Rebecca Johnson – Page 2

Lineworkers, part of a team from North Carolina, rebuild transmission lines in order to reenergize a substation south of Gary on Aug. 20, 2026. The substations need to be repowered before electricity to homes can be restored. (Arthur Maiorella/baiduhai)

Indiana power outage presses on after 10 days leaving thousands in the dark

August 20, 2026 at 6:19 p.m.

As of 4 p.m. Thursday, NIPSCO's outage tracker listed 68,000 customers who remain without power because of the storms.

Nine Chicago-area hikers pose alongside volunteers with the Wolfe County Search & Rescue Team after they were rescued from a steep rock face around 2 a.m. Sunday in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. (Wolfe County Search & Rescue)

9 Chicago-area hikers rescued on ‘steep, slick rock face’ in Kentucky as thunderstorm approached

August 20, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The Wolfe County Search & Rescue Team rescued the group, a task that involved a four-mile hike on a dangerous path and a 300-foot rope in high heat and humidity.

Dan Sullivan, who has filed to run for the U.S. Senate in Alaska, poses on June 26, 2026, in Petersburg, Alaska. (Katie Holmlund/AP)

‘It’s time for a change’: Former Chicagoan Dan Sullivan takes on Alaskan senator with same name

August 14, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Dan Sullivan, who grew up in Chicago's south suburbs and said he still roots for both the White Sox and Cubs, launched his own somewhat unconventional Senate campaign in Alaska...

Omar Gomez, from left, Jasmine Arnold and Jen Arnold carry a tree limb from their backyard to the curb after storms hit the area on Aug. 11, 2026, in Lansing. (Vincent D. Johnson/for the Daily Southtown)

Severe storms bring two tornadoes and up to 99 mph winds to Chicago area, weather service says

August 11, 2026 at 8:04 p.m.

One person died in a structure fire in Portage, Indiana, as thunderstorms rolled through again in a year with a record-breaking number of tornados.

Tiara Standage, left, and Kala McGuire. both of Springfield, rally outside the Peoria County Courthouse, Oct. 22, 2025, on the first day in the trial of Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy charged with killing Sonya Massey in her Springfield home last year. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Ex-sheriff’s deputy convicted of murdering Sonya Massey denied medical release from prison

July 31, 2026 at 1:09 p.m.

The former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy convicted of murdering Sonya Massey inside her home was denied medical release from prison Friday.

Thornton Fractional North head basketball coach Tim Bankston cheers on his team during a home game against Shepard High School on Jan. 10, 2023. (Michael Gard/for the Daily Southtown)

Tim Bankston, a former Simeon star and beloved basketball coach, fatally shot: ‘Inspired hundreds’

July 30, 2026 at 4:37 p.m.

A 60-year-old man fatally shot on the city’s South Side Wednesday morning has been identified as a beloved high school basketball coach.

A damaged tree marked with paint used in an early morning crash investigation on Brinker Road and Hills & Dales Road on July 25, 2026, in Barrington Hills. (Stacey Wescott/baiduhai)

Teen killed in Barrington Hills crash ‘brought immense joy to everyone he met,’ sister says

July 28, 2026 at 11:52 a.m.

Colin Newnam, 17, died in a Saturday morning rollover crash in Barrington Hills that injured two others. Four other teens were killed in a separate crash in Bedford Park Sunday.

Attorney Ben Crump, center, speaks next to Elmore and Christine Wonsley, at left, and the Rev. Al Sharpton during a memorial service on July 20, 2026, in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, for Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old found dead after taking a Fourth of July boat trip with friends. (Gerald Herbert/AP)

Independent autopsy for Nolan Wells released in Chicago finds ‘undetermined’ cause of death

July 22, 2026 at 1:19 p.m.

An attorney for the family of Nolan Wells announced in Chicago that an independent autopsy found the teen’s cause and manner of death were “undetermined.”

Kate Schmidt, 10, of Batavia, is one of three children who drowned in the Geneva Lake, Wisconsin, boating accident during a storm. (GoFundMe)

Batavia child who drowned in Lake Geneva boat accident was an ‘amazing girl,’ family says in online fundraiser

July 10, 2026 at 10:31 a.m.

The family identified Kathryn Schmidt, 10, of Batavia, on the verified GoFundMe page that launched late Wednesday.

Police evidence technicians check around an SUV in a crime scene where two police officers were shot during a traffic stop in the 2000 block of East 79th Street, July 3, 2026, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

2 Chicago police officers shot in South Shore, fire department says

July 3, 2026 at 9:57 p.m.

The two officers were shot around 5 p.m. near East 79th Street and South Chappel Avenue and transported to University of Chicago Medical Center.

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