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Highland Park parade mass shooting was planned for weeks, gunman fired over 70 rounds: Police

July 5, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(CHICAGO) — Authorities believe Monday’s mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, had been planned for weeks, and they say more than 70 rounds were fired from the gunman’s high-powered rifle, which was similar to an AR-15.

The 21-year-old suspect, Robert “Bobby” Crimo III, is accused of opening fire from a roof of a business, which he accessed from a fire escape ladder, police said.

Six people were killed and over 30 were injured in the suburban Chicago shooting.

Police said Crimo wore women’s clothing during the shooting to apparently allow him to hide his facial tattoos and blend in with the crowd to flee.

“Following the attack Crimo exited the roof, he dropped his rifle and he blended in with the crowd and he escaped,” police said Tuesday. “He walked to his mother’s home who lived in the area and he blended right in with everybody else.”

It appears Crimo bought the high-powered rifle legally in Illinois, police said.

No motive is known, police said. When asked by reporters if the gunman targeted anyone specifically, police said the “shooting appears to be completely random.”

Crimo is answering questions from investigators and has made statements taking responsibility for the attack, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

Crimo — who was apprehended Monday evening after an hours-long manhunt — is believed to be linked to social media posts that discuss or depict acts of violence, including shooting people, a law enforcement source briefed on the case told ABC News.

Online posts include a video showing what appears to be a portion of the same parade route where the shooting took place.

In a video posted over a year ago to his YouTube page, Crimo is shown in what appears to be a depiction of the aftermath of a school shooting.

Crimo had been living with his uncle, Paul Crimo, but the two barely interacted beyond exchanging hellos, Paul Crimo told ABC News.

Paul Crimo said he last spoke to his nephew the evening before the shooting and said he was shocked to learn about his alleged involvement.

He described his nephew as quiet and respectful and said the 21-year-old never mentioned firearms.

The mass shooting broke out when Highland Park’s parade was about three-quarters of the way through Monday morning, authorities said.

Revelers fled in panic, leaving behind empty strollers, overturned chairs and half-eaten sandwiches.

When the gunfire erupted, parade-goer Zoe Nicole Pawelczak grabbed her dad and started running through the sea of people.

“I saw multiple people slaughtered,” she told ABC News.

“Everybody is crying. We ended up making it behind a corner and we hid behind a dumpster. This man was there with his two very young children and he had put them in the dumpster for safety,” she said.

Pawelczak said the man wanted to leave to find his other son, and asked her to watch the two children in the dumpster.

“So I watched his kids for him,” she said. “They were like, ‘What’s going on?’ And I was like, ‘It’s just fireworks, it’s OK,’ just trying to keep them calm.”

Dr. David Baum was watching his grandson, daughter and son-in-law march in the parade when the gunfire began.

“Bodies were horribly, horribly, horribly injured from, you know, guns and bullets that were made for war — not for parades,” Baum said of some of the victims.

“The paramedics went quickly and assessed the damages — saw bodies that were blown apart and put a blanket over them quickly. And then went on to try and help other people,” he told ABC News. “These are injuries that nobody should have to see.”

Five people — all adults — died at the scene and a sixth adult died at a hospital, officials said.

Crimo was at large for hours after the shooting. After police released an image of Crimo and his car Monday evening, he was spotted driving and led police on a brief pursuit, authorities said.

He was stopped at U.S. Highway 41 and Westleigh Road in Lake Forest, Illinois, where he surrendered, according to police.

A second weapon, also purchased legally by Crimo, was found in the car, police said.

President Joe Biden said in a statement that he “surged Federal law enforcement to assist in the urgent search for the shooter.”

“Members of the community should follow guidance from leadership on the ground, and I will monitor closely as we learn more about those whose lives have been lost and pray for those who are in the hospital with grievous injuries,” Biden said.

He noted that he recently signed into law the most significant gun control legislation in decades, adding, “But there is much more work to do, and I’m not going to give up fighting the epidemic of gun violence.”

Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement, “On what should be a celebratory day with family and friends, we are grieving the lives that were taken in another act of senseless gun violence.”

“More should be done to address gun violence in our country,” she said. “President Biden recently signed into law the first major bipartisan gun reform legislation in almost 30 years — and we will continue fighting to end this senseless violence.”

An impassioned Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said, “It is devastating that a celebration of America was ripped apart by our uniquely American plague. A day dedicated to freedom has put into stark relief the one freedom we as a nation refuse to uphold: the freedom of our fellow citizens to live without the daily fear of gun violence.”

“I’m furious that yet more innocent lives were taken by gun violence. I’m furious that their loved ones are forever broken by what took place today. I’m furious that children and their families have been traumatized,” he said. “While we celebrate the Fourth of July just once a year, mass shootings have become our weekly — yes, weekly — American tradition. There are going to be people who say that today is not the day that now is not the time, to talk about guns. I’m telling you there is no better day and no better time than right here and right now.”

“Our founders carried muskets, not assault weapons. And I don’t think a single one of them would have said that you have a Constitutional right to an assault weapon with a high-capacity magazine — or that that is more important than the right of the people who attended this parade today to live,” the governor said.

Representatives of the gun reform group March For Our Lives, founded by survivors of the 2018 high school mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, said in a statement, “Just three weeks ago, young people organized a March For Our Lives in Highland Park, along with communities across the country.”

“We are grieving for the horrific loss of life in Highland Park, and the carnage brought on by a high-powered rifle,” they said. “We wish eternal peace for those who were murdered, and we will fight like hell for the living.”

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is among the leaders reacting to the nation’s latest mass shooting, tweeting, “Not even a parade on the Fourth of July celebrating our nation’s independence is immune from our nation’s gun violence epidemic. Tomorrow, I will sign seven sweeping commonsense gun safety bills into law. We cannot wait.”

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement that the U.S. must “address the epidemic of targeted gun violence, including the development and implementation of new community-based models of prevention and intervention.”

“The Department of Homeland Security will redouble its work in this critical area and help lead the effort to prevent violence,” he vowed.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News’ Josh Margolin, Pierre Thomas, Aaron Katersky, Alex Perez, Jack Date, Will Steakin, Jeff Cook, Will McDuffie and Caroline Guthrie contributed to this report.

How to protect your home and keep energy costs down during heat waves

July 5, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Summer has just started but millions around the country have already experienced record-breaking heat waves, forcing people to blast air conditioning and think of ways to protect their homes during an onslaught of high temperatures, all while trying to keep energy costs low.

The U.S. has already seen heat indexes reach dangerous levels this summer. Last month, Shreveport, Mississippi, reached 105 degrees, while temperatures in Houston, Texas, hit 103 degrees.

Drought conditions in parts of the country also make it ripe for pasture losses, water shortages and wildfires, which puts people’s homes at risk.

Protecting your homes

Extreme weather is costing Americans billions of dollars. In 2020, extreme weather cost U.S. taxpayers $99 billion, with heat waves and droughts costing taxpayers an average of $6.4 billion a year since 1980, according to the Center for American Progress.

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, some tips homeowners could use to protect their home include adding insulation to keep the heat out, incorporating window reflectors and weather stripping windows and doors.

How to conserve energy during a heat wave

“Windows and doors are critical,” Jim Reinhart, CEO and president of Ygrene, told ABC News. “Today’s windows and doors are way more efficient than those that many homes were constructed in 30 to 40 years ago.”

Reinhart said having a proper roof is also important in protecting your home from extreme heat and can help reduce your energy costs by at least 20%.

Rising temperatures can also increase a house’s humidity if not properly maintained, which can cause mold to grow.

If roofs, windows and doors are not regularly supported, issues, such as water damage, can cause bigger and more expensive problems, Reinhart added.

“A lot of what we ask people to do is not to just fix it, but fix it appropriately,” he said.

Keeping energy costs down

Customers are expected to be hit hard financially because of rising energy costs, especially during the summer.

Utility companies have warned customers that the high costs of natural gas are leading to an increase in electricity prices. The war in Ukraine has forced the U.S. to export a record amount of gas, driving up the price.

Some tips the Department of Energy suggests for keeping costs down include setting your thermostat to a temperature you’re comfortable with and an indoor temperature that isn’t that much different from the outside temperature.

Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) suggests setting your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher and using ceiling fans to help circulate the air throughout a room.

Logan Atkinson, executive director at Alliance for Affordable Energy, told ABC News people should look to see what energy efficiency programs their states offer to help reduce costs.

“Most utilities are required around the country are to provide [these programs],” Atkinson said. “If you’re a low-income homeowner, most of those programs are free of charge entirely.”

Rising temperatures will undoubtedly lead to an increased usage of people’s air conditioning systems.

Homeowners with heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, commonly referred to as HVAC, should have them serviced by a technician to ensure they’re running efficiently.

The cost to replace an HVAC system costs an average of $7,000, with some systems going up to $10,000, according to Home Advisor. It is more economical to maintain it than replace a broken system.

Atkinson said the efficiency programs could cover some costs if you’re keeping the system serviced.

Four Vietnam War veterans to receive Medal of Honor

July 5, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Four Army veterans are being recognized with the Medal of Honor for their “acts of gallantry and intrepidity” during the Vietnam War.

President Joe Biden will present Specialist 5 Dwight W. Birdwell, Major John J. Duffy and Specialist 5 Dennis M. Fujii with the nation’s highest military honor at a White House ceremony on Tuesday morning. Staff Sergeant Edward N. Kaneshiro will receive the award posthumously.

The awards come after U.S. Army reviews that concluded the decorated veterans’ previous honors should be elevated to the Medal of Honor, the United States military’s most prestigious award for bravery and heroism.

Birdwell, who is also a former Cherokee Nation Supreme Court justice, will become the first Native American honored for action in Vietnam and the first to receive the award for action in any conflict since 1973.

“It’s a point of great pride for the Cherokee people and I think all native people to see a Native American get this honor,” Cherokee Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin told ABC News. “I think about the fact that Dwight Birdwell represents thousands of Native Americans who have served this country in military service since the 1970s and even before at such high numbers, disproportionately high numbers. I think it’s fitting and high time that someone get the Medal of Honor who’s a Native American.”

On Jan. 31, 1968, Birdwell moved directly into the line of fire, getting wounded in the process, to retrieve ammunition for his fellow soldiers.

Birdwell told ABC News his time in the Army gave him “a sense of discipline, enhanced respect for life, more respect for nature, and respect for people beyond the boundaries of this country.”

“Someone asked me if I feel like a hero. I don’t feel like I am, but I served with plenty, especially that day, and [I’m] honored to have served with them,” Birdwell said. “I’m really overwhelmed by the whole process. But again, proud for the Cherokee people, proud for the unit I served with, and personally very satisfied that it came about.”

In a 1972 battle for Fire Support Base Charlie, Duffy directed defense and facilitated the air evacuation of his team while under attack. He was the last to board an aiding helicopter.

“It’s a great honor. Each of those awards are appreciated, and recognizing your endeavors, your duty that you’ve done, and the pride you have in your uniform that you’ve earned in combat,” he said of his nomination. “And the same disciplines that applied in battle applied in life, whether it’s being a broker or any other occupation, journalist, etc., you’re focused, you’re trying to tell a story and you’re trying to do your job. So you learn discipline in the military — not just the Army but all the military — that serves you forever throughout life.”

After retiring from the Army, Duffy went on to work in publishing and finance before focusing on poetry. The Pulitzer Prize nominee’s works are engraved on two monuments.

In February 1971, Fujii served as crew chief of a helicopter ambulance. He is being honored for his role in several evacuations and tireless treatment of wounded Vietnamese military along the allied perimeter, even after a series of failed attempts to rescue him following a helicopter crash. Throughout this time, he directed strikes and defense until his eventual rescue.

On Dec. 1, 1966, Kaneshiro defended his squad in the trenches from enemy fire using six grenades and a rifle, allowing for their successful extrication.

Naomi Viloria and John Kaneshiro were young children when their father was killed in action on March 6, 1967. Viloria was 8 years old and her brother, who went on to enlist in the Army after high school, was only 4 months old.

“I didn’t know him. So you know, I didn’t have that father figure, but just reading the actions that he did in newspaper articles of the period, that told me he was a man of character,” he said. “So, you know, you put that together and say, ‘Wow, you know, I hope I can be like him.'”

Viloria told ABC News their family has worked for decades to have his actions reviewed and nearly gave up.

“But then finally, this year, right after my mother passed away, we were notified that his combat record was being under review and he could possibly be awarded the Medal of Honor, and I finally got the call from President Biden,” she said, adding that the family was “overjoyed” to hear the news.

“I think for us now, our family, it’s an honor that America has suggested we recognize his selflessness, his courageousness in the face of adversity,” John Kaneshiro said. “We’re happy that he was recognized, finally.”

ABC News’ Luis Martinez and Abby Cruz contributed to this report.

Democrats look to raise $10M for key governors’ races with abortion access fund

July 5, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Democrats look to raise M for key governors’ races with abortion access fund

(WASHINGTON) — The Democratic Governors Association hopes to turn anger at the overturning of Roe v. Wade into big-dollar fundraising for critical races where governors will hold sway over abortion access at the state level.

The DGA on Tuesday launched the “Protect Reproductive Rights Fund” to support gubernatorial races in states where access to abortion is at risk.

The DGA said it aims to raise $10 million for the new fund. The targeted states where the money will be directed include Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin.

The fund will be chaired by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who told ABC News that once the Supreme Court’s five-justice majority opinion reversing Roe was leaked in May, she and some of her fellow Democratic governors knew that action had to be taken to protect abortion rights.

“We can look to Washington for leadership, that’s important, but also the power does rest with the states,” Hochul said. “And we’ve known all along that we are the ones who are the firewall between what the Supreme Court does and doing what we can to protect the rights of our women.”

“I want to take ownership of this [fund] and support other Democratic candidates, whether they’re incumbent governors or they’re challengers, because where these critical decisions will be made is in the statehouses,” Hochul told ABC.

In her own state, she has taken several actions to protect and expand access to abortion since the Supreme Court found there was no constitutional guarantee to accessing it. Those steps included allocating $35 million to providers, not only to accommodate women in New York seeking an abortion but also to prepare for the influx of women who may travel to the state from places where it is or will be widely banned.

Others governors, however, are in legal battles trying to ensure abortion access over the objections of abortion opponents there.

Last week, Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Ton Evers filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s 19th-century pre-Roe abortion ban, which criminalizes abortion and only allows an exception to save the mother’s life. Evers’ lawsuit argues that the ban is unenforceable because it conflicts with other abortion laws that have since been passed.

Due to confusion over whether the ban is enforceable — with Evers’ suit pending — abortion providers are suspending services in the state.

In the interim, Evers and his administration are taking steps to ensuring state residents have access to clinics in neighboring states such as Illinois and Minnesota.

“The unfortunate thing is that the most vulnerable women don’t have probably [the] most opportunities to jump in a car and go to Illinois or Minnesota,” Evers told ABC News.

In April, Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is up for reelection this year, filed a lawsuit in support of abortion rights under the state’s constitution.

In Pennsylvania, the legality of abortion could change depending on who is elected as governor in November.

The state’s Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf is term-limited and cannot seek reelection. Democratic state Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano are running to be his successor. Shapiro has said he would protect the right to an abortion while Mastriano said he would not.

One of the first pieces of legislation that Mastriano introduced as a state senator was a “heartbeat” bill which would have banned abortions if a fetal cardiac activity could be found.

Hochul told ABC News that she believes the DGA’s new fund will make a difference in this year’s governor races and that people are going to be “energized” to vote following Roe’s overturning — a ruling that inspired passionate reactions from both sides of the issue.

“[Abortion] is going to have a major effect on this November’s election, as well as the importance of raising the resources to support our governors,” Hochul said.

Russia-Ukraine live updates: Putin announces operational pause after seizing Luhansk

July 5, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.

The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Jul 05, 8:43 am
NATO completes negotiations with Sweden and Finland

NATO announced on Monday it has concluded negotiations with Sweden and Finland on their accession to the organization.

“Finland and Sweden have completed accession negotiations at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, as agreed last week by the leaders of the countries at the summit in Madrid,” a NATO press release said.

“Both countries have officially confirmed their desire and ability to fulfill their political, legal and military obligations as NATO members,” the NATO press service added.

The countries will sign their accession protocols on Tuesday. All member countries will then have to ratify the documents according to their national laws.

Finland and Sweden jointly submitted applications to join NATO on May 18, ending decades of neutrality in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres, Yuriy Zaliznyak, Max Uzol and Nataliia Kushnir

Jul 05, 7:40 am
Putin announces operational pause after capturing towns in the east

Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrated the Russian seizure of Lysychansk and the majority of the Luhansk regional border in eastern Ukraine by appearing to direct his military to conduct an “operational pause”, the Institute for the Study of War reported on Monday.

Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu called the recent Russian gains in the Luhansk region as a major victory for Russian forces in Ukraine.

The Russian president also stated that the Russian units that participated in the battle for Lysychansk should rest to increase their combat capabilities, the ISW report claimed.

Putin‘s public comment was likely meant to signal his concern for the welfare of his troops in the face of periodic complaints in Russia about the treatment of Russian soldiers, the ISW experts said.

Russian troops that fought through the Luhansk region are very likely in need of a significant period in which to rest and refit before resuming large-scale offensive operations, observers noted.

It is not clear, however, that the Russian military will accept the risks associated with a long enough operational pause to allow these likely exhausted forces to regain their strength, the ISW report said.

Putin was quick to remark on Monday that “other military formations, including the East Group and the West Group, must carry out their tasks according to the previously approved plans.”

“I hope that everything will happen … in the same way as it has happened in Luhansk,” the Russian President added as quoted by local media.

Vyacheslav Volodin, who chairs the Russian Duma — the lower house of the Federal Assembly — said on Tuesday that Ukraine was “doing everything” to ensure that Moscow’s troops would not stop their “special military operation” at the borders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine, according to Russian state media.

Serhii Haidai, the head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, said on Tuesday that Russian attacks in the Luhansk region destroyed more than 90% of the infrastructure in the territories that were actively defended by the Ukrainian military.

An overwhelming majority of houses were under fire, Haidai said, and most of them “can’t be restored.”

-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres, Yuriy Zaliznyak, Max Uzol and Nataliia Kushnir

Jul 05, 6:12 am
Russia likely to switch focus to Donetsk after declaring victory in Luhansk

Russian forces will “now almost certainly” switch focus to capturing Donetsk Oblast after claiming control of neighboring Luhansk Oblast in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, according to intelligence briefings from the U.K. Ministry of Defense.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared victory in Luhansk on Monday, a day after Ukrainian troops withdrew from the city of Lysychansk — their last stronghold of resistance in the province. Ukrainian troops had spent weeks trying to defend Lysychansk and to keep it from falling to Russian forces, as the neighboring city of Sievierodonetsk did a week ago. A river separates the two cities.

“Russia’s focus will now almost certainly switch to capturing Donetsk Oblast, a large portion of which remain under the control of Ukrainian forces,” the U.K. Ministry of Defense said in Monday’s briefing. “The fight for the Donbas has been grinding and attritional and this is highly unlikely to change in the coming weeks.”

Putin has made capturing the entire Donbas — Ukraine’s mostly Russian-speaking industrial heartland in the east — a key goal in his war in neighboring Ukraine. Russia-backed separatists in Donbas have battled Ukrainian forces since 2014, when they declared independence from Kyiv after the Russian annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Moscow formally recognized the self-proclaimed republics in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts just days before launching its Feb. 24 invasion.

“Russia’s relatively rapid capture of Lysychansk extends its control across virtually all of the territory of Luhansk Oblast, allowing it to claim substantive progress against the policy objective it presented as the immediate purpose of the war, namely ‘liberating’ the Donbas,” the U.K. Ministry of Defense said in Tuesday’s briefing.

“Ukrainian forces have likely largely withdrawn in good order, in line with existing plans,” the ministry continued. “The Ukrainian held areas of Sieverodonetsk-Lyschansk consisted of a bulge or salient which Russian could attack from three sides. There is a realistic possibility that Ukrainian forces will now be able to fall back to a more readily defendable, straightened front line.”

“The battle for the Donbas has been characterised by slow rates of advance and Russia’s massed employment of artillery, levelling towns and cities in the process,” the ministry added. “The fighting in Donetsk Oblast will almost certainly continue in this manner.”

Jul 04, 6:54 am
Pope hints at possible trip to Ukraine

Speaking of the situation in Ukraine in an exclusive interview with Reuters over the weekend, Pope Francis said he might be heading to Ukraine after returning from his trip to Canada.

Francis, who has repeatedly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said he “would like to go [to Ukraine],” but wanted to “go to Moscow first.”

No pope has ever visited Moscow. Last Thursday, Francis implicitly accused Russia of waging a “cruel and senseless war of aggression.”

Francis noted over the weekend that there have been contacts between Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about a possible trip to Moscow.

“After I come back from Canada, it is possible that I will manage to go to Ukraine,” Francis said. “The first thing is to go to Russia to try to help in some way, but I would like to go to both capitals.”

According to Francis, the Vatican first inquired about a trip to Russia several months ago, but Moscow said it was not the right time.

-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres, Yuriy Zaliznyak, Max Uzol and Fidel Pavlenko

Twenty-one people shot in New York City in 14 separate incidents

July 5, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Three people were killed and 21 were wounded in shootings in New York City. Authorities reported 14 separate shootings from Monday into Tuesday morning.

In one incident on Monday, three men were shot, two fatally, inside the Spring Creek Food Mart in Brooklyn just after 11:35 p.m. A 23-year-old man was shot in the neck and a 21-year-old was shot in the head, both of whom were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the New York Police Department.

The third man, 18, is in critical condition at Brookdale University Hospital. A suspect was taken into custody at the scene and police found three guns at the bodega, according to police.

John Edwards, 62, was fatally shot in the Bronx in a separate incident. He suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, police said. Edwards was transported to Saint Barnabas Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to police.

The second victim, a 23-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the right leg, was also transported to Saint Barnabas Hospital and is in stable condition. A third victim, a 26-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the right arm, is listed in stable condition. There have been no arrests and an investigation is ongoing.

Edwards was not the target of the shooting, according to police.

There have been 213 homicides in the city so far this year, down 10.12% from 237 homicides last year, according to the NYPD.

The shootings come as a gunman opened fire at a parade in Highland Park, Illinois, killing six people and seriously injuring 24 others. Another July 4 shooting in Wisconsin left one person dead and four injured.

One dead, four seriously injured in Wisconsin July Fourth shooting

July 5, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(KENOSHA, Wis.) — One person has died and four people have been seriously injured in a Fourth of July shooting at a residence in Kenosha, Wisconsin, police said.

The incident occurred at approximately 10:20 p.m. at a home in the 6300 block of 25th Avenue when authorities responded to reports of a shooting at the house and encountered a “chaotic scene with obvious evidence of multiple gunshots being fired,” according to a statement released by the City of Kenosha Police Department.

“There were five victims from this shooting, all adults,” authorities continued. “One of the victims is deceased. The other four victims were transported to local hospitals with two being transferred to Milwaukee area hospitals due to serious injuries.”

As of now, the Kenosha Police Department say there is no known motive, no suspects in custody and that the investigation into the shooting is “open and active.”

Police are asking for cooperation with the public and are urging anyone with information to contact the Kenosha Police Detective Bureau at (262) 605-5203 or the Kenosha Area Crime Stoppers at (262) 656-7333.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Plans revealed for redeveloped area around Notre-Dame cathedral

July 5, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(PARIS, FRANCE) — As construction crews race to meet the 2024 deadline set by French President Emmanuel Macron for the reopening of Notre-Dame, a jury chaired by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has revealed the winning project for the redevelopment of the area surrounding the cathedral.

The project, estimated at 52 million euros ($54 million), is being led by Belgian landscape architect Bas Smets, with a team composed of urban planning agency GRAU and architecture agency Neufville-Gayet.

The plan, scheduled for completion in 2027, calls for a greener and more welcoming look for Notre-Dame.

“There were three essential points for us: it was to reveal the cathedral, second to improve the connection with the Seine, and thirdly, to multiply the uses through this climatic approach,” Smets told ABC News.

A 400-meter long park will emerge along the Seine, where “people will be able to come and picnic [and] play in this magnificent place, between the south facade of the cathedral and the Seine,” Smets said. “Behind the cathedral, we will make a very large lawn of 17,000 square meters (4,2 acres), as large as the large lawn behind the Luxembourg Gardens.”

The chestnut trees around the cathedral will be supplemented by 131 new trees, including hackberries, maples and hornbeams, as well as alders, and a few oaks — an homage to the cathedral’s oak-made frame that burned in the 2019 fire that damaged the historic structure.

The underground parking garage beneath the cathedral square will be made into a reception center, called “le passage,” which Smets said will be able to fit nearly 1,000 people and include luggage storage and meeting rooms to accommodate groups, as well as access to the cathedral’s archaeological crypt.

Along the Seine, Smets said that they are going to open the walls of the quays that line the river to provide direct access to the Seine from the passage, which will be “a critical place” in this undertaking.

Cousins Amélie Vieites, 20, from Tours, and Emma Quiquemelle, 19, from Le Mans, hailed the redevelopment while visiting the site on Saturday.

Vieites said that adding trees will be “really good” for reducing pollution, while Quiquemelle told ABC News that “there aren’t a lot of green spaces in Paris, so that could make young people want to come and sit down.”

Omar Miloudi, 36, on holiday from Algiers, agreed, noting that visiting tourist sites in the summer is “a little too hot” to be “facing this heat.”

“It’s a great idea!” 47-year-old Brian Astl said of plans for the new greenery. Astl, visiting from Toronto, Canada, with his family, said he was already excited to come back to grounds for a picnic.

Officials say they hope the new-and-improved Notre-Dame will attract 12 million visitors per year, and will appeal to both tourists and Parisians.

The work on the cathedral grounds is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2024.

Highland Park mass shooting: 6 killed at parade, police scouring person of interest’s social media

July 5, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(CHICAGO, ILLANOIS) — Authorities are combing through social media posts they believe are associated with the 22-year-old person of interest in Monday’s mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois.

Six people were killed and about 24 others were seriously hurt in the suburban Chicago shooting, which police described as a “random act of violence.”

It appears the gunman fired from a roof where a high-powered rifle was recovered, police said.

Person of interest Robert “Bobby” Crimo III — who was apprehended Monday evening after an hours-long manhunt — is believed to be linked to social media posts that discuss or depict acts of violence, including shooting people, a law enforcement source briefed on the case told ABC News.

Analysts say Crimo appears to have had an extensive online presence that was littered with signs of hatred, mental health issues and a gravitation toward hard-right and neo-fascist ideologies.

The mass shooting broke out when Highland Park’s parade was about three-quarters of the way through Monday morning, authorities said. Revelers fled in panic, leaving behind empty strollers, overturned chairs and half-eaten sandwiches.

Police ran toward the shots but the gunman had already fled, Lake County Sheriff Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said at a news conference.

When the gunfire erupted, parade-goer Zoe Nicole Pawelczak grabbed her dad and started running through the sea of people.

“I saw multiple people slaughtered,” she told ABC News.

Pawelczak said the man wanted to leave to find his other son, and asked her to watch the two children in the dumpster.

“So I watched his kids for him,” she said. “They were like, ‘What’s going on?’ And I was like, ‘It’s just fireworks, it’s OK,’ just trying to keep them calm.”

Dr. David Baum was watching his grandson, daughter and son-in-law march in the parade when the gunfire began.

“Bodies were horribly, horribly, horribly injured from, you know, guns and bullets that were made for war — not for parades,” Baum said of some of the victims.

Five people — all adults — died at the scene and a sixth victim died at a hospital, said Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.

The NorthShore University Health System said it received a total of 31 patients; most suffered gunshot wounds and a few were hurt in the chaos. At least one child was critically injured, Highland Park Fire Chief Joe Schrage said.

Crimo was at large for hours after the shooting. After police released an image of Crimo and his car Monday evening, he was spotted driving and led police on a brief pursuit, authorities said.

He was stopped at U.S. Highway 41 and Westleigh Road in Lake Forest, Illinois, where he surrendered, according to police.

The neighboring suburb of Evanston canceled its own Fourth of July parade in the wake of the shooting, Evanston police said.

President Joe Biden said in a statement that he “surged Federal law enforcement to assist in the urgent search for the shooter.”

In an impassioned statement Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said, “There are no words for the kind of monster who lives in wait and fires into a crowd of families with children celebrating a holiday with their community. There are no words for the kind of evil that robs our neighbors of their hopes, their dreams, their futures.”

“Prayers alone will not put a stop to the terror of rampant gun violence in our country,” the governor wrote. “We must — and we will — end this plague of gun violence.”

pic.twitter.com/SDNF90EHZS

— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) July 4, 2022

Law enforcement has long been concerned about gunmen firing from elevated positions, which police say can give them a strategic advantage.

The deadliest example of that is the 2017 Las Vegas massacre, during which the shooter took up a window position in the Mandalay Bay hotel. Fifty-nine people were killed in what became the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

In the wake of the Vegas massacre, law enforcement around the country placed a greater emphasis on securing elevated locations surrounding public events, but police have acknowledged how daunting a task it is to secure all such positions.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News’ Josh Margolin, Pierre Thomas, Alex Perez, Jack Date, Will McDuffie and Caroline Guthrie contributed to this report.

Highland Park mass shooting: Six killed at parade, police scouring person of interest’s social media

July 5, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(CHICAGO) — Authorities are combing through social media posts they believe are associated with the 22-year-old person of interest in Monday’s mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois.