A man charged with lighting a cross on fire in Chicagos Grant Park will not be detained pretrial, a judge ruled during a court hearing Thursday. 21-year-old Merlin Lu turned himself in to authorities on Wednesday, and is facing multiple charges in connection with the June 9 incident in which a cross was assembled and set ablaze in downtown Chicago. ...

Simon Cowells fiance, Lauren Cowell, is opening up about becoming pregnant with their son while she was still married to her now ex-husband and the intense media attention that followed. Lauren Cowell, who has been engaged to Simon Cowell for five years, legally changed her last name to his in 2024, a decade after the birth of their son, Eric. ...

Waymo is recalling nearly 3,900 robotaxis to fix a software issue that caused some vehicles to enter active freeway construction zones and continue driving at speed, according to recall notices filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The recall affects Waymos 5th-generation automated driving system (ADS), and NHTSA said all ...

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has been added to a multi-million-dollar lawsuit filed by a woman who claims to have been sexually abused while in its care. Nationally known civil rights attorney Ben Crump said that DCFS is now being sued along with Aunt Marthas Health and Wellness, who ran a foster care facility at 5001 S. ...

Several apartment buildings in northwest Indiana have been condemned following the Merrillville tornado, forcing residents to find new housing. Some residents returned to their units Thursday trying to salvage what they can and are now looking for a new place to rebuild their lives. Yolanda Stokes loaded up her U-Haul truck and moved out of her ...

As Juneteenth weekend quickly gets underway and summer officially begins, many museums around Chicago will be open and free to the public. Here is a list of museums you can visit with family and friends on June 19 and throughout the weekend. Free for Friday, June 19 Chicago History Museum Admission is free for Illinois residents and children 18 ...

Illinois Tollway officials are proposing toll increases for the first time in more than a decade for passenger vehicles as part of their new capital improvement program. The proposed 15-year, $26.5 billion capital program will aim to improve roads under the Illinois Tollways purview, with public comment opening on the plan next month according to a ...

Minor league baseballs York Revolution declined to play its Pride Night game on Thursday after players refused to wear uniforms that featured a rainbow design, team officials said. The Revolutions game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs was going to mark the Pennsylvania teams 11th Annual Pride Night, but players refused to don special jerseys that ...

Authorities in suburban Schiller Park are responding to an ongoing situation Thursday afternoon. According to a Facebook post, officers were called to the 3800 block of Ruby Street on Thursday for an unspecified incident. Police said the incident was under control, but did not offer further specifics on why officers were called to the scene. An ...

The Chicago area has seen plenty of showers and thunderstorms in recent weeks, but could the region finally be in for a stretch of pleasant weather? According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, residents will have to wait for a few more days, but another run of sunny conditions could finally be on the way next week, along with slightly below-average temperatures. ...

Looking for a World Cup ticket? The buzz around the soccer tournament now under way across North America might inspire a last-minute search online, but fans should be wary of cyber scammers. Experts and authorities warn that criminals will be deploying a range of tactics targeting soccer fans desperate to attend big-name matches at the event, which ...

Mexico got their World Cup off to a solid start last week with a win over South Africa, and a 23-year-old from Chicagos suburbs hopes to help them continue that run this week. Brian Gutirrez, who was born in suburban Berwyn and played for parts of six seasons with the Chicago Fire, made his World Cup debut for Mexico in Thursdays 2-0 win over South ...

Another large suburban Mariano’s grocery store is set to close. According to a Mariano’s spokesperson, the Gurnee Mariano’s location, at 6655 Grand Ave., will close for good next month. Unfortunately, we have made the difficult decision to close our Gurnee store on July 17th,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “While we are leaving ...

A mall store that’s been popular with teens since the 2000s is coming to Target as part of a new collaboration — but it won’t be limited to the clothing section. Hollister, a division of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. known for its laid-back, California beach-inspired hoodies, denim and swimsuits, will soon launch “The Hollister Collection at ...

A Chicago suburb has a new warning for residents this summer — if you light off fireworks, it will cost you. Carpentersville’s police chief spoke about the issues with residents lighting off explosives at a recent board meeting, unveiling a new enforcement plan that will change what happens to those caught lighting them off. No more warnings, ...

The Supreme Court sided Thursday with a Texas marijuana user who wants to legally own a gun, the latest in a line of firearm cases from a court that has expanded gun rights. The justices, in a unanimous decision, sided with Ali Danial Hemani, who argued that a law barring guns from anyone who uses drugs illegally violates the Second Amendment. Hemani ...

U.S. soccer star Timothy Weah is a member of one of soccers royal families. So much so that his father George Weah, an icon in the sport who went on to become president of Liberia, is referred to as King George. Growing up, you have the pictures all over the house and his jersey, so you kind of have an idea of what his career was like, Timothy said on ...

Since his meteoric rise to fame in the 1984 movie Footloose, fans have known actor Kevin Bacon as, well, Kevin Bacon. Not any more. The veteran star of film and television has decided to turn over a new leaf or legume if you will by changing his last name from Bacon to Bean. I just thought it seemed like such a funny idea, Bacon tells TODAY.com ...

The interim deal reached by the United States and Iran to end their war will reopen the Strait of Hormuz and bring the two adversaries back to the negotiating table over Tehrans nuclear program. It will also give Iran an immediate benefit, allowing it to sell its oil freely again, according to details released by both countries. Besides the new oil ...

A 21-year-old man who said he burned a cross in Chicagos Grant Park earlier this month is now facing hate crime charges in the case. Chicago police announced Wednesday night Merlin Lu has been charged with a felony hate crime charge and several other charges in the June 9 incident, during which he allegedly erected a cross in Chicagos Grant Park and lit ...

Editor’s Note: The video in the above player is from a previous report. A man is facing a first-degree murder charge after police say he shot and killed a man at a suburban automotive shop where he used to work, authorities announced Wednesday. Police said 31-year-old Thornton man Devon A. Johnson is facing charges for the shooting that occurred at ...

A month after Mayor Brandon Johnson asked Chicago’s public health commissioner to resign, new documents reveal what preceded her departure. Less than three years after Johnson tapped Dr. Olusimbo “Simbo” Ige to lead the Department of Public Health, he asked for her letter of resignation. NBC 5 Investigates obtained documents showing an employee ...

Body camera video that captured the moments leading up to the deadly shooting of Chicago Police Officer Ella French in 2021 was released on Wednesday. French was shot and killed nearly five years ago during what she and her partner Carlos Yanez, Jr. thought would be a routine traffic stop in August 2021. The city’s police watchdog agency, the ...

The Chicago City Council has approved the purchase of a Greyhound bus terminal that had been at risk of closure. In a 38-10 vote on Wednesday, the City Council approved the $19.2 million purchase of the facility at 630 West Harrison Street on the Near West Side. According to the text of the agreement, the facility has 24 bus bays and serves ...

Suburban authorities warned residents that several streets were submerged in water after a torrential rainfall and to avoid traveling on Wednesday. The entire Chicago area is under a flood watch through 9 p.m., according to the National Weather Service, with rainfall rates of 1-to-2 inches per hour possible. While a flood risk is present particularly ...