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Cook County sees record 2,000 opioid deaths in 2022; 91% fentanyl-related

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:17 GMT

CHICAGO — Fentanyl is behind nearly all of a record number of opioid overdose deaths last year in Cook County, according to newly-released data.The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said 2,000 opioid overdose deaths surpassed 2021's previous record of 1,935. Of the 2,000, 1,825 were fentanyl-related.Approximately 78% of the opioid overdose deaths were male and just over 70% took place in Chicago.Last year, the DEA seized 225,913 fentanyl pills in Northern Illinois and over 200 lbs. of fentanyl powder.Part of the rise in fentanyl-related deaths may be attributed to an increase in xylazine trafficking — aka "tranq dope." It's an animal tranquillizer street dealers are mixing with fentanyl and other drugs.“Street dealers are looking to create a more powerful high,” DEA spokesperson Luis Agostini told WGN News earlier this year. “They’re looking to extend the shelf life of drugs like fentanyl, heroin and cocaine.”In Cook County, one person died of an xylazine-related overdose in 201...

Musk explains Twitter rebranding, vows to add features

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:17 GMT

(The Hill) -- Twitter owner Elon Musk explained the rebranding of the social media platform to “X” on Monday, saying the original name no longer made sense as he has continued to add new features. “This is not simply a company renaming itself, but doing the same thing,” Musk wrote in response to another user, who included Twitter among a long list of well-known companies that have changed their names.“The Twitter name made sense when it was just 140 character messages going back and forth — like birds tweeting — but now you can post almost anything, including several hours of video,” he said.Musk added that Twitter plans to include “comprehensive communications and the ability to conduct your entire financial world” to the platform in the coming months.“The Twitter name does not make sense in that context, so we must bid adieu to the bird,” he said. Elon Musk says tweets are to be called ‘X’s’ now The billionaire owner of SpaceX and Tesla announced the rebranding on Su...

Take a look inside Myrtle Beach's 'Barbie Dream House' as movie tops charts

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:17 GMT

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) - "Barbie" has been a huge box office success, outperforming projections over the weekend. The movie reached No. 1 with $155 million sold in ticket sales in U.S. theaters. Many may not know, though, that North Myrtle Beach has its own Barbie dream house. Right off Highway 17 is a vacation rental called "Inn the Pink," but it's also known as the North Myrtle Beach Barbie Dream House. Co-owner Cristy Weber said she had been wanting an all-pink house for four years, way before the Barbie movie was getting buzz. ‘Barbie’ takes the box office crown and ‘Oppenheimer’ soars in a historic weekend Weber said she originally wanted it for fun - not really something that would work for her everyday life. She said she wanted vacationers to North Myrtle Beach to feel good and happy about themselves while in the house. "Like in the game room out back, they could have different balloon arches and different signs and stuff like that," she said. "And really just g...

WATCH: Sea lion charges tourists at California cove

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:17 GMT

SAN DIEGO (KSWB) - A sea lion charged tourists on the beach at La Jolla Cove in San Diego Sunday evening.It happened as summer crowds, mostly tourists, overwhelmed the tiny, protected beach — one of the most iconic in California — trying to get up-close photos with the beautiful sea mammals and newly weaned pups. But it's a dangerous risk.“I feel like people should educate themselves a little bit about the marine life here — what to do, what not to do, respect the sea lions, don't touch them, don't get in their space," Japhet Perez Estrada, a La Jolla native and business owner, said to Nexstar's KSWB on Monday. He swims the cove every day and captured video of the incident as he was getting out of the water.“I looked to my left and I see a big sea lion just come out of the water and start charging and that's when it turns to chaos," Perez Estrada said. "Everyone was screaming and running around.”   Sea lion that ingested over 100 rocks returns to ocean There ar...

Parks and Rec Board votes to permanently close Zilker Park overflow lot in September

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Parks and Recreation Department Board on Monday night voted to permanently close one of Zilker Park's largest overflow parking options. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Vote to potentially close Zilker Park overflow parking lot put on hold Polo Field, located between Andrew Zilker Road and Barton Springs Road, is currently open on weekends during the summer and some Fridays for special events or activities, according to the Austin Parks and Recreation Department.The lot has about 750 spaces — equal to the amount of parking in the gravel lot on Stratford Drive. These are the two largest parking options at Zilker Park.During its Monday night meeting, the board amended and approved a draft recommendation on closing the field permanently to parking starting Sept. 4, with the exception of use as an overflow parking area during advance-scheduled special events, detailed below. The approved draft recommendations include the following: Austin City Council approve funding in...

3M’s dark chapter deepens as CEO faces beaten down investors

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:17 GMT

3M Co. has so many big problems on its hands that one veteran Wall Street analyst likened the conglomerate’s challenges to the Titanic — just after the iceberg.“We’re talking more about rearranging the deckchairs when you’ve got these big calamities bearing down on the company,” said Deane Dray, an RBC Capital Markets analyst who has covered 3M for nearly 20 years.That may sound like hyperbole for one of the longest-tenured components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average that generates more than $30 billion in sales and showers investors with $3 billion in annual dividends. Yet the magnitude of what 3M is confronting is immense.Wall Street expects 3M will post its sixth-straight quarter of declining sales when it reports results on Tuesday as demand continues to slump across much of its vast portfolio. The bigger worry is that potentially billions of dollars in legal liabilities will consume huge amounts of cash for years to come and put its cherished dividend at risk.The company, ba...

Gophers football picked third in Big Ten West behind Iowa and Wisconsin

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:17 GMT

The Gophers football program continues to look up at its arch rivals going into the final season of Big Ten division play.The annual Cleveland.com Big Ten preseason poll has Minnesota behind Wisconsin and Iowa in the West Division. The overall results from 37 voters were released Tuesday ahead of Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis this week.The U, which has never won a division championship, finished third with 176 votes and one first-place vote. Iowa came in second at 232 and 16 picks for the top spot. Wisconsin and new head coach Luke Fickell were first with 233 total votes and 20 for first.In the East, Michigan edged Ohio State for the top spot for the first time in four years. The defending Big Ten champion Wolverines had 248 overall votes and 27 for first place; the Buckeyes had 226 and eight; Penn State was third with 192 and two.The poll results from Big Ten reporters mirrors some other national outlets.Phil Steele’s 2023 College Football Preview predicts Minnesota will be in...

Greenville Drive-In celebrating Taylor Swift after screen featured in lyric video

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:17 GMT

GREENVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- In 2020, Taylor Swift released her official lyric video for "this is me trying," which featured the song lyrics edited on a drive-in movie screen. A screen that Greenville Drive-In owner Dwight Grimm said is from his property. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! After the lyric video was released on July 24, 2020, a staffer of his saw the video and recognized the drive-in screen, said Grimm. The staff member notified Grimm, who also recognized it as his own.Grimm said he was confused at first, but they then figured out what happened. During the drive-in off-season in 2018 or 2019, a freelance photographer entered the property without permission and filmed the screen, said Grimm. Bowled opening in Amsterdam, 3 more locations planned A friend of his later found the video of the screen on Shutterstock, advertised as an "abandoned upstate NY drive-in theatre." However, Grimm noted that the drive-in was c...

Morton Avenue homicide suspect in custody

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:17 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Albany Police Department has arrested a 17-year-old in connection to a homicide that happened Saturday evening on Morton Avenue. Police have not released the suspect's name due to his age. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! On July 22 at 7:15 p.m., police responded to the area of Morton Avenue and Elizabeth Street for reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located Naheim Burbridge, 21, of Albany, with at least one gunshot wound to the torso.Burbridge was treated at the scene by emergency medical services. He was then transported to Albany Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. 2 seriously hurt in Niskayuna three-car crash Charges:Second-degree murderSecond-degree criminal possession of a weaponPolice say the suspect is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Albany County Family Court. It was determined through an investigation that the suspect and victim were known to each other as ...

Why Gov. Parson vetoed crime bill including 'Blair's Law' on celebratory gunfire

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:17 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed all but one bill into law this summer, vetoing legislation that would have imposed tougher penalties for people who fire celebratory gunshots. Back in 2011, bullets fired on the Fourth of July, fell killing 11-year-old Blair Shanahan Lane. Since then, Blair's mom, Michele Shanahan DeMoss, has been coming to Jefferson City to ask lawmakers to strengthen the state's law. Earlier this month, the governor rejected legislation that included a measure honoring the Kansas City girl. Parson tells our Missouri Chief Capitol Bureau Reporter Emily Manley it's not Blair's Law, he didn't agree with. Instead, it was the other provisions in the large crime package.  Furniture store closes without warning, customers want their money back "The reality of it is, you have to do the right thing sometimes, even when it's not the most popular thing," Parson said in an exclusive interview. "Blair's Law was never the issue."After years of pleading fo...