Category: CNN Regional

By Web Staff

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    CHICAGO, Illinois (WBBM) — The Chicago Police Foundation hosted its fourth annual Scholarship Award Luncheon in Honor of Officer Ella French on Sunday afternoon.

It took place around 12:30 p.m. at the Morgan Arts Complex at 3600 South Morgan Street.

Fifty scholarships were presented to kids of Chicago officers and those who are enrolled in CPD programs.

As part of the application process, the students were asked to write an essay reflecting on how officer French continues to serve as an example for the city.

Officer French was shot and killed in the line of duty during a traffic stop in August of 2021.

French’s mother, Elizabeth, worked alongside CPD leaders to make the scholarship possible.

“I have every faith that deep down your life path, you’re going to do wonderful things that are going to make this world a better place for everyone and I want to congratulate each and every one of you. You are rock stars,” she told the recipients.

Each student received a $2,000 scholarship to support their educational journey.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Lauren Victory, Steffanie Dupree

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    CHICAGO, Illinois (WBBM) — There was a scramble in the skies Sunday tied to President Trump’s visit to the Chicago area.

Fighter jets intercepted multiple planes that violated flight restrictions the Federal Aviation Administration put in place due to the president’s visit. Witnesses caught videos of the jets in the skies, apparently armed and ready to handle any threat.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, said 15 general aviation aircraft, a category that includes private planes and helicopters, entered airspace that was supposed to be restricted while the president was in town.

Fighter jets performed intercepts to redirect 10 pilots. In two instances, the jets fired flares to get the pilots’ attention and forced them to change course.

NORAD said the flares may have been visible to the public, but always burn out quickly and completely and pose no danger to anyone on the ground.

NORAD said all the situations were safely resolved, and no one was hurt.

Nearly 1,800 flights were delayed at O’Hare International Airport on Sunday. It was unclear late Sunday whether those delays were because of flight restrictions or a nor’easter hitting the East Coast.

President Trump on Sunday paid a visit to the Medinah Country Club outside of Chicago for the last day of the Presidents Cup golf tournament, serving as the honorary chairman. His presence in the Chicagoland area brought crowds of supporters and protesters.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Garrett Behanna

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    MONESSEN, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A man has died after he was pinned between two pieces of machinery at the Cleveland-Cliffs coke plant in Monessen, Westmoreland County.

Emergency dispatchers confirmed to KDKA-TV that the call came in at 4:15 p.m. Sunday.

The victim was identified as 53-year-old Jeffrey Smith, an employee of the facility. He was killed after being pinned between two door machines, according to Westmoreland County Coroner John Ackerman. The official cause and manner of death are pending autopsy and toxicology results.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will continue to investigate the incident.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Ricky Sayer

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    PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A man was critically injured after police said a woman intentionally struck him with a vehicle in Pittsburgh’s Homewood North neighborhood on Sunday afternoon.

Pittsburgh police from Zone 5 were called shortly before 4 p.m. to the intersection of Stranahan Street and Myrtle Avenue for a report of a vehicle crash involving a pedestrian.

Officers found an adult male with substantial injuries to his lower extremities that were consistent with being struck by a vehicle, police said.

The victim told officers he had been inside the vehicle with an adult woman before the crash. Police said the two got into an argument, after which the man exited the vehicle.

The woman then got into the driver’s seat and intentionally ran the man over, according to police. The woman proceeded to flee the scene on foot and abandoned the vehicle.

The victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition. No arrest was immediately reported, as the investigation remains ongoing.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Joe Brandt, Chilekasi Adele, Joe Holden

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    PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (KYW) — The investigation into the Horsch home or so-called “house of horrors” in Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood is expected to ramp up over the coming weeks, police sources tell CBS News Philadelphia.

The home on Chew Avenue, which has been called a “preying ground” for vulnerable women, is linked to at least seven missing persons cases, including five women who are feared dead.

Investigators have identified 58 women seen in videos recovered from the home, police said earlier this month.

The home is owned by Eugene Horsch, and his late father, Raymond “R.C.” Horsch, lived in the home before his death last year.

On Monday, we saw members of the FBI arrive at the home to continue investigating. Over the next few weeks, the investigation will expand and include heavy construction equipment, street closures and parking restrictions for some residents, police sources say.

A spokesperson for City Councilmember Anthony Phillips said the 400 block of Chew Avenue will be closed to traffic at Lawrence Street on Monday, Sept. 28 and Tuesday, Sept. 29 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. There won’t be parking restrictions during this first round of closures.

Then, from Oct. 5 through Oct. 16, residents will need to move their parked cars between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. for a further phase of the investigation.

What led investigators to the Olney “house of horrors” The investigation was fueled by a traffic stop that resulted in Eugene Horsch’s arrest on gun and drug charges in June. In that stop, which occurred near the federal courthouse at 6th and Market streets, Horsch was found with guns and drugs as well as fake DEA credentials.

An unidentified woman who was with Horsch also gave investigators an ID with the name Blair Tonzelli, a woman who had been reported missing in 2023.

Soon after, federal law enforcement obtained several search warrants for the home. The nameless woman told investigators she was scared to enter the home’s basement “because of things he did down there,” sources said. She did not specify who “he” was.

Philadelphia police previously said an elaborate laboratory with corrosive and toxic chemicals was located in that basement.

In some of his own writings, R.C. Horsch talked about a process made to sound routine of dissolving human remains, known as alkaline hydrolysis.

Who are the missing women linked to the Olney home? Police and sources have named five women who were previously reported missing and may have been connected to the Horsch home. Seven missing women in total have been linked to the house.

Three women are believed to be dead, Gabrielle Amarando, Maribel Fresses and Nicole Fusaro.

Two more women with connections to the house — Blair Tonzelli and Raymond Horsch’s ex-wife Amy McHale — are still considered missing.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.