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Nonprofits are lobbying a lot less than two decades ago, according to new research

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:48:23 GMT

A generation ago nonprofit organizations regularly lobbied for legislation and served as advocates on issues. But according to a recent survey, charities are now far more reluctant to seek to influence lawmakers and other policymakers.The survey, conducted for Independent Sector, a membership organization of nonprofits and grantmakers, found that less than one-third of nonprofits have actively advocated for policy issues or lobbied on specific legislation over the past five years, down from nearly three-quarters of nonprofits in 2000.And even though nonprofits work on a range of issues that are affected by policy choices, such as funding for the arts and science and policies on hot-button issues like abortion and gun control, less than one-third of nonprofits said they were well-versed in how to legally conduct advocacy campaigns and how much lobbying they were permitted to do. Twenty years ago more than half knew the rules, the survey found.The survey, based on questionnaires compl...

Fan dies in Greece after clashes between rival supporters, UEFA postpones Champions League qualifier

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:48:23 GMT

A 29-year-old fan was killed in overnight clashes between rival supporters in the Greek capital, prompting European governing soccer body UEFA to postpone a Champions League qualifying game between AEK Athens and Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.Eight fans were also injured in the extensive clashes outside AEK’s stadium, while Greek police said they had made 88 arrests, mostly of Croatian supporters. Amateur video of the incident showed chaotic scenes, with fans hurling flares and petrol bombs and clashing with wooden bats.Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic called his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis to express his condemnation of the violence, with the Croatian government describing the clashes as “horrific.”Fans gathered at the site of the fan’s death Tuesday, leaving flowers, church candles and black-and-yellow AEK soccer scarves at the makeshift roadside shrine.Near the makeshift shrine, police cordoned off an area to gather evidence, pulling a wooden bat and other ...

All lanes reopen on Dan Ryan near 83rd Street after police investigation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:48:23 GMT

CHICAGO — All lanes have reopened on the outbound Dan Ryan Expressway after a police investigation Tuesday morning.According to Illinois State Police, a driver called and reported that their vehicle had been struck by gunfire around 4:30 a.m. No injuries were reported. All lanes were blocked for over an hour on the outbound Dan Ryan near 83rd Street as ISP canvassed the area. All lanes reopened at 7 a.m. Tuesday.Major delays are reported on the inbound Dan Ryan, IB I-57 and IB Bishop Ford due to the earlier investigation. Allow extra time for your morning commute.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines

Tuesday Forecast: Temps in mid 80s with isolated storms, showers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:48:23 GMT

CHICAGO — Starting with some patchy fog across southern counties Tuesday with a few locations down to less than a mile of visibility. Fog will burn off by mid morning and we'll all start the day with clear sunny skies. Clouds will start to build back in by midday and some isolated scattered showers move in this afternoon. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Possibility of a few pop-up thunderstorms with this system but not expected to be strong or severe. Highs today will reach the low to mid 80s with breezy westerly winds. Wednesday we'll see a better chance of more widespread showers and storms in the afternoon with highs in the low 80s. Thursday will be mostly sunny with more humidity building back into the forecast and highs in the mid 80s. Another round of showers and storms possible on Friday with dry and sunny conditions expected over the weekend.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Dean's A-List Interview: Todd Stashwick on 'Star Trek: Picard'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:48:23 GMT

CHICAGO — It's a bit weekend for fans of science fiction, comics, gaming, and anime this weekend in Rosemont. Fan Expo Chicago is back from Thursday through Sunday at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. It brings the best of pop culture together with an estimated attendance of around 75,000.Ahead of that event, Dean Richards spoke to one of the actors slated to attend the event: Actor and Chicago native Todd Stashwick.He comes to the convention after the conclusion of season 3 of "Star Trek: Picard" on Paramount+, where he portrayed Captain Liam Shaw.You can see what he had to say to Dean about that project in this edition of "Dean's A-List Interview" on the WGN Morning News on August 8.See the discussion with Todd in the video above.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Gender reveal at Ed Sheeran concert not quite 'perfect' after couple gives singer wrong info

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:48:23 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) – Imagine getting one of music's biggest stars to reveal the gender of your baby. Now what if you accidentally told that superstar the wrong gender? That's what happened this weekend at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, when Ed Sheeran let the crowd know that two of his local fans were expecting a baby girl."It's a girl," said Sheeran, writing on Instagram that it was the first-ever gender reveal he helped with. "As the father of two daughters, it's very awesome," he went on to say.But turns out there's more to the story. 58-year-old veteran serving again, this time as a police officer Erica Garcia Gomez and Eloy Gomez danced to Sheeran's "Perfect" at their wedding. They got floor seats at Arrowhead and made a sign, hoping the music megastar might see it."We eventually were making our way up slowly. People would scoot over or allow us to come through after they saw the poster," Garcia Gomez said.Sheeran started to sing and rotated past them on stage."We hel...

Llano ISD rolls out customized artificial intelligence tool for teachers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:48:23 GMT

LLANO, Texas (KXAN) -- Llano Independent School District will roll out a customized artificial intelligence tool that is designed to help teachers save time on administration overhead and focus more on education. The tool, known as Agnes, can answer questions ranging from when teachers get paid to policies and procedures at different campuses. The tool was designed by Jim and Maurie Beasley, a husband and wife team that make up the technology department at the school district. Jim Beasley says he "speaks tech" and his wife "speaks teacher." The two have decades of experience in the tech industry and Maurie spent more than a decade in the classroom as a teacher, counselor, and assistant principal. What is the need?The Beasleys noticed it can be overwhelming for teachers, especially for new hires who are onboarding. Jim Beasley originally thought of creating Agnes as a way to help onboard teachers who will have a million questions when learning the new job. "How do I get these new tea...

Reports: Cousin of Uvalde gunman arrested after threatening San Antonio school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:48:23 GMT

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KXAN) -- A San Antonio teenager who is the cousin of the gunman involved in the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde was arrested after allegedly threatening an elementary school, according reports from several area news outlets. WOAI, the NBC station in San Antonio, citing court records, reported that the 17-year-old boy was planning to “do the same thing” as his cousin. WOAI identified the mentioned cousin as Salvador Ramos, who was the gunman in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary last year. According to reports from WOAI and the New York Times, family members contacted police after the 17-year-old made those statements to his sister. The New York Times reported the suspect was taken into custody on Monday morning and charged with making threats to a public place and a family member, per the San Antonio Police Department. The newspaper also cited court documents saying the suspect's mother “overheard a phone conversation the suspect made this [Monday] mo...

Two horses seized by deputies find 'forever home', shelter says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:48:23 GMT

FREDERICKSBURG, Texas (KXAN) – The Hill Country SPCA said Monday two horses seized in July have found their forever home. The shelter said the sorrel gelding and blue stud horses, named Goose and Maverick, will "enjoy the freedom to run, ample food and water, and the chance to live out their days in happiness".HCSPCA reported on July 31 the two were seized by Gillespie County Sheriff’s deputies on July 27. For more than 10 years, the horses lived in cramped conditions with limited food and water, the HCSPCA said.The shelter said the horses healed thanks to the care provided by Hill Country Veterinary Clinic as well as donors and advocates. HCSPCA said it raised more than $10,000 for its Healing Hearts program, which allowed the organization to secure "an extraordinary forever home" for Goose and Maverick. “We are immensely thankful for our dedicated HCSPCA supporters. They never cease to amaze us,” said HCSPCA Executive Director Andrew Davis. “Their unwavering support and contribu...

Missing TxDOT reports about TxTag vendors highlight accountability shortfall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:48:23 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – A KXAN investigation found the Texas Department of Transportation failed multiple times to submit performance reports for companies doing critical work on its tollway system and other projects.Performance reports are graded evaluations – posted for the public to see – of state contractors’ work. The reports are supposed to create transparency in state procurement, promote good vendors, weed out bad performers and, ultimately, lead to better spending of tax dollars – when the rules are followed.But TxDOT isn’t always following the rules.TxDOT neglected for three years to submit annual evaluations for TTEC Government Solutions, a vendor with a five-year contract originally worth $145 million to handle toll system customer service, according to the Texas Comptroller's Office. TTEC’s work includes customer service for TxTag, which is TxDOT’s toll tag. EXPLORE: KXAN's multipart, viewer-driven 2023 TxTag investigations And within the years TxDOT forgot to submit its eval...