Moore says it has generated more than 15,000 gifts to give to over 5,000 children in marginalized areas in the St. Louis community. With thousands of gifts to pass out over the course of just three days, over 600 volunteers came out to support this mission including Kate Ferguson who has been a volunteer with this event for over 10 years. "I'm a runner typ...

Colorado couple allegedly broke into Silverthorne condo unit, stayed for a month before being arrested

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:40:00 GMT

A Colorado couple was arrested after reportedly breaking into a Silverthorne condominium unit where police say they lived for nearly the entire month of November.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Aurora man convicted of vehicular homicide in DUI crash that killed mother, daughter Crime and Public Safety | Suspect charged with assault in Commerce City DUI crash that injured firefighters, police Crime and Public Safety | Broomfield High junior, 2nd person killed in crash near school Crime and Public Safety | 3-year-old girl injured in Longmont drive-by shooting Crime and Public Safety | Police seek help identifying man involved in confrontation over Palestine flag in Breckenridge Between Nov. 1 and Nov. 30, the 21-year-old man and the 27-year-old woman were each recorded on a Ring camera entering the two-bedroom condominium in Wildernest more than 40 times, according to court documents.Law enforcem...

Football recruiting: Wade twins from Kentucky commit to CU Buffs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:40:00 GMT

Brothers Destin and Keaton Wade are planning to call Boulder home.The former Kentucky football players announced Friday their intention to transfer to Colorado and play for Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes.Kentucky linebacker Keaten Wade (20) sacks Akron quarterback DJ Irons (0) during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Michelle Haas Hutchins)Destin is a 6-foot-3, 223-pound quarterback who was a redshirt freshman at Kentucky this past season. He didn’t appear in any games for the Wildcats this season, but did start in the Music City Bowl a year ago, completing 16 of 30 passes for 98 yards. That was his only appearance at Kentucky.At Spring Hill (Tenn.) High School in 2021, he was “Mr. Football” for the state’s largest classification. Rated as a four-star recruit, he helped his team go 40-5 in high school. As a senior, he threw for 1,436 yards and 18 touchdowns and ran for 2,308 yards and 30 touchdowns.His twin brother, Kea...

Israeli military says it mistakenly killed 3 Israeli hostages in Gaza operation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:40:00 GMT

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The Israeli military on Friday mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages during its ground operation in the Gaza Strip, military officials said.The army’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Israeli troops found the hostages and erroneously identified them as a threat. He said it was not clear if they had escaped their captors or been abandoned.The deaths occurred in the Gaza City area of Shijaiyah, where troops have engaged in fierce battles against Hamas militants in recent days.He said the army expressed “deep sorrow” and was investigating.The deaths were announced as a U.S. envoy said the U.S. and Israel were discussing a timetable for scaling back intense combat operations in the war against Hamas, even though they agree the overall fight will take months.U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the besieged enclave's postwar future, which, according to a senior U.S. official, ...