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Theodore 'Ted' Kaczynski, the 'Unabomber,' dies in federal prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, the Harvard-educated mathematician who retreated to a dingy shack in the Montana wilderness and ran a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others, died Saturday. He was 81.Branded the “Unabomber” by the FBI, Kaczynski died at the federal prison medical center in Butner, North Carolina, Kristie Breshears, a spokesperson for the federal Bureau of Prisons, told The Associated Press. He was found unresponsive in his cell early Saturday morning and was pronounced dead around 8 a.m., she said. A cause of death was not immediately known.Before his transfer to the prison medical facility, he had been held in the federal Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, since May 1998, when he was sentenced to four life sentences plus 30 years for a campaign of terror that set universities nationwide on edge. He admitted committing 16 bombings from 1978 and 1995, permanently maiming several of his victims.Years before the Sept. 11 ...

3 signs it's time to pause your credit card spending

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

(NerdWallet) - When your finances start to spiral and it becomes increasingly difficult to keep up with credit card payments or build toward financial goals, switching your payment method temporarily to cash or debit could help.Spending with credit cards can stimulate the brain’s reward center and drive you to make more purchases, according to a recent study by MIT Sloan School of Management. The 2021 study had a small sample size of 28 participants, but other research also finds that people are likely to spend more with credit cards. However, it is possible to avoid overspending and the costs of interest charges on outstanding debt by using cash instead.A vacation from credit card spending isn’t for everyone, though. If you want to preserve your credit scores, you'll still need to keep zero-balance credit cards open and active with small recurring purchases such as paying for streaming service subscriptions or other similar transactions. Issuers may close inactive accounts, which c...

Celebrating National Rosé Day sustainably

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

Saturday is National Rosé Day and to talk about how to celebrate it sustainably, Brian Freedman, the author of "Crushed: How a changing climate is altering the way we drink" joined WGN Weekend Morning News.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Marlon Wayans blasts United Airlines after issue with bag gets him barred from flight: 'This was harassment'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Actor and comedian Marlon Wayans is claiming he was harassed and bullied by a United Airlines gate agent over an issue with his carry-on baggage.Wayans, 50, shared his side of the incident on social media, claiming he was preparing to board a flight leaving from Denver International Airport on Friday when he was asked by a United gate agent to "consolidate" his bags. He alleged, however, that once he complied, the agent told him his baggage was too big and needed to be checked. Frontier Airlines confirms gate agent ‘incentive’ for baggage fees after viral TikToks Wayans said he felt the agent was “clearly picking” on him and boarded the flight with his bags anyway, he admitted. He also indicated that the gate agent ultimately prevented him from making the flight, but did not specifically say whether he was physically removed from the plane.“Dude tried to lie and say I assaulted him,” Wayans wrote on Instagram, alleging there was video footage to prove that he “never to...

Changing the Stigma: PTSD to PTSI

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

A non-profit organization 'Erase PTSD Now,' is raising awareness around PTSD by classifying it as an injury. Dr. Eugene Lipoc, the medical director at Stella Trauma Centers and Dr. Frank Ochberg, a pioneer in Trauma Science.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Chris Christie: Details of Trump indictment 'devastating,' 'damning'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

(The Hill) – Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), a GOP presidential candidate for 2024, said the details of the federal indictment against former President Trump are “devastating.” “The fact is that these facts are devastating,” Christie told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview on Friday. Christie noted that the indictment accuses Trump of directing what documents were to be packed in boxes upon leaving the White House at the end of his presidency, that they should be sent to Mar-a-Lago and where they would be placed while they were at Mar-a-Lago. He said Trump is also accused of directing the documents to be taken with him to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, when he went there during the summer and continuing to “stonewall” investigators who were trying to get the documents returned to government recordkeepers. “The bigger issue for our country is, is this the type of conduct that we want from someone who wants to be president of the United States?” Chri...

The producers of 'Family Feud' wanted an iconic actor to host the show, according to Richard Dawson

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Richard Dawson, the kiss-happy original host of “Family Feud,” wasn’t the producers’ first choice for the job. Instead, he said, they wanted to boldly go with another popular actor of the era.Dawson had been a fixture on U.S. game shows for years before “Family Feud” debuted in 1976, most notably as a regular panelist on CBS’s revival of “Match Game” between 1973 and 1978. During that time, he became good friends with “Match Game” co-producer Mark Goodson, one-half of the Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production team.Dawson, who became quite popular with both viewers and contestants, said Goodson took notice and offered him a job hosting whichever game show he produced next.“I had a deal with Mark Goodson, that the next pilot they went [with] — whatever it was — they would have to offer me," said Dawson in a 2010 interview with the Television Academy.“Suddenly we hear they’re going to do a new pilot called ‘Family Feud.’ They’re interviewing people, and it looks as though … [...

New Yorkers say these are the biggest tourist traps to avoid in NYC

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

NEW YORK (WPIX) – It's summer, and you're thinking a vacation to New York City is in your cards. In a city with seemingly endless possibilities, it can be hard to decide what's worth including on your bucket list and what you can skip. Most importantly, you'll want to avoid tourist traps – or at least know what locals think of them before going. Date set for Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade in June A tourist trap is a place that people often claim exploits visitors, typically draws large crowds, and sometimes charges high prices compared to the quality of the service or experience.Nexstar's WPIX asked New Yorkers their thoughts on what the biggest tourist traps are in New York City. Here's what they had to say.Times Square Fireworks are set off at midnight during the Times Square New Year's celebration, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, in New York. (Photo by Ben Hider/Invision/AP)“From the stores to the street vendors. Every single inch of it! Y’all get charged 10 times the price because they [...

A second day of 80s ahead Saturday before cloudy, showery weather brings a noticeable drop in temperatures the back half of the weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

SOURCE: NOAACOOL START TO THE DAYClear skies, light winds, and incredibly dry air for June led to another chilly morning across parts of the Chicago area.Among Friday's chilliest area low temperaturesRAPID TEMPERATURE REBOUND…But 100% sunshine allowed for readings to warm quickly with many areas logging peak afternoon highs in the lowerMAY-2023 TEMPERATURE ANOMALYMany areas experienced above or much above normal temperatures in May — especially in Canada where the warmth and drought has contributed to the excessive number of wildfires(SOURCE: NOAA)SMOKE FORECASTLate Saturday afternoon: While some haze lingers across area skies, the worst of the wildfire smoke continues to be well east of ChicagoJULY LEVEL WARMTH RETURNS TO THE AREAWarm and summery Saturday ahead; Saturday forecast highsBOATER’S FORECASTFRIDAY LAKE LEVEL UPDATE: MUCH WARMER THAN 2022Levels continue lower than a year ago, but modestly above long-term averageFORECAST WEATHER MAP 9am SundaySome showers are likely S...

Your Money: How do you create an estate plan?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:13 GMT

Bruce Helmer and Peg WebbDo you want to retire early? Travel? Buy that vacation home? Leave something behind for your family or your favorite charity? These are some of the questions that drive the basics of creating an estate plan. No financial plan is complete without one, and there are five essential documents you will need to round out the planning process.Let’s begin with some definitions. Everything you own is your “estate,” including your house, car, possessions (even pets), investments, and savings. You need to plan for how these assets are distributed after you’re gone. There are two primary ways to go about creating that plan.Personal estate planningThis approach looks at estate planning through the prism of how it will affect your children and/or other heirs. Personal estate planning often raises difficult, highly personal questions, such as: “How do I want to be remembered?” “How do I imagine my children will spend the money I leave them?” and “How much money do my child...