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Pritzker signs Illinois food desert bill

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:16 GMT

CHICAGO (WTVO) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill Friday that invests $20 million toward ridding the state of "food deserts."The funding will be used to support existing grocers and encourage new grocery stores to open.“The Illinois Grocery Initiative is the latest expansion of our holistic approach to ensuring Illinois families can reach the big building blocks of a good life,” said Pritzker. “When our residents struggle to keep a roof over their head, can’t put food on the table, or have to choose between paying for basic medical care and keeping the lights on—that’s a failure of the system. That’s why I’m proud to sign into law the Illinois Grocery Initiative—a first-of-its-kind $20 million investment to open or expand grocery stores in underserved rural towns and urban neighborhoods.” Englewood Save-A-Lot faces more push-back during town hall meeting Those receiving grants will then be designated as high-impact businesses, which opens the door for more tax credits and o...

Chicago nonprofit celebrates 5th anniversary with back-to-school event

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:16 GMT

CHICAGO — CPS students return to class on Monday and there are several back-to-school giveaways taking place this weekend. One event is celebrating the anniversary of a nonprofit that uses basketball to put young people on a path to healing. McKinley Nelson was only 21 years old when he launched Project sWish, informed by the lessons he learned while focusing on his own mental health, after losing friends to gun violence in Chicago."I wanted to alleviate the pain I went through for the next kid coming up behind me," Nelson said. Non-Profit Prepares College-Bound Students For Success The nonprofit uses basketball as a way to open the door to critical conversations, transformation and healing."A lot of those guys that I lost, we played basketball together growing up, and I knew they would rather be playing basketball with me than in the streets risking their life. So I wanted to develop basketball programming to keep the city safe," Nelson said.  Back-To-School Essential...

NOAA releases fall weather predictions for Illinois

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:16 GMT

ILLINOIS (NEXSTAR) – Sick of the summer heat? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has got some bad news for you.The agency released its 90-day forecast Thursday, predicting the broad weather conditions we expect to see around the country between September and November. For the vast majority of the country, it’s looking like a hot summer will transition into a warm fall.The Northeast and Southwest have the highest chances of seeing above-average temperatures this fall, according to NOAA. Tom Skilling's 7-day Chicago Forecast No states are expecting a colder-than-average fall season, but a swath of the Midwest and Plains states have equal chances of warm or cool weather.This means for Illinois, it’s a coin toss whether the state will see warmer or cooler weather as we approach fall. For some states, those hot temperatures are expected to be paired with clear skies – or at least few rain clouds. Only the Southeast and Alaska are expecting above-average precipitat...

Did the Frito Pie originate in Texas or New Mexico?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:16 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — It may be a Texas classic and you may like to consider it a Texas creation, but the origin of the Frito Pie — the cheesy, crunchy county fair treat — is not so cut-and-dry. In fact, Texas is in a long-standing rivalry with another state for birthplace bragging rights.And a winner appears to have been proven with historical records, but you'll have to keep reading to find out. What’s the deal with the Bass Pro Shops pyramid in Memphis? The popularity of Fritos Pie, as it's officially called by the Frito-Lay company (though it's often colloquially just called "Frito Pie") goes back to the 1950s and '60s, when the ease and availability of snack products like Fritos began making their way into American mealtimes. Fritos Corn Chips themselves date back the 1930s, when, as Frito-Lay explains, co-founder C.E. Doolin purchased the recipe from a San Antonio manufacturer and began selling the chips from his Model T Ford. Frito-Lay North America would go on to be headquartered i...

Westlake High School senior honored for her environmentalism

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:16 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) –  A Westlake High School senior is one of only 17 young people from across the world to be honored for their environmentalism by an international organization. Anushka Dogambe, 17, received an honorable mention in the 2023 International Young Eco-Hero Awards for her “Plants in Classrooms” project.“I started this project during freshman year to bring a plant to every single classroom in [the Eanes] school district. It's been three years since I started, and there are now over 1,000 plants placed in schools, offices, break rooms and libraries,” Dogambe said. Anushka Dogambe, 17, received an honorable mention in the 2023 International Young Eco-Hero Awards for her “Plants in Classrooms” project.Anushka Dogambe, 17, received an honorable mention in the 2023 International Young Eco-Hero Awards for her “Plants in Classrooms” project.Anushka Dogambe, 17, received an honorable mention in the 2023 International Young Eco-Hero Awards for her “Plants in Classrooms” project....

Predominately Black charter school to open new campus in Manor

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:16 GMT

MANOR, Texas (KXAN)—Students at the predominately Black K-12 charter school, The Texas Empowerment Academy, are spending some of their final days on their current Austin campus. It's moving to accommodate more students who some argue won't get an educational experience the school offers anywhere else. A new 81-thousand square-feet campus will be opening in 2024. (Photo credit: Texas Empowerment Academy).This is a big moment for the school, as the project has been years in the making. Kristoffer Lands has sent all five of his kids to the Texas Empowerment Academy. He joined KXAN on an intimate tour of the building in Manor still under construction in July.His youngest son, Hezekiah, an 11th-grader, will get to go to school on the new campus. "I need my kids to see people that look like them," Lands said. "I need them to be in a in an environment where they can look up and see folks that they can relate with."Lands said his kids get a sense of belonging at the academy, and that i...

Did the Frito Pie actually originate in Texas?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:16 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — It may be a Texas classic and you may like to consider it a Texas creation, but the origin of the Frito Pie — the cheesy, crunchy county fair treat — is not so cut-and-dry. In fact, Texas is in a long-standing rivalry with another state for birthplace bragging rights.And a winner appears to have been proven with historical records, but you'll have to keep reading to find out. What’s the deal with the Bass Pro Shops pyramid in Memphis? The popularity of Fritos Pie, as it's officially called by the Frito-Lay company (though it's often colloquially just called "Frito Pie") goes back to the 1950s and '60s, when the ease and availability of snack products like Fritos began making their way into American mealtimes. Fritos Corn Chips themselves date back the 1930s, when, as Frito-Lay explains, co-founder C.E. Doolin purchased the recipe from a San Antonio manufacturer and began selling the chips from his Model T Ford. Frito-Lay North America would go on to be headquartered i...

Altamont Fair diverting traffic amid busy closing weekend

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:16 GMT

ALTAMONT, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The final two days of the Altamont Fair are August 19 and August 20. The fair announced on Saturday that they will be diverting traffic to Guilderland High School with their main parking lots reaching maximum capacity. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Shuttle buses are being run between the high school and the fairground. The school is located at 8 School Road in Guilderland Center. Check out NEWS10's traffic tracker. You can plan your route and see traffic delays in real-time!

Innovation or risk? Missouri's top education leader questions value of four-day school weeks

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:16 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - As Missouri students head back to the classroom for the new year, roughly one-quarter of the state’s school districts are only in session four days a week. While shorter work weeks are helping districts recruit teachers, the state’s education department is leery of their long-term effects. Missouri's top education leader, Margie Vandeven, is concerned about instructional time for students. "It’s challenging to go back to a five-day [week] after you’ve had the four day [week]," said Vandeven. Remembering Kait Anderson: a mother’s mission to promote safety and support In a state that is suffering a teacher shortage crisis, the effort to attract potential educators in Missouri is becoming more prevalent. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education estimated around a 5.4% shortage in qualified teachers and full-time employees statewide in a December 2022 report."We are seeing an increase at the statewide level in the number of districts that ar...

Nonprofit spends $860K to increase police patrols in downtown St. Louis

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:16 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Police Foundation is spending around $860,000 to add more overtime police patrols around downtown St. Louis. This is part of an anti-violence crime initiative pilot program that launched last month, which is also supported by first-year police chief Robert Tracy, according to our news partners at the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Remembering Kait Anderson: a mother’s mission to promote safety and support The initiative pays officers around $70 an hour in overtime pay. The program primarily consists of four-hour overtime shifts that involve one sergeant and six police officers. The initiative is intended to help crackdown on crime in Downtown St. Louis and the Downtown West neighborhood. It began less than a month after a mass shooting left one teen dead and several others injured.