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Jed Hoyer on 2023 Cubs' season: 'We just didn't finish the race'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:47 GMT

CHICAGO — Despite a September to forget, the 2023 season may have exceeded a number of expectations for fans and pundits, with some classfying it as a success.You cannot count Jed Hoyer in that category."I guess I'll start by saying no," said the Cubs president when he began his season-ending news conference referencing the fact that so many in the organization have been asked it if this past season was a success.An 83-79 record was probably above what some might have expected out of a group that came into the 2023 season with many questions to answer. They had an encouraging start, bottomed out at ten games under .500 on June 8 and were still seven games under on July 17. Yet they rallied enough to prevent a selloff at the trade deadline, went 18-9 in August, and were in position to get a Wild Card until the final week. Yet a 7-14 finish left them on the outside of the postseason looking in, producing a bitter ending to what could be looked at as an encouraging campaign. "We went f...

Suspect sought in CTA Red Line armed robbery, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:47 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago police are seeking the public's help identifying a male suspect who the department says robbed a CTA commuter at gunpoint. According to police, the armed robbery occurred around 8 a.m. Monday at the Monroe Street Red Line station. Police said the male suspect approached the victim and asked if he could use their cell phone. When the victim said no, police said the male suspect displayed a gun, threatened the victim, took the cell phone and fled the scene. No injuries were reported. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Anyone with information is asked to contact police or leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com.

Man accused of shooting Taco Bell worker over his change: North Carolina police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:47 GMT

CHARLOTTE (WJZY) — A man has been charged after he allegedly shot a Taco Bell employee in Charlotte, North Carolina, over the change he received, police say. Doll Andrew McLendon, 67, has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and discharging a weapon into occupied property, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.Doll Andrew McLendon via Mecklenburg County Jail Shortly before 9:30 p.m. Saturday, officers received a report of an assault with a deadly weapon with injury at a Taco Bell on Albemarle Road in east Charlotte.When CMPD officers arrived, they reportedly found an employee suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Witnesses said that after McLendon ordered food in the drive-thru, he became aggressive because he believed he was given an incorrect amount of change. CMPD said McLendon left the drive-thru, went inside, took out a firearm, and began shooting from outside the restaurant. McLendon ...

RECALL: Air fryers sold on Amazon may catch fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:47 GMT

(WHTM) — Several thousand Spectra-brand air fryers are being recalled over concerns of fire and burn hazards. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission reports about 6,400 Spectra air fryers are impacted by the recall after reports of the items overheating.The recalled Secura air fryers feature: model number SAF-53D (TXG-DT16E) with date code 1901 and model number SAF-53 (TXG-DS16) with date codes 1903 and 1904.  Nearly 273K Ram trucks recalled over rear view camera image issue The recalled air fryers are black with silver accents and "Secura" is printed on the top of each unit. The model number and date code are also printed on a silver label at the bottom of the air fryer. The air fryers are about 12 inches high, 11 inches deep, and 12 inches wide.Recalled Secura air fryer SAF-53D (TXG-DT16E) (Photo: United States Consumer Product Safety Commission)Recalled Secura air fryer SAF-53 (TXG-DS16) (Photo: United States Consumer Product Safety Commission)If you have one...

Rep. Bowman being investigated after pulling fire alarm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:47 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — New York Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman is under investigation after he pulled a fire alarm ahead of a consequential vote to fund the government.Three days later, House Republicans say they have no intention of sweeping matters under the rug."This has to be addressed directly," said Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis.Bowman insists he pulled the alarm by mistake.In a statement, he said he was rushing to get to the vote and activated the alarm while trying to open a locked exit door. The door is typically open during weekdays.But Republicans aren't buying it."Nowhere does it say, 'Pull the fire alarm to open the door,'" Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said."This is someone who was a school principal," said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y. "He knows very well what a fire alarm is.""If you surveyed 100 New Yorkers, zero would believe his story," Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., said.Some lawmakers have compared Bowman's alleged delay tactic to the crimes of the Jan. 6 riot...

Police need help solving 'road rage homicide' in north Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:47 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police are asking for the community's help to find the person who shot and killed a woman in north Austin after what they describe as a "road rage homicide" this past weekend.Homicide Det. Israel Piña told reporters Tuesday afternoon that the victim's name is Teressa Gandy Ferguson, 46. He said police believe she died from a gunshot wound after getting into a minor crash with someone. This happened at about 6 p.m. Saturday near exit 240 on North Interstate 35, which is the area between Rundberg Lane and Anderson Lane. MAP: Where have Austin’s homicides occurred in 2023? Police said Ferguson called a friend after the crash and told that person she apparently pulled over to exchange information with the other driver involved. However, the call ended unexpectedly. Shortly thereafter, police said 911 received an automated call from Apple reporting a collision involving Ferguson's vehicle, which led to officers responding. Officers said they found Ferguson unresponsive...

'Action means something to me': Mayor Kirk Watson responds to winter storm report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:47 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After a City-wide after-action report was released Tuesday, KXAN City Hall reporter Grace Reader sat down with Mayor Kirk Watson to talk about what happens next. You can find the full interview with the mayor, broken into topics highlighted in the report, below: CommunicationThe report highlighted communication challenges between City, County and private-sector staff working the winter storm. There were challenges in determining which staff members should be doing what, meaning some departments were operating in a silo and others were duplicating work. Communication, shelter issues identified during ‘hurricane-level’ Austin ice storm, report says The report also found there a lack of translation services and for some, nonexistent services. Management "We changed city managers, bringing in Jesús Garza to serve as Interim City Manager. We tasked him to begin immediately addressing our emergency preparedness and response," Watson said...

Man running from Canada to Mexico to raise awareness for declining monarch butterfly population

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:47 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Canadian ultra-marathon runner Anthony Battah is running roughly 2,800 miles in 90 days to raise awareness for the rapidly declining monarch butterfly population. Battah's trek mirrors the monarch butterfly’s migration pattern, starting in Canada and finishing in Mexico. He left his home in Montreal on July 29 and plans to finish at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, about two hours east of Mexico City, on Nov. 1. He will pass through Austin on Thursday or Friday, which will mark a little over two-thirds of his total journey. “I'm really, really worried about where we're heading in terms of our planet [and]  how we're taking care of it,” Battah told KXAN at his halfway point for the day Tuesday afternoon. He said since his daughter was born in 2013, Battah and his wife “started to really question everything. I've basically been looking for a way to do something significant in that field, or in that direction, for a number of years,” he added.&nbs...

Police identify body found while AFD responded to northwest Austin grass fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:47 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department has identified the woman found dead while firefighters responded to a grass fire in the Northwest Hills area as 32-year-old Melissa Davis. The Austin Fire Department responded to a grass fire just after 5 a.m. Friday morning near the intersection of Mesa Drive and Cat Mountain Drive. APD said fire officials contacted the police department when AFD found a body during that response. Davis was found with "trauma to the body," according to Tuesday's news release. "But this is the closest we've come to anything this serious, ever," said Jeff Heinzelman, who lives near where the fire occurred. "Kind of really freaked us out a little bit."During a press briefing Friday, a sergeant with APD's homicide unit said that the victim's time of death was 5:37 a.m. The full video of that press briefing is below. The death is being investigated as Austin's 47th homicide of the year. Police said this is an ongoing and active...

Near-record heat Wednesday, then cooler and wetter weather

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:47 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Unseasonably hot weather persists overnight into Wednesday, with morning lows and daytime highs approaching record warmth for Oct. 4. But two strong cold fronts and a rain-making storm are approaching Texas.Austin-Bergstrom Intl. Airport reached a record high temperature of 97 degrees Tuesday, beating the previous record of 96 degrees set most recently in 2019. The chance of rain remains low overall overnight and Wednesday, but a few passing showers and storms are possible for some.The guarantee of periods of rainfall and the start of more autumn-like temperatures come on Thursday. Read the full details at the link below. BLOG: Fall storm coming: Rainfall, timing and the temperature drop The weather this weekend for ACL Music Festival and the Texas/Oklahoma game look hard to beat. Cooler sunshine and low humidity across the state. PHOTOS: Large, damaging hail pummels parts of Central Texas BLOG: El Niño into 2024: What that means for winter and spring Aust...