Good afternoon, Chicago.
Images of your friendly neighborhood mail carrier trundling along the roadside in a boxy white mailtruck or walking up to the door in striped federal blue are as American as apple pie, but in this 250th birthday year for the nation, not everyone gets to partake in this American experience.
For some residents in Wheeler, Indiana, it’s more of a hunting expedition than the receiving of mail. Since the closing of the Wheeler post office branch in July 2023, the residents have had to travel to the Hobart post office to collect their mail. The unserved pocket is limited to a small area south of Ind. 130 and north of County Road 450 North.
The 4.8 miles may not seem like a lot to some, but the nine-minute drive is a far cry from the quick jaunt across 130 they used to make to collect their mail at the Wheeler branch, particularly for Jeanine Ross, who is disabled after a car accident and has to rely on family to collect her mail.
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New bill seeks to prohibit DHS from using full-body restraints
The Department of Homeland Security would be barred from using a full-body restraint device called the WRAP under a new bill introduced in the House today. The “Full-Body Restraint Prohibition Act,” sponsored by U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., would prohibit future purchases of the device and create oversight and reporting requirements. Read more here.
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Waymo starts mapping Chicago streets as self-driving car battle heats up in Springfield
Waymos are coming to Chicago — but they’re not driving themselves yet. The self-driving taxi company is deploying about 10 vehicles in Chicago to start mapping the city’s streets — thus “laying the early groundwork” for future operations here — Waymo said today. Read more here.
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Column: New bidets might help the Chicago White Sox flush away the past
The team that bidets together stays together. Or at least that’s the mantra of the Chicago White Sox after news that the team is introducing bidets in the clubhouse at the request of Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami. Read more here.
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- Jack Hughes’ OT goal for US gold in Olympic men’s hockey averages 26M live viewers on NBC and Peacock
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The home of the ‘Mona Lisa’ has a new boss to steer the Louvre out of crisis after jewel heist
The home of the “Mona Lisa” is getting a new boss. Art historian Christophe Leribault, a veteran museum director, is taking over at the Louvre, shouldering the challenge of getting the world’s largest museum out of crisis after the brazen heist in October of the French crown jewels. Read more here.
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President Donald Trump plans to take his State of the Union message on the road — eventually
President Donald Trump has delivered the State of the Union. Now the challenge for him is to make that message stick. Read more here.
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