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The 50 'rattiest cities' in the US, as ranked by Orkin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:06 GMT

(KTLA/NEXSTAR) – It's their world. We just live in it.Orkin has released its 2023 list of the “rattiest cities” in the U.S., which ranks 50 of the nation’s busiest metro regions by “the number of new rodent treatments” performed over a period of 12 months. Specifically, Orkin studied new rodent treatments executed between Sept. 1, 2022, and Aug. 31, 2023, at both residential and commercial properties.Perhaps not surprisingly, Chicago was ranked as the No. 1 "rattiest" city for a ninth consecutive year.SEE ALSO: Chicago’s ‘Rat’ Rage GrowsRounding out the top five "rattiest" cities were Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C. and San Francisco — the usual suspects, as Orkin's previous reports have suggested.A complete list of the 50 "rattiest" cities can be found below, with plus (+) or minus (-) symbols indicating their change over last year’s list:ChicagoLos Angeles (+1)New York (-1)Washington, D.C. San FranciscoPhiladelphiaBaltimoreDenverDetroit (+1)Cleveland-Akron (-1)Minneapolis-S...

Teresa Weatherspoon's hire continues building of the 2024 Chicago Sky

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:06 GMT

Subria Whitaker of Grow The Game joins "9 Good Minutes" on WGN News Now to talk about the Chicago Sky's upcoming offseason & the hire of Teresa Weatherspoon.CHICAGO — Once again, the Chicago Sky are starting a new era of their franchise in 2024.Last year, the team was moving on from Courtney Vandersloot, Candace Parker, Allie Quigley, Emma Meesseman, and Azura Stevens in a major reshaping of their roster around All-Star Kahleah Copper.Now the team is replacing head coach and general manager James Wade, who made a number of deals to reshape the roster for 2023. This time the job will be split, with Basketball Hall of Famer Teresa Weatherspoon taking the head coaching position with a general manager still to be hired. She'll be introduced at a news conference on Tuesday morning at Wintrust Arena. Yet this is just the start of getting the Sky back to the championship level they were at just a year ago before the high-profile departures. The team has Copper on a new two-year deal w...

2 women held hostage released by Hamas, International Committee of the Red Cross confirms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:06 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas released two elderly Israeli women held hostage in Gaza on Monday, as the United States expressed increasing concern that the escalating Israel-Hamas war will spark a wider conflict in the region, including attacks on American troops.The death toll in Gaza was rising rapidly as Israel ramped up airstrikes, flattening residential buildings in what it says was preparation for an eventual ground assault. The United States advised Israel to delay an expected ground invasion to allow time to negotiate the release of more hostages..A third small aid convoy from Egypt entered Gaza, where the population of 2.3 million has been running out of food, water and medicine under Israel’s two-week seal. With Israel still barring entry of fuel, the U.N. said its distribution of aid would grind to a halt within days when it can no longer fuel its trucks. Gaza hospitals are struggling to keep generators running to power life-saving medical equipment and incubators f...

Ghoulish deep-sea fish found on California beach in rare discovery

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:06 GMT

SAN DIEGO (KSWB) – For the second time in three years, a ghoulish, reclusive species of deep-sea fish washed ashore on a beach in Orange County, California.Seasonal lifeguard at Crystal Cove State Park Sierra Fockler discovered a deep-sea anglerfish lying on the shore of Moro Beach near the lifeguard headquarters earlier this month. The discovery was made just in time for Friday the 13th, and the park later shared the pictures of the find on social media. VIDEO: Dolphins swim through bioluminescent waters in Orange County With a gaping mouth and spiny fin, the specimen, identified as a Pacific footballfish, was the same species as the anglerfish discovered by a Moro Beach visitor in May 2021. The specimen found in May 2021 is currently at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.Lifeguards estimate that the latest specimen, which was found intact but deceased, washed up with the morning high tide, at around 9 a.m. Officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife pick...

APD officers involved in fatal north Austin shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:06 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A man is dead after being shot by Austin Police Department officers in north Austin Sunday night. According to Interim Police Chief Robin Henderson, APD got a call around 8 p.m. that a man was threatening his wife and child with a gun inside an apartment in the 9000 block of Northgate Boulevard, between Highway 183 and West Rundberg Lane. Henderson said officers tried to get the man to come out, but he wouldn't. Around 8:30, officers saw the man on the balcony with the gun and fired a "less lethal" weapon at him, then he went back inside. APD called in the SWAT team, but before it arrived, officers were worried the woman and child were in danger and entered the apartment themselves, according to Henderson. Henderson said as officers entered the apartment, the suspect began firing a gun at the officers, who returned fire, hitting the man. Officers tried to save the man's life, but he died. The woman and child were able to get out of the apartment safely without any i...

1 dead following 2-vehicle crash on SH 130 Monday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:06 GMT

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Austin-Travis County EMS confirmed one person died following a two-vehicle crash along State Highway 130's southbound service road Monday afternoon.ATCEMS responded to the blocks of 10638-11106 South SH 130 service road, near Maha Loop, shortly before 1:30 p.m. Monday. Medics attempted CPR on one adult patient, who ultimately died at the scene.Two additional patients were evaluated for minor injuries before refusing to be taken to the hospital by medics, ATCEMS noted. No additional information is available related to the crash, officials added.

When will CapMetro wrap construction on McKalla Station near Q2 Stadium?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:06 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin FC fans will be able to take CapMetro's Red Line straight to Q2 Stadium next season, with work on the upcoming McKalla Station projected to finish in time for the start of the 2024 Major League Soccer season.The CapMetro board of directors approved Monday an additional $676,000 in funding for the transit authority's existing McKalla Station construction contract, with a total contract amount of more than $21.5 million. CapMetro officials told the board some of that extra funding is needed to address some stormwater and wastewater easement efforts. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: CapMetro’s McKalla Station on track to launch before 2024 Austin FC season While the new-approved contract funding extension also flagged a timeline extension of 102 days, CapMetro President and CEO Dottie Watkins told the board the project remains on time and on budget. The reason for some of the tweaks along the way is the nature of the project's design-build contract, where a designer and cons...

LIVE: Texas QB Quinn Ewers 'week-to-week' with shoulder injury

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:06 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday that quarterback Quinn Ewers is "week-to-week" with a shoulder injury.Ewers was hit hard by Houston's David Ugwoegbu near the end of the third quarter after a scramble. Ewers tried to play through the injury and threw two incomplete passes before the end of the frame. Maalik Murphy entered the game and played the entire fourth quarter, completing 1 of 2 passes for seven yards. Longhorns move up one spot in AP Top 25 after Houston win "There's a level of disappointment, obviously. No one likes to get injured," Sarkisian said. "He tried to play through it, but then he knew what he could give to the team wasn't good enough."Multiple reports Sunday night said Ewers suffered a sprained shoulder in the Longhorns' 31-24 win over the Cougars.Rivals site Orangebloods.com and ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that Ewers has a grade 2 sprain of the AC joint in his right shoulder, his throwing side. Last season against Alabama i...

Wild turn to Vinni Lettieri to help get back on winning track

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:06 GMT

Vinni Lettieri wore some of his resumé on his face Monday when he joined the Minnesota Wild after starting the season at AHL Iowa.“A little scrum in the net front a few days ago,” the veteran forward said.He should fit right into the fourth line with center Connor Dewar and wing Brandon Duhaime, speedy, hard-nosed forwards who have consistently set an aggressive tone when they’ve had the puck this season.The three practiced together Monday morning at TRIA Rink.“People don’t know, sometimes, how skilled fourth lines are around the league, and these guys are great shooters, they’re great playmakers, they have great vision,” Lettieri said.Lettieri, 28, has been nothing but sharp since signing a two-year, two-way deal with the Wild on July 1, impressive during training camp, and productive in preseason games (1-3–4 in two games) and at Iowa (1-2–3 in four games).“He played not only skillfully but gritty, as well,” Wild head coach Dean Evason said. “That’s what we’re looking for from him...

Ruben Rosario: In a sea of purple, I’ll be the guy wearing 49ers red and gold at tonight’s game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:06 GMT

It still stings, though it’s been more than 35 years now. I’m talking here about what took place on Jan. 9, 1988, when the heavily favored San Francisco 49ers were upset by the underdog Minnesota Vikings, 34-26 in a divisional playoff game.The shocking loss — I still have a beef with then-Vikings QB Wade Wilson and top receiver Anthony Carter to this day — prevented what I solidly believe would have been a still-unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat by my Niners (the team led by Joe Montana would win back-to-back Super Bowls in 1989 and 1990). I won’t tell you here which team we knocked off those years in the playoffs to get to the promised land. Look it up.Oh. I hear you now, long-suffering Vikings fans. I have nothing to complain about. I root for a team that has won five Super Bowls and looks like they have another Purdy good chance, pun intended, this season to reach the Super Bowl again.Meanwhile, the Vikings lost four Super Bowls, have endured excruciatingly heartbreaking playof...