FOX 32 News at 5 - Thursday, May. 21, 2026

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:19]They say they were told to leave quickly, but many at an Aurora apartment complex say they still don't have clear answers about possible asbestos exposure.

[00:00:29]A Chicago police officer was brutally attacked by a man with a long wrap sheet and brass knuckles. And there's been another big mortgage rate hike. We're breaking down what that actually means for home buyers in their monthly payments.

[00:00:46]Thanks for joining us at 5. I'm Leslie Mareno in for Don Hasbrook. We start off with that injured officer. Joanie Lum joins us live from the southwest side to get into what exactly happened and the wrap sheet of that suspect. Joanie, >> hi Leslie. Both suspects have violent uh histories and criminal arrest records.

[00:01:06]One reportedly bragged that he beats up police officers. That officer is hospitalized after being punched in the face repeatedly. He apparently has a long road of recovery ahead. 33-year-old Michael Sofur is charged with three felonies causing great bodily harm to a peace officer, possession of a weapon, and violating the sex offender registry.

[00:01:27]He reportedly has five prior arrests, one for assaulting a 5-year-old.

[00:01:32]30-year-old Monica Monica Mahia is charged with two felonies and an attempt to damage a police car. The attack happened in McKinley Park. Officer Kevin Mangan had responded to a separate call and was clearing the way for an approaching ambulance when Sofur allegedly attacked him with brass knuckles, knocking out the officer's teeth. The 16-page police report says that the violence caused facial trauma and disfigurement. Family, friends, and law enforcement attended the hearing to send a message to the court. The officer's mother said it was difficult, but she had to.

[00:02:08]>> This is pure agony. for Andy. For me, um I feel really happy that justice for once was served with these two career criminals and that they were detained and not let out on electronic monitoring.

[00:02:22]>> The gentleman that punched Kevin so violently is a fivetime felon. His sister, his codefendant, has a history of attacking law enforcement. And yet both were walking around free as if there's they don't have a care in the world.

[00:02:40]And Sofur is listed as a non-compliant sex offender. Officer Mangan's mother said she is always worried about her son's safety. She sleeps with her cell phone on her, but she says he loves his job and he is likely to want to return to patrol. Reporting live at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, Joanie Long, Fox Chicago.

[00:03:00]>> Thank you, Joanie. A woman who lives in Aurora is waiting on test results from earlier today. She brought a testing crew in herself to see just how much asbestos she was exposed to after the Illinois EPA found asbestos at Foxhore Apartments. Lauren Scapiti joining us here in the studio. And Lauren, she says she is just outraged.

[00:03:19]>> That's for sure, Leslie. So, her name is Julie. She says people living at Foxhore were not given the respect, courtesy, or grace that residents should get from their landlords. So, this goes back to renovation work at Foxhore Apartments.

[00:03:33]Here are some photos from the inside.

[00:03:35]The Illinois EPA says renovation inside the building didn't follow proper asbestous safety rules. The IEPA told people to leave their belongings behind to be cleaned by special crews while they were rushed to relocate to hotels, short-term rentals, or with family and friends. Julie says the owner is paying for relocation, but people who were living at Fox Shore still have to pay rent during all of this. Julie's heard from people who have been relocated. One person told her that they're getting bounced from hotel to hotel. As for Julie, she's just figuring out what's next while she waits for those test results.

[00:04:13]>> It was shared with me that I was going to be approached about um relocating or face an eviction. And um I was still very strongly felt eviction or relocation. I need to know what degree of asbestous have I been living with.

[00:04:36]This isn't my problem. I didn't cause this.

[00:04:40]>> No word tonight on how long that cleaning process is going to take and when those residents can move back in.

[00:04:45]Leslie, >> thank you, Lauren. All right, let's get a first check of your forecast.

[00:04:49]Meteorologist JD Rudd standing by. and JD, a much cooler day in my opinion. I know the sun came out, but much colder.

[00:04:56]>> Oh, yeah. Especially up against the lakefront, Leslie. It was one of those days where you need a jacket and maybe even a light coat in some cases. But now, many of us may have the holiday weekend in mind as many folks will be hitting the roadways to travel for the unofficial start to summer. Today is cool. Yes, 57 right now, but as we move throughout the next couple of days, temperatures will be going up and quite a bit. Here's tomorrow at a glance. I'm expecting 67 in Chicago. We'll start the day off in the 50s, 60s by the afternoon. Not nearly as much sunshine for tomorrow. Could even catch a late day rain shower, but I think most of tomorrow winds up dry. And then what about the upcoming holiday weekend? Here comes the aforementioned warmup. 77 on Sunday. How about that? Into the 80s on Memorial Day Monday with a lot of sunshine expected on Monday. The only hitch in the giddy up here is there might be a popup shower early Sunday morning. We'll take a look at futurecast coming up here in just a little while.

[00:05:57]>> Thank you, JD. Mortgage rates have risen again and are now at their highest in nine months. Certia Yuing joining us here with the latest. Hey.

[00:06:06]>> Yeah. Hey, Leslie. Today the fixed rate for a 30-year mortgage is at 6.51%.

[00:06:11]That's the highest since August of last year. Rates are up 33 basis points in just the past 10 days and up 75% since the start of the war in Iran. And this is all on top of much higher home prices as prices have soared in the last few years. This all means loan payments will be much higher.

[00:06:30]>> What this means is that you know payments uh comparing 6% to 6.6% you're looking at potentially a couple hundred extra per month. So that's maybe $2,000 almost $2,500 per year that you might be paying more than you would have been only a few months ago. That might break people's budgets. That might mean that they have to look at less expensive homes. Uh or they have to delay and wait until we see lower rates.

[00:06:59]>> That analyst also said rates are keeping a lot of buyers sidelined right now. And in turn, that means sellers may have to price their homes lower than they may have expected.

[00:07:15]US stocks edged higher today with the news that Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there were some good signs that a deal to the end of a war in Iran could be in sight. The Dow rose 276 points.

[00:07:28]The Nasdaq ended up almost 23 points and the S&P 500 climbed more than 12.

[00:07:34]President Trump setting aside almost $2 billion for what he calls an anti-weaponization fund. A Chicago congressman says he doesn't like it.

[00:07:44]More from him after the break.

[00:08:01]Wow.

[00:08:10]Wow.

[00:08:32]La.

[00:08:51]Okay.

[00:08:55]Heat. Heat. N.

[00:09:15]Yeah. Yeah.

[00:09:32]Yeah, wow.

[00:10:26]We have breaking news out of the southside. A 13-year-old was shot on South Koh's Avenue just west of Lakeshore Drive. They were taken to Southshore Hospital in critical condition. Stay with us here as we work to gather more details. A judge denied the request for a special prosecutor to investigate Midway Blitz. The group had petitioned for an investigation into possible crimes by federal agents. They claimed agents hurt protesters and children during the immigration crackdown. The judge today ultimately decided they didn't have enough evidence to prove the Cook County State's Attorney had a conflict of interest that prevented her from handling the matter.

[00:11:05]Basically, Eileen O'Neal Burke's working relationship with law enforcement wasn't enough to warrant an investigation by a special prosecutor.

[00:11:14]>> The only thing that will ever determine charging decisions in this office while I am here is the law and the facts.

[00:11:22]That's it.

[00:11:24]Today's ruling comes after arguments were heard earlier this month. Two children are still in the hospital. They were injured in a deadly house fire in West Anglewood. Four people were killed in that fire yesterday, including an 8-year-old and a 15year-old along with two 57year-old adults. Investigators say the fire may have been set on purpose.

[00:11:46]So, the case has now turned into an arson investigation. No one is in custody. An Illinois State Police forensic chemist is facing more than two dozen felony sex crime charges tied to allegations dating back more than 20 years. Prosecutors say 54 yearear-old Arthur Weathers is accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl while coaching volleyball in Elgen between 1990 and 2001. Investigators say the alleged victim was 16 years old at the time.

[00:12:19]Weathers was arrested this week and later released pending court proceedings.

[00:12:25]A visitation is happening now for fallen firefighter Steven Decker. The 61-year-old and 30-year veteran died during a training exercise last week.

[00:12:35]The visitation is taking place on North Milwaukee Avenue. That's until 8:00 p.m.

[00:12:41]His funeral is tomorrow starting at 10:00 a.m.

[00:12:45]There are bipartisan efforts to stop the anti-weaponization fund. The DOJ announced the $1.7 billion fund yesterday, saying it is intended to go to quote victims of lawfare and weaponization and who are targeted for political, personal, or ideological reasons such as the January 6 riots. A Chicago congressman says he doesn't like it. US Democratic Representative Mike Quigley shared with us why he's against it.

[00:13:15]that day. And again, I was in the room where it happened. Um, uh, over 120 Capitol Police and Washington DC police officers were hurt. Five died as a result of this. I will tell you, uh, I was, as you say, in the room where it happened and it wasn't for their courage, I wouldn't be here. I'm not sure where our fragile little experiment in democracy would be. So uh 1,500 of them were uh convicted. About a thousand of those plead guilty. That is they swore that they did this uh including the head of the Proud Boys who uh was supposed to go to jail for over 20 years. Well, after that the president pardoned all of them and he's now in line to get about 2 or 3 million at least for his troubles. uh it's just an extraordinary uh turn of circumstances and I guess the ultimate danger is uh you get you not only don't get punished for committing these crimes, you get rewarded.

[00:14:22]>> Two officers who defended the US capital against January 6 riers are now suing the Department of Justice. They hope to block the creation of the fund. The lawsuit states no one claiming to be a victim of politics should be compensated, including the capital writers. But the Department of Justice says the money is to pay back those who quote suffered lawfare. An executive order that was supposed to be signed by the president was postponed. It would have called on AI companies to share their most advanced models with the government before they're launched public publicly. Fox's Caroline Shiveley reports from Washington with more on why it was cancelled.

[00:15:04]>> It will touch every profession, every classroom, every hospital.

[00:15:09]>> University of Arizona graduates left no doubt about their opinion on artificial intelligence this week at a commencement speech by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

[00:15:18]>> There is a fear.

[00:15:23]They're worried about the technology eliminating jobs like the 8,000 lost at Meta on Wednesday as the company pivots to AI. On Thursday, President Trump canled a signing ceremony for an order that would grant the government the power to review artificial intelligence models before their public release.

[00:15:40]>> We're leading China. We're leading everybody. And I don't want to do anything that's going to get in the way of that lead. There's been a growing unease among banks, utilities, and other companies who are worried about new AI models being able to find vulnerabilities in their software. But industry leaders argue the government needs to foster competition, not stifle it.

[00:16:00]>> Abundant intelligence is here. It's not coming. It's here right now.

[00:16:05]Intelligence is becoming infrastructure.

[00:16:08]As for those entry-level job seekers worried about their future, >> the young people who are graduating from school today are the best users of AI because they grew up in that era. When you're a great user of AI, you're going to be highly employable.

[00:16:21]>> Tech giant Cisco is also cutting 4,000 jobs, citing AI spending as a priority.

[00:16:26]In Washington, Caroline Shiveley, Fox News.

[00:16:30]>> All right, we've got a big weekend ahead with Memorial Day just days away.

[00:16:33]Meteorologist JD Rut standing by with what we can expect. The weather looks nice this weekend, JD.

[00:16:40]>> Oh, it should be phenomenal, Leslie.

[00:16:41]Great looking weekend to get outside and do almost anything. Not overly hot, not super cool. The only problem might be stubborn clouds Saturday and Sunday.

[00:16:52]Maybe there's a rogue shower from those clouds. Then Memorial Day, Monday, sunshine, 82. How about 85 by Tuesday?

[00:17:00]Now, while we want things to stay dry for the holiday weekend, we've been in a bit of a dry spell overall, did you know that lawn care experts say you need about an inch to inch and a half of water per week to keep your lawns healthy? We haven't been seeing that.

[00:17:17]Grand total for the month, 3 weeks in, we've only seen 73 in. It's our driest May since 2023. Now, we have seen some pretty wet Mays. First three weeks, like back in 2020, we had 8.1 ines of rainfall, but the last handful of years have been on the drier side. We'll see if we can find some rain chances and if the warm air holds on, that's ahead here in a while.

[00:17:44]>> Thank you, JD. And before we go, here's a live look at the roads tonight. It's rush hour, so you know it's busy out there. Hopefully, you're not stuck in that mess. We'll be right back.

[00:18:22]Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:18:44]la.

[00:18:47]Hey. Hey.

[00:19:06]Yeah. Yeah.

[00:19:28]Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:19:50]Wow.

[00:20:05]Hey. Hey.

[00:20:36]Yeah, wow.

[00:21:02]Breaking news from the Chicago Bears.

[00:21:04]They have officially eliminated the city of Chicago from their options for their future home. They said just minutes ago there is no viable side in the city and they will only be considering options in Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana.

[00:21:21]Right now for news across America, firefighters needed rescuing last night in Los Angeles after their truck flipped over while responding to a call. The moment was caught on camera there at a nearby business. The engine apparently lost control while attempting a tight turn. It ended up against a building and on top of a parked car. Two firefighters were sent to the hospital with minor injuries. Nobody else was hurt. A disturbing incident between two staff members at a Washington DC middle school is now leading to criminal charges.

[00:21:56]School officials say a verbal dispute between employees at Susa Middle School escalated into a physical confrontation Tuesday evening while students from the school's baseball team were nearby at witnessed everything that happened.

[00:22:12]>> It's crazy. I mean, you got to coming in there fighting. You you can't be doing that. You got to protect the kids, you That's all that's all we about. Doing what we got to do for the kids.

[00:22:21]>> The school's principal later apologized to families, calling the incident deeply disappointing and acknowledged concerns after video of the altercation reportedly began circulating among students and on social media. Police have charged 44year-old Shemica Harris with simple assault while school counselors and support staff work with students affected by the incident.

[00:22:47]And a former McDonald's manager in Massachusetts was charged for stuffing French fries in her mouth before packing them back into a carton, handing them to his ex-girlfriend at the drive-thru. The woman has been fired and is now facing charges for distributing food containing a harmful substance.

[00:23:09]And a Texas man is facing charges after intentionally driving a Tesla Cyber Truck into a lake. Police say Jimmy Jack McDaniel wanted to try out its weight mode feature. What that is is an off-road feature on the Tesla Cyber Truck to help it safely navigate shallow water like a flooded street there. But the electric truck quickly became disabled and started taking on water.

[00:23:34]The driver and his passenger were able to safely escape. McDaniel is now facing multiple charges.

[00:23:43]Montana business is using goats to help land land owners get ready for wildfire season. The company brings herds of goats onto properties to eat dry grass, weeds, and other vegetation that can fuel fastmoving fires. The owner says the goats offer a natural alternative to herbicides and heavy machinery, especially in rocky or hardto-reach areas. The growing business now travels across the country, helping communities reduce wildfire risks one bite at a time.

[00:24:32]>> It's time for Toyota talks.

[00:24:34]>> Great now to be joined by Tyler Renick.

[00:24:36]We have seen you celebrate with Michael Jordan so much obviously this season.

[00:24:42]What is it like celebrating with him?

[00:24:43]Obviously us here in Chicago, right? And just basketball fans. He's the GOAT. Um but also too, it's been really fascinating to see how um how much of an advocate he is for NASCAR.

[00:24:55]>> Yeah, he loves it. Um, it was really just going back to the start, my, you know, me knowing Michael as we were putting this together, me coming here to drive it here at 2311. You know, it's important for me to understand where, where Michael was coming from, where Denny was coming from, what their drives, what their motivators are, why are they doing this, and um, yeah, I'd heard about how much of a fan and how much of a passion Michael had for racing and what it means to his life, um, and his childhood. So, uh, for me to learn that firsthand from him and understand how bad he wants to win was, uh, was important for me to know, uh, because I feel like I share those same desires.

[00:25:36]Having someone like Michael there to to help us through, um, the tough moments, um, and help us navigate the the highs of it, too, has been really nice.

[00:25:44]>> Obviously, the Coca-Cola 600's coming up here, um, but also in Chicago, Chicago Land Speedway happening on 4th of July.

[00:25:51]um talk a little bit about that, your experience in that race and what it's like to have that here in the city of Chicago.

[00:25:56]>> Chicago Land was one of those intermediate racetracks going back to my O'Reilly days and truck days that was um one of my best intermediate racetracks.

[00:26:05]And so on one hand, um I was excited that we were we were able to come race, you know, in the streets of Chicago for the years that we did. Um, but on the other hand, you know, a small part of me was also sad because I love Chicago Land Speedway. Uh, it was a great racetrack for me. So, um, I'm very excited that I'm going to get back to to race there again. It's just it was one of those places where I felt like I had unfinished business. So, to have an opportunity to get back and race a Cup car um at Chicago land, a place that I feel like I've been good enough to win at in my younger years, um, it's going to mean a lot. It's gonna mean a lot to me to be able to get back to to Juliet and and have another shot on a racetrack that's been really good to me over the years.

[00:26:54]>> That does it for Toyota Talks. We're back with more after this break.

[00:27:19]Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:27:41]La yeah.

[00:27:55]Wow.

[00:28:24]Yeah. Heat. Heat. N.

[00:28:46]Yeah. Yeah.

[00:29:36]Welcome back. We now have an update for you on the Foster Street Bridge construction, the project over I90.

[00:29:41]Weeks ago, we told you uh there was another delay. Brett Beagansky joining us live in Jefferson Park. And Brett, the construction was supposed to be done this summer.

[00:29:53]>> Absolutely, Leslie. And a lot of people are not too happy about this. And you can see the new sign over here. It's saying that uh it's now going to be uh completed on December 31st of this year.

[00:30:02]And there were several people who live in this area, business owners, anybody who really works is really just wanting some answers. That's why they contacted us. So we contacted the Illinois Department of Transportation to find out what's going on. And after weeks of pressing them, we're finally getting some answers. So let's take a look at this video. This is drone video over the Kennedy Expressway over on Foster. I do told Fox Chicago during construction, crews discovered multiple unforeseen utility conflicts that require, as they put it, more utility relocations before actual construction could proceed. And ID also said there were more complications specifically with the work on the CTA Blue Line and the Union Pacific Railroad, which are both operating during construction. And they said this requires coordination between all the parties including having some railroad flaggers out there. And they told me that they didn't want to interrupt during the busy travel times.

[00:30:55]So you may remember this work started in November of 2024 and there was already a delay because of the weather. We reported that back in November of 2024 and it was just weeks ago we heard from Bill Habetler from Habetler Bowl who told us this construction has resulted with his business down 30%. That's because with this bridge out some bowlers are just choosing to stay home.

[00:31:17]like to know like who's in charge of this, you know, who's overseeing where's the oversight in this project because it's not it's definitely not on time and how much longer is this actually going to be? That's what we need to know and find out, you know, who's going to answer these questions for us >> because we're not the only ones.

[00:31:34]>> So, I also spoke with Angelo and Christina Palivos who owns Bustouts off of Foster and St. They told me their business is also down about 30% since the construction began. So they told me their weekly regulars are now turning into only monthly regulars. They told me these detours have forced them to supplement their business any way they can. And their solution is working the summer street festivals just so they can make ends meet.

[00:31:59]>> We all live in Chicago. We know what happens in Chicago in December. It gets really cold. There's no way they're going to be working. I mean, I don't see people working right now, let alone in December. And then, you know, there's going to be more delays and we're looking probably at next year sometime.

[00:32:16]>> Yeah. So, you're not confident they're going to be done by December 31st?

[00:32:19]>> Zero. Zero.

[00:32:22]>> So, Ida told me even though you may not see workers at the construction site, they said chances are they're going to be working underground. But since the uh uh on-ramp to uh the Kennedy has been out here, the only way you can get on the Kennedy Expressway is going through the loop. And the only way to access that is going to be coming from the west side over here on Foster. We are live in Jefferson Park tonight. Brett Pagansky, Fox Chicago.

[00:32:46]>> Mayor Brandon Johnson celebrating the heritage of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders today. He helped raise the flag high above Daily Plaza this afternoon. The celebration included dancing and so much more. Congress passed a law back in 1992 to permanently recognize the entire month of May as AAPI Heritage Month. And we're now looking back at the roots of Chicago's Korea Town and how one community grew and changed over several generations.

[00:33:16]Our Sequan traces that journey from Albany Park where that story first began to the communities carrying that legacy forward.

[00:33:28]For decades, this stretch of Lawrence Avenue was once known as Chicago's Korea Town, where restaurants and markets and dry cleaners line the street. Well, today only a handful of Korean-owned businesses remain as we saw that center of gravity shift over time.

[00:33:46]In the 1970s, Korean immigrants started building a thriving community in Albany Park. For many families arriving in Chicago, this was their first stop.

[00:34:00]>> Kyang Jay was one of the first to settle here. She recently moved to Mount Prospect, but spent years doing alterations in Old Korea Town.

[00:34:11]>> Our hearts were aligned. We had a good time working together. We didn't have a lot of time, so when it was time for lunch, we would be busy stuffing our faces so we could get back to work. We would look like fools and we'd all take turns dishing plates. We would buy each other meals, too. Either way, it was really fun to work there back then.

[00:34:37]>> More work here cuz we're Koreans here.

[00:34:39]She still holds on to photos from those years, friends, work, and life all in one place. Back then, everything was within just a few blocks of Lawrence Avenue. But over time, that changed. We hopped in the car and headed to Niles, home to many Korean-owned businesses today.

[00:34:59]>> Korean food is very in very, very high demanding. So, I'm going to prepare our most famous um center of the beef show.

[00:35:06]We just got to Jins Su Barbecue here in Niles and we're going to go inside now to check it out.

[00:35:15]>> Owner Eric Yu says the shift away from Albany Park unfolded over generations >> because back then it was cheaper and if even if because the um public transportation in that area was um in somewhat good, right? There's a like brown lines out there like back then there's all the taxi companies, Korean taxi companies out there too. U buses, train, everything was there.

[00:35:39]>> But by the late 1990s and early 2000s, >> everything started moving up to the north area because cleaner, a safer environment for their family and also just nicer, you know, um the education because our first generation mom and pops, they care about their kids education so much. So they started coming up to North area like you know Glen View has a you know great school.

[00:36:03]North is a great school.

[00:36:04]>> Where did you drive from?

[00:36:05]>> We met up with Richard in Glen View who teaches Korean language classes in his free time. He says he watched the community change over the years.

[00:36:13]>> We kind of outgrew the place. Instead of just one street, we have a whole network uh across suburbs where uh people live.

[00:36:19]>> So what happened to Chicago's Korea Town? It didn't vanish.

[00:36:24]>> We are just part of community, you We are not strangers.

[00:36:28]>> It just spread out beyond a single neighborhood.

[00:36:32]>> You know, we're here. We've been here for a long time.

[00:36:34]>> From Albany Park where it all began to the north suburbs where it continues today. Sequan Fox Chicago.

[00:36:45]Starting today, tens of millions of Americans are hitting the roads and the airports. Sky Fox is looking at the traffic now. Triple A says it will be a recordbreaking Memorial Day weekend despite rising gas prices. Fox's Granny Trimble has more on the holiday travel surge.

[00:37:07]Memorial Day weekend travel is expected to be slightly up from last year. AAA predicting a record-breaking 45 million people will be traveling at least 50 miles for the holiday between Thursday and Monday. That's up from 44.8 8 million last year. Driving is the most popular way to get around this weekend with more than 39 million people expected to hit the roads. That's up 100,000 from last year.

[00:37:32]>> Traveling upstate to the Catskills.

[00:37:34]We're going to leave tonight at 10:00.

[00:37:36]Even though it's going to bring us up there about 2:00 in the morning, it it'll should alleviate the traffic ride.

[00:37:41]>> The afternoons will likely be the worst time to drive. The best time after 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

[00:37:47]>> We might not leave until tomorrow night.

[00:37:49]Uh, I guess it's sort of a guessing game.

[00:37:52]>> Gas prices are higher than last year when the national average for a regular gallon of gas on Memorial Day was $3.18.

[00:38:00]Current pump prices are the highest they've been since the summer of 2022, sitting at a national average of $4.56.

[00:38:08]Meanwhile, the TSA says it's ready for the surge of travelers heading to the nation's airports.

[00:38:14]>> TSA is going to maintain robust security oversight. The traveling population could expect a more seamless uh smooth, secure experience. AAA is predicting around 3.7 million people will fly to their destination this weekend. They say the average ticket price was lower than last year if you booked early before rising jet fuel prices. Grady Trimble, Fox Chicago.

[00:38:36]>> And I'm sure a lot of people are going to be spending time outdoors this weekend. The pool may be grilling. Let's send it over to meteorologist JD Rut with a look at what we can expect this weekend. Well, it's going to be a pretty decent weekend for anything outside here at home. But maybe you are one of those who was traveling somewhere either by car or by plane. I'm here to tell you if you're going eastbound or to the south, this would be rainfall all along the east coast and to the south. So, driving or flying, there could be some delays.

[00:39:04]Western part of the country, things look to stay fairly quiet, hot and dry.

[00:39:09]Meanwhile, it's just wet and mild farther east. But for those who are parking it right here at home this weekend, what a great weekend we have.

[00:39:18]Clouds will be stubborn, yes, for Saturday and Sunday. And there might be a wayward shower late Saturday into Sunday morning, but I think the overall weekend looks to be dry. Memorial Day Monday itself. How about sunshine? 82 degrees. The only real issue that I see for the entirety of the weekend, the wind all three days hovering around 15 milesPH. So, yes, a little bit breezy.

[00:39:43]So, hang on to those napkins, paper plates, and paper cups while you're outside grilling.

[00:39:48]>> All right, still ahead, a popular attraction is back on the Magnificent Mile. Ahead on Fox Chicago News at 9, where you can find these beautiful floral designs.

[00:40:21]Wow. Wow.

[00:41:05]Wow. Wow. Wow.

[00:41:27]Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:41:48]Wow.

[00:42:34]Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:43:07]Questions still swirling around. the uncertainty about the mega projects bill spill and how it will impact the Chicago Bears efforts to build in Arlington Heights. The bill is now in the state senate. Illinois State Senator Bill Cunningham, who represents part of the Chicago area, joined our digital show, Chicago Live, earlier this evening. He shared some of the obstacles still in the way.

[00:43:30]Bears have asked for something in the neighborhood of $850 million from the state in order to reconfigure roads and bridges and the area around the proposed site. Uh that's difficult to do without a traffic study. The lack of that traffic study has also created some turbulence uh politically in the northwest suburbs because the mayors that represent towns that border Arlington Heights feel as if they have not been consulted. Uh I would say the third obstacle that we're facing just involves um general apprehension from legislators about the payment in lie of taxes that would uh allow the local taxing bodies in that area to freeze the current property tax they pay and then make an alternative payment. the uncertainty about what that alternative payment might be and whether or not it would have any effect on other property taxpayers in the district of our concern of legislators and of that as I said is one of the obstacles we're facing as well. So, with this list of obstacles, uh, the Chicago legislators, the, you know, obviously the the traffic study, the suburban mayors, do you see this kind of getting ironed out by May 31st?

[00:44:48]>> We're going to continue to work uh on the bill. Um, but obviously more needs to be done. uh the the Bears um need to really engage with legislators and make their case uh if they want to see action by May 31st.

[00:45:02]>> And you said that Mayor Johnson has um indicated that he's been in contact with the Bears recently about the possibility of Chicago. Did I understand that correctly?

[00:45:17]>> Yes. Um and I believe the mayor has put out some sort of statement. I don't want to uh jump in front of that, but u there has been some engagement between the Bears and uh the city within the last several weeks.

[00:45:31]>> As we mentioned earlier in the show, the Bears have officially eliminated the city of Chicago from their options from the future home. They said there is no viable side in the city and they will only be considering options in Arlington Heights in Hammond, Indiana. All right, sticking with the Bears, Cassie has a preview of what she has for us today.

[00:45:52]I'm Cassie Carlson at Halis Hall where we talked to Bears assistant coaches on topics including what their new pieces in the secondary will allow them to do on defense and how Caleb Williams already looks in year two under Ben Johnson.

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[00:48:37]All right, welcome back. The unofficial start to the summer is just days away.

[00:48:40]We're very excited. Hopefully, we're going to be out on the pool grilling some balcony patio vibe. And you said we're looking at a little bit of wind, summer rain.

[00:48:49]>> Wind might be the biggest concern for us. There is a chance, a small one for a pop-up shower, but this is not a weekend wash out for us at all. This is great news compared to where we've been. And with it being the unofficial start to summer as we head toward Memorial Day Monday, take a look outside right now.

[00:49:05]Yes, we have that breeze. Here is the spoiler for you. That breeze is going to stay with us all throughout the weekend.

[00:49:11]It will be changing direction, which means it helps to change our temperature. Right now, we're at 57.

[00:49:17]Northeast wind at 15 mph. At 15 mph, that's kind of what we're looking at tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday, and into Memorial Day, Monday itself. Current temperatures, it's only 51 in Waggan, 55 at the lakefront, 59 Michigan City, 58 Chicago Heights. But look at this. far enough away from the lake. We've got mid60s, even a couple of areas near 70 degrees. We'll take that. Wind right now running around 15 to at times 20 mph.

[00:49:47]It's that wind direction out of the northeast keeping that lid on the temperatures in most cases. Lake waters right now are only around 50 to about 52. So, if you have plans to jump into the lake this weekend, maybe think twice about it. It's going to be a little bit cold. Dip your toe in, you'll be okay.

[00:50:05]Now, the wind direction changes more to the southeast by Sunday and Monday. That means our temperatures will be going up as well. Let's jump into that weekend forecast. 70 on Saturday, 77 on Sunday, 82 Memorial Day Monday. For any outdoor celebrations, parades, festivities, Monday is looking pretty good. Just keep in mind that wind. There is a chance for a popup shower late Saturday into Sunday. I don't think it's a big deal as it looks right now. Clouds will be stubborn though for Saturday and Sunday.

[00:50:38]What about tomorrow? Maybe you're taking tomorrow off of work as well. It's trending dry. Previously, it looked like it's going to be a rainy day on Friday.

[00:50:46]That system staying far enough now to our south, a much lower chance for rain tomorrow. I'll keep these little 20%s in for Saturday into Sunday just to account for some late evening to early morning action, but I don't think it is a major concern at all. Low temperatures tonight closer to normal. Most of us around 50.

[00:51:06]Far northern areas may slip into the upper 40s. Now remember, tomorrow we still have that northeast component to the wind, but some warmer air is trying to push in. Southern areas south of I 80, I think around 70. Other local I'm going for the upper 60s. Then here comes that warmup for the weekend. 82 on Monday, 85 on Tuesday, and we just keep those 80s going as we head to Wednesday and into Thursday.

[00:51:33]>> All right, thank you JD. We are looking forward to that. The Bears offseason program continues to roll on and today assistant coaches met with medium.

[00:51:40]Cassie Carlson has a recap.

[00:51:43]>> We met with Bears assistant coaches today in the middle of their offseason workouts. Nearly all of them returning from a year ago, which makes year two in the Ben Johnson era even that more exciting. Especially for Caleb Williams, who's ready to take the next step in his offense.

[00:51:57]>> That's happened throughout the spring for sure, where it'll be one a day. It's like, huh, there's not people doing that. So, that's cool. But, he's freaky.

[00:52:07]Like, it's ridiculous. In the receivers's room, Antoine Randall L is preaching confidence to Roma Dunay as he hopes to emerge as a true wide receiver one, especially after dealing with a handful of uncharacteristic drops.

[00:52:19]>> Those are plays he knows he can make and let's make them. Uh, and these are different ways that we can make these plays. Um, and again, like you just talked about, you go back and you pull them that film, match it up with the plays he has made um in the NFL as it relates to those 50-50 balls or what have you. And yeah. All right. Not the one thing you get is like, "All right, the confidence is restored. Now, let's go out and do let's go do it."

[00:52:43]>> Offensive line coach Dan Roshar is looking for consistency at positions with competitions, including center and left tackle.

[00:52:49]>> You're looking guys to put good reps together back to back to back to back every day and be the same person and get better. you see improvement and I think, you know, by the time we get through uh training camp and through the preseason, we'll have a really good idea where he's at relative to the competition at that position.

[00:53:12]>> Defensive backs coach Al Harris is back in Chicago despite getting interest for other teams. And now with two new weapons at safety in Kobe Bryant and Dylan Theamman, he feels like the sky's is the limit.

[00:53:22]>> When you pair speed with versatility, what does that allow you to do on the back end?

[00:53:26]>> Whatever we want.

[00:53:28]So realistically um you know um DA is going to do a great job of kind of using his you know attributes to our advantage as a defense.

[00:53:39]>> And when asked if this defense will be able to replicate the 33 takeaways that led the league last year. Al Harris said every new player that comes into the building and sits down with him quickly learns he is obsessed with takeaways and that will be heavily emphasized every year at Halis Hall. Cassie Carlson, Fox Chicago Sports. You can keep up with the latest Bears news on Chicago Sports Tonight. That's right after this show on Fox Local. Don't go anywhere. We'll be right back.

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[00:57:13]Welcome back. We've got Memorial Day weekend ahead and we've got a nice weather weekend.

[00:57:18]>> Another warm weekend in store. Not quite as warm as what it was this past weekend. We had high temperatures 84 and 87 this past weekend. We will be close as we head toward Monday. Sunshine 82, then mid 80s.

[00:57:29]>> Looking forward to it. All right. Thank you so much. We'll see you back here at 9.

[00:58:03]Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

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