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See Chicago pro sports best No. 4's on 'May The 4th'

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

CHICAGO — This is a day usually thought of for Star Wars fans, but those who love sports can have a little fun, too."May The 4th" arrived on Thursday and has been celebrated by the supporters of the long-running franchise of films that started in the 1970s and continues to this day. But it's the number "4" we focused on here at WGN News Now as we thought we'd take a look at a number of memorable professional athletes in the city that have worn the number through the years. Here are a few we've spotlighted on May 4.(Getty Images) Bulls - Jerry SloanA member of the Bulls is in the running for the greatest player to wear No. 4 in Chicago pro sports history.Jerry Sloan, often known as "The Original Bull," was selected by the team in the 1966 expansion draft and played with the Bulls for the next ten seasons. Sloan was a two-time NBA All-Star and made the NBA's All-Defensive team four times as he helped the Bulls to seven playoff appearances, including the 1974 & 1975 Western Confere...

A list of the Bears' 2023 undrafted free agents

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

LAKE FOREST — For the most part, people will judge the Bears' front office for the ten players they selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. But here and there, teams can find productive contributors from the pool of athletes who weren't picked by a team during the final weekend in April. That's why the selection of undrafted free agents can help to fill a team's roster for an upcoming season and beyond.This year, Ryan Poles has signed 14 of those players ahead of the 2023 campaign, and the list of those was officially released on Thursday. Here is the official list of Bears undrafted free agents from 2023 ahead of this weekend’s minicamp at Halas Hall..It includes Lake Forest native and former Syracuse kicker Andre Szmyt..@WGNNews pic.twitter.com/NPOQsm34rm— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) May 4, 2023The players joining the Bears include.Nick Amoah - Offensive Lineman - UC DavisTyson Bagent - Quarterback - Shepherd University (WV)Micah Baskerville - Linebacker - LSUJustin Broiles - Defen...

Kaitlin Armstrong's murder trial date moved

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for May 4, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Travis County court records showed the jury trial date for 35-year-old Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, a woman accused of killing professional cyclist Moriah “Mo” Wilson, was moved.Armstrong was originally set to appear in court June 22, but the date was moved to Oct. 30, according to court records. Latest updates on Moriah Wilson’s murder Armstrong faces a first-degree murder charge for the May 2022 incident, and as of Thursday, she remained booked into the Travis County jail on bonds of more than $3.5 million.RELATED COVERAGE:TIMELINE: What we know so far about pro-cyclist murder caseKaitlin Armstrong pleads not guilty; attorneys request speedy trialKaitlin Armstrong captured in Costa Rica, records show bail set at $3.5 millionSearch warrant: Kaitlin Armstrong had $6k plastic surgery receipt from Costa Rica, sister’s passportThe incident took place May 11, 2022, APD said. Wilson was sho...

Texas House passes bill that removes Ashe Juniper tree protections, concerning environmentalists

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) –  A bill filed by Texas House Rep. Ellen Troxclair, (R-Austin), that would remove municipal protections for Ashe Juniper trees across Texas, was passed by the Texas House of Representatives Wednesday, making it one step closer to becoming law. Some activists worry if this bill is successful, it will have grim repercussions for an already endangered bird and the Hill Country ecosystem at large.HB 2239 would change the state law to add the Ashe Juniper, the tree associated with “cedar fever,” to the list of trees already permitted for removal. Dead or diseased trees and trees that pose an imminent danger are already on the list of trees that can be removed without backlash from a local government.  PREVIOUS: Bill would remove city protections for ‘cedar fever’ Ashe Juniper trees “Just as Ashe Juniper pollen notoriously drifts across Texas each spring, restrictive local policies tend to spread unless stopped,” Troxclair told KXAN’s Cora Neas in March 2023. “S...

Transfers from schools in Texas now playing for Longhorns men's hoops program

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns men's basketball program picked up two more players from the transfer portal Thursday.Guard Chendall Weaver from UT Arlington and Ze'rik Onyema, a power forward from UTEP, are the newest Longhorns as Rodney Terry fills out the roster ahead his first official season as the head coach.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersWeaver averaged 9.5 points per game in his freshman season for the Mavericks, playing 29.5 minutes per game. He appeared off the bench in the first six games of the season and was part of the starting lineup the rest of the season. He scored a career-high 21 points Feb. 4 against Sam Houston that started a streak of six consecutive games in which he scored double figures. He shot 40% from 3-point range for the season.Onyema will be a junior next season and played 20.1 minutes per game for the Miners this past season. He sho...

As Uvalde anniversary nears, 'dead suspect loophole' closer to an end

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Three weeks shy of the one year anniversary of the Uvalde mass shooting, the Texas House has given initial approval of a bill to end the state's so-called "dead suspect loophole" -- the same law used to block the release of records in that case and many others. DENIED: KXAN investigates Texas' 'dead suspect loophole' KXAN has been investigating this issue for five years. On Thursday, the bill, HB 30, passed the House in a vote of 112-31 without debate. House members have to give it one final approval before it heads to the Senate. This is the closest the loophole has ever come to an end. Scot Rice watched the vote from his home in Santa Fe, Texas. It was five years ago this month that his wife, Flo, was shot six times at the high school where she worked. She survived the mass shooting that killed 10 people."The families that lost a loved one have nothing," said Rice, who still wants answers. "They don't have any autopsy reports, no video."Scot and Flo Rice (Court...

If 'cap and stitch' comes to I-35, what should be built over Austin's busiest highway?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

AUSTIN (ABJ) — The city of Austin plans to take advantage of a state effort to transform and expand an 8-mile stretch of I-35 that runs through the core of the city.The Texas Department of Transportation has proposed adding lanes to the interstate, some with tolls, and moving the double-decker highway below ground level — drastic changes for a road that has been a major feature of downtown Austin since the early 1960s. The state agency has said the investment is needed to help with traffic on an already congested road.The city, meanwhile, plans to "cap and stitch" the completed route with a series of bridges and platforms over I-35. "Caps" rest atop the road as plazas, creating a space for greenways, community amenities and new buildings, while "stitches" are smaller bridges that would span the interstate.Read the full story online at the Austin Business Journal.

Law enforcement defends DPS partnership as community advocates raise more concerns

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Texas Municipal Police Association (TMPA) and members of the Austin Justice Coalition view data on DPS traffic stops differently.A group of about 20 people organized by the Austin Justice Coalition took to the City Hall steps Thursday to express their concerns.Those concerns are largely tied to where DPS is more heavily patrolling.The Austin Police Department (APD) dictates where DPS focuses its patrols based on 911 call data for violent crimes. We learned this week, those neighborhoods are Rundberg, Cameron Road and Riverside. "We are Latino-community majority. With African Americans we make up 90 percent of people of color in our Montopolis community," said Montopolis Neighborhood President Susana Almanza at Thursday's press conference.The Texas Municipal Police Association (TMPA) sees this data differently and said traffic stops in high-crime areas are pivotal to getting drugs and dangerous people off the street. "I think we need to keep in mind this rhetoric...

Events celebrating Cinco de Mayo in Central Texas

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- If you're looking for ways to celebrate Cinco de Mayo this weekend, there are a few events commemorating the day around Central Texas this weekend. Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s May 5, 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War.AustinFiesta Austin will celebrate its 49th annual Cinco de Mayo at Fiesta Gardens on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.Gates open at 10 a.m., and the event is free for everyone under 12. There is a $7 charge after 12 p.m., but tickets can be purchased online in advance for $5. There will be food, art, and performances from several musicians and bands, including mariachis. There will also be a Kids Zone from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.Find details about the event and performers online. KyleIn Kyle, the city is spotlighting a local artist's work all month long to commemorate Cinco de Mayo.  Various pieces of art done by Anna Martinez Boling will be on dis...

Max Hastings: Britain needs a King, even if it’s Charles III

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:55 GMT

This Saturday morning, tens of millions of people all over the world will switch on their screens to watch an elderly English couple borne in a rattling coach to Westminster Abbey, where they will be adorned with crowns much bigger than their nation’s modern importance justifies. The Royal Family is an element of Britain that still commands fascination as a gilded soap opera.A cynic might suggest that the absence from the ceremony of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, will slightly diminish TV audiences. Had she attended, some people would have watched in order to see whether Prince Harry’s American wife would precipitate a row, or if one of the royals might gain revenge for all the grief her verbal assaults have inflicted on them.As it is, King Charles III’s younger son — the “spare” as he calls himself in the title of his best-selling autobiography — will attend the ceremony but then hasten back to his new home in California, where he and Meghan s...