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I-55 reopens after dust storm causes fatal Illinois crashes

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:27 GMT

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Ill. - A blinding dust storm led to a deadly crash involving more than 70 vehicles along Interstate-55 in south central Illinois. Tuesday morning, I-55 has completely reopened 19 hours after shutting down.This all happened on I-55 in Montgomery County, north of Farmersville, and south of Divernon. Crews have been in the area non-stop since the crash took place. Authorities said at least six people were killed and 37 others taken to hospitals after the crash happened shortly before 11:00 a.m. A total of 72 vehicles were involved, including some 20 commercial vehicles and many passenger cars.We're told two tractor trailers exploded from the wreck. Illinois state Police shared that high winds blew dust onto 55 from nearby farm fields, creating blinding conditions leading to the pile up.Investigators explained the first crash took place on northbound 55 then at the same time numerous crashes took place southbound on the highway. The wrecks all happened between milepo...

Crews respond to Cahokia Heights crash between school bus and car

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:27 GMT

CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill. - Emergency crews are at the scene of a crash between a small school bus and a car Tuesday morning. Our Bommarito Automotive Group SkyFOX helicopter is flying over the area located on Camp Jackson Road where the crash happened a little before 7:00 a.m. I-55 reopened after dust storm causes fatal Illinois crashes No word on the cause of the crash, as the investigation is still active.FOX 2 will update this story with more information as it becomes available.

Illinois seeking families for foster children

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:27 GMT

ST. LOUIS - May is foster Parent Appreciation Month, and Illinois state leaders are recognizing the more than 8,000 families across the state who care for foster children. However, the Department of Children and Family Services is still looking for more help.The agency says foster homes are needed for children of all age groups. Including siblings, children with special needs, teenage mothers and their babies, and LGBTQ children. There is a wide range of support for foster families, Including monetary, educational, and psychological assistance. St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office reeling after resignations Foster parents must be at least 21 years old, be financially stable, and complete the necessary training and background checks.

Opinion: Gun owners are not the enemy

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:27 GMT

Mass shootings must stop! Right?!I write this defense of the “pro-gun” position understanding it will not be received well by gun control folks. But I hope they make it to the end where I will recommend changes that the gun folks will hate. Most Americans believe that public safety and personal well-being are the highest of priorities. Beyond that, we separate into the pro-gun and gun-control positions. That default is a missed opportunity and my aim is to bridge the divide.There are a few universal traits of responsible gun owners: a belief in protecting themselves and others from threats; a healthy respect for the power and danger of weapons; knowledge of their weapons, and a desire to train and learn; and enjoyment of the sport of hunting or marksmanship.Almost all gun owners are thoughtful, kind, good people who represent the best in humans. (There are of course exceptions and I know my inbox is about to be full of haters.) Gun owners understand the exceptions. Here is a secret:...

Believe it or not, Subaru isn’t the No. 1 vehicle of choice for Colorado drivers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:27 GMT

For years now, Subaru has retained a mystique of being the predominant vehicle on Colorado’s roadways. That’s easy to understand, of course. Take a trip up the Interstate 70 corridor to any ski resort, and there are Subarus aplenty on the road and in the parking lots.But in real numbers, the iconic Outback isn’t No. 1 in Colorado, or even No. 2.Last year, almost 95,000 Ford F-150 pickup trucks maintained active vehicle registrations, according to data provided by Colorado’s Division of Motor Vehicles. Behind that, Chevy Silverado pickup trucks took the No. 2 spot with around 75,000 registrations, with Subaru Outback SUVs still appearing on the medal stand, but taking the bronze with almost 56,000.The runner-ups include:Toyota Tacoma — 53,529Jeep Grand Cherokee — 52,550Toyota 4Runner — 51,927Subaru Forester — 51,430Toyota RAV4 — 43,156Honda CR-V — 41,960GMC Sierra — 41,129In 2022, the Ford F-150 also counted as Colorado’s most popular used car, making up...

Colorado nonprofit will launch free outdoor skills school for people of color this summer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:27 GMT

Blackpackers, a Colorado nonprofit focused on diversity and equity in outdoor recreation, is launching a new wilderness training program this summer with help from a hefty grant.The Blackpackers Outdoor Skills School, or BOSS, will provide wilderness first response and wilderness first aid training to people of color and individuals from other groups traditionally underrepresented in the outdoors free of charge.The idea for an outdoor skills school came from Blackpackers founder and executive director Patricia Cameron’s own experience learning outdoor safety and emergency preparedness.Blackpackers founder and executive director Patricia Cameron teaches wilderness first response at Red Rocks Community College. (Provided by Blackpackers)Cameron, who previously worked as an EMT for more than a decade, has spent years investing in her outdoor education, becoming a Certified Interpretive Guide, a Leave No Trace master educator, a wilderness first responder and instructor, a heart-saver C...

Pueblo’s first food hall is open for business

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:27 GMT

Pueblo’s first food hall is finally open.Fuel & Iron Food Hall, owned by Denver real estate brokers Zach Cytryn and Nathan Stern, debuted five new food hall concepts, a coffee shop, an ice cream parlor and a bar on Friday, April 28, three years after it was first announced.“We went under contract to buy this in March 2020 and have had so many hurdles come our way,” Cytryn said. “There were nights I would second guess that this day would ever come, so to see the space turn out as beautiful as it did and full of energy, people eating, drinking and having a good time is such an amazing feeling.”In May 2020, the brokers, who previously worked for Broad Street Realty, bought the 43,500-square-foot former Holmes Hardware building at 400 S. Union Ave. in downtown Pueblo, two hours south of Denver, for $2.7 million.Cytryn said they did a multi-million dollar renovation on the property to create the 12,00-square-foot, ground-floor Fuel & Iron Food Hall and 28 income-restricted apartm...

Where to see the best free outdoor concerts this summer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:27 GMT

Outdoor concerts are rarely better than when they’re in the Colorado sunshine, but programmers know that whatever the weather, people are going to turn out. That’s not just because many of our best local-music series are free to attend, but also because the entertainment is so often worth paying for (save your cash for those drinks, food trucks and merch).Lots of neighborhoods, shopping centers, restaurants and bars have their own free-music series, so keep in mind that the 10 listed here are just a sampling. See more at denverpost.com/things-to-do/music, and a roundup of both paid and free summer shows from our Cheap Checklist contributors at milehighonthecheap.com.City Park JazzSummer isn’t summer without this long-running, free concert series at the city’s biggest public space. People of all ages and backgrounds gather with blankets, folding chairs and something to nosh or sip while a diverse lineup of acts entertains from the picturesque pavilion.This year̵...

New disruptions start for RTD’s southeast light-rail lines as maintenance work progresses

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:27 GMT

Less-frequent train service that started last month on the Regional Transportation District’s southeast light-rail lines will expand to more stations Tuesday as a maintenance work project progresses.The partially overlapping H-Line and E-Line, which link downtown Denver with the southeast suburbs, each will run every 30 minutes during most of the day — half of their usual 15-minute frequencies, RTD said in a news release. And a suspension of R-Line service between the Florida and Lincoln stations will continue, with regular service running north of Florida.Initial service changes took effect in early April as crews began inspecting and repairing coping panels, which are caps atop retaining walls, along the north side of the tracks that follow Interstate 25 between I-25/Broadway and Lincoln. That work started near Lincoln Station and is moving north, with completion set for October.Related ArticlesTransportation | RTD cancels purchase of 17 electric buses it do...

Teen leaves Castle Rock Middle School after racist slurs and threats, family and attorney say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:27 GMT

The racism experienced by a family in the Douglas County School District was so egregious that it drove a 14-year-old Black boy to finish his school year online and is forcing the biracial family to move out of Castle Rock altogether, according to the family and their attorney.In March, 14-year-old Jeramiah Ganzy was so fed up with what he said was racist treatment at Castle Rock Middle School that he wrote an email to district officials. In that message, provided to The Denver Post, Jeramiah wrote that he experienced repeated instances of discrimination, including students directing racist slurs at him and teachers unfairly targeting him for discipline.“There had been a lot of bullying of people calling me a monkey and a cotton picker,” Jeramiah told The Post in an interview. “I wanted something to happen. I sent the email in anger and frustration, hoping to get a response — and I didn’t.”Jeramiah also told his mother Lacey Ganzy about a Snapchat...