Man arrested in fatal shooting of Illinois bar owner
The Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office released this image of a man in connection with a homicide, Feb. 2, 2026, in rural Momence near the Illinois/Indiana border. (Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office)
(KANKAKEE COUNTY, Ill.) — A man has been arrested in the death of a bar owner who was fatally shot Monday morning near the Illinois-Indiana state border.
Julius E. Burkes Jr., 47, was arrested Tuesday in Indiana as he was exiting his residence, according to the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office.
Burkes is now being held in Indiana and is awaiting extradition to Illinois, where he will face charges, authorities said.
Burkes is accused of killing Courtney Drysdale, 30, while she was preparing to open the bar just before 11 a.m., when a suspect entered the bar, brandished a firearm and demanded money from the cash register, according to the sheriff’s office.
Despite Drysdale’s cooperation, the suspect allegedly shot her twice “execution style,” Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey said at a press conference Tuesday.
Before fleeing, the suspect attempted to remove what he believed was a digital recording device from a wall, but investigators were able to recover video evidence, Downey said.
“This type of violent behavior has no place in our society, and I am extremely appreciative of the overwhelming support we received from the public, the media as well as our partners in the criminal justice system near and far,” Downey said in a statement after the arrest.
“I want to praise, not only the extraordinary efforts of the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office, the Tri-County Auto Theft Task Force, the FBI, the US Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Hammond Police Department on this quick and peaceful apprehension, but I want to commend the community-at-large for coming together and providing quantities of tips and information that ultimately led to this swift arrest,” said Downey.
An employee emerges after being rescued from a Family Dollar store destroyed by a tornado on March 10, 2026 in Lake Village, Indiana. The National Weather Service had issued an urgent warning about a large tornado moving through the area, calling it a “life-threatening situation.” (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — At least two people are dead and multiple others suffered injuries in Indiana due to severe weather overnight that is expected to continue into Wednesday, according to the Lake Township Fire Department.
More than 65 million people are in the path of more severe weather sweeping across parts of the U.S. Wednesday, from Houston to Philadelphia.
The system was forecast to spawn strong tornadoes, destructive winds and hail the size of baseballs.
At least 10 tornadoes were reported from Texas to Indiana. The National Weather Service issued at least 45 tornado warnings across seven states.
The most damage was potentially in Kankakee County, Illinois, and Starke County, Indiana. Hail larger than grapefruit in size fell in Illinois — up to 5.2 inches in diameter.
There were reports of houses that collapsed in Indiana and people stuck in homes but as of Wednesday morning there are no reports of missing people, according to the fire department.
Thunderstorm winds of 60 to 80 mph were recorded from Texas to Indiana.
Wednesday morning, thunderstorms continued to surge east, now forming a line more than 1,600 miles long across America from Canada to Mexico and from New York to Texas.
A level 2 out of 5 slight risk threat is in place Wednesday for more than 65 million Americans from Houston to Philadelphia and includes other cities such as Pittsburgh; Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Louisville, Kentucky; Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; Shreveport, Louisiana; and New Orleans.
The main risks are for tornadoes, damaging wind and large hail.
Flash flooding is possible especially from East Texas through Louisiana, Mississippi, and southern Arkansas, where training, or consecutive, thunderstorms could dump multiple inches of rain over localized areas within hours.
Storms will reach Cleveland around 9 am and Pittsburgh around 11 am. Memphis will see storms in the morning and Nashville in the afternoon.
There were numerous reports of damage in Kankakee County, Illinois, where a large and extremely dangerous tornado was on the ground earlier Tuesday evening.
The Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office said “extensive damage” was reported in Aroma Park. There were no immediate reports of injuries, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
A tornado watch was issued for North Central Illinois, along with small portions of Missouri, Iowa and Indiana until 11 p.m. local time.
The severe weather is expected to move offshore on Thursday morning, followed by a cold front that is expected to cause temperatures to quickly drop.
There’s a chance that lingering moisture behind the severe weather system may turn to snow for some areas, including Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia, on Thursday.
Former President Bill Clinton and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrive prior to the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump at the United States Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Melina Mara – Pool/Getty Images)
(CHAPPAQUA, N.Y.) — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s closed-door deposition with the House Oversight Committee in Chappaqua, New York, was briefly paused Thursday afternoon after a photo of her from inside the room was leaked, which is against committee rules.
The photo was posted by conservative social media influencer Benny Johnson who claimed it was provided by Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert.
ABC News confirmed that the deposition has resumed.
The former first lady and former President Bill Clinton are participating in depositions as part of the committee’s probe into the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In her opening statement Thursday before the pause, Hillary Clinton said that she had no involvement with Epstein or convicted associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
“The Committee justified its subpoena to me based on its assumption that I have information regarding the investigations into the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Let me be as clear as I can. I do not,” Clinton said, according to a release of her opening statement.
Hillary Clinton said Thursday that she had no idea about Epstein and Maxwell’s criminal activity, saying she doesn’t “recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein.”
“I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that. Like every decent person, I have been horrified by what we have learned about their crimes,” she said.
Hillary Clinton went after the Republican-led committee in her opening statement, saying “you have made little effort to call the people who show up most prominently in the Epstein files. And when you did, not a single Republican Member showed up for Les Wexner’s deposition,” she states, referencing the closer-door deposition of retail billionaire Leslie Wexner earlier this month, during which the Republican members were no-shows. During his deposition, Wexner claimed he never witnessed nor had any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activity.
Digging in even more, the former first lady attacked the probe.
“This institutional failure is designed to protect one political party and one public official, rather than to seek truth and justice for the victims and survivors, as well as the public who also want to get to the bottom of this matter,” she said, not mentioning any particular public official by name.
Republican House Oversight Chairman James Comer said the deposition with the Clintons is an opportunity to ask them questions.
“No one is accusing, at this moment, the Clintons of any wrongdoing,” Comer said Thursday morning ahead of Hillary Clinton’s testimony. “They’re going to have due process, but we have a lot of questions, and the purpose of the whole investigation is to try to understand many things about Epstein.”
Pressed on why the committee was adamant on subpoenaing Hillary Clinton, who has denied ever having any relationship with Epstein, Comer highlighted how there was a bipartisan effort to speak with the Clintons after Democrats also voted to subpoena the Clintons.
The committee first attempted to subpoena the Clintons in July of last year as Republicans demanded more information on the former president’s travels on Epstein’s private aircraft and what the committee called the “family’s past relationship” with Epstein and his convicted associate Ghislaine Maxwell, as part of their probe into Epstein.
The Clintons were subpoenaed to appear under oath in front of the committee for a deposition in January, but failed to comply, arguing the subpoenas were without legal merit. Rather, they proposed a four-hour transcribed interview instead.
David Kendall, the Clintons’ lawyer, argued that the couple has no information relevant to the committee’s investigation of the federal government’s handling of investigations into Epstein and Maxwell, and should not be required to appear for in-person testimony. Kendall contended the Clintons should be permitted to provide the limited information they have to the committee in writing.
Comer had long threatened to hold the Clintons in contempt if they failed to appear before the committee, so when they didn’t, a contempt resolution was drafted and put to a vote. The Oversight Committee passed the contempt resolution, with nine Democrats voting in favor of it, teeing it up for a full House vote.
At the last minute, before the resolution was brought for a full House vote, the Clintons agreed to sit for a deposition, postponing further consideration of a contempt vote.
Democrats on the committee said they hope this week’s testimonies from the Clintons spark Republican committee members to investigate more of Epstein’s ties to President Donald Trump and his Cabinet officials.
President Trump has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and has said that he cut off contact with his former friend more than 20 years ago.
“We will talk to any single person, whether that is a Democrat, a Republican, how much wealth they have, how powerful the position is, we want to talk to anyone. So we’re happy to be here, and we’re glad that both Secretary Clinton and former President Clinton are willing to talk to this committee,” Rep. Robert Garcia, the committee’s top Democrat, said Thursday.
This week’s interviews with committee investigators will be video recorded and transcribed in accordance with the House’s deposition rules.
Comer said the committee is “going to release the video as soon as everyone has approved it.”
While the Clintons have agreed to speak with the committee behind closed doors, they have still pushed for public hearings as part of the committee’s probe into Epstein.
“I will not sit idly as they use me as a prop in a closed-door kangaroo court by a Republican Party running scared,” Bill Clinton wrote in a lengthy post on X. “If they want answers, let’s stop the games & do this the right way: in a public hearing, where the American people can see for themselves what this is really about.”
Hillary Clinton has echoed her husband’s sentiments while also continuing to call for the full release of the Epstein files, which they have accused the Department of Justice of selectively releasing.
“It is something that needs to be totally transparent,” Hillary Clinton said during a panel appearance at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month. “I’ve called for, many, many years, for everything to be put out there so people can not only see what is in them, but also — if appropriate — hold people accountable. We’ll see what happens.”
Neither Bill Clinton nor Hillary Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing and both deny having any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. No Epstein survivor or associate has ever made a public allegation of wrongdoing or inappropriate behavior by the former president or his wife in connection with his prior relationship with Epstein.
Nile Monitor lizard (1001slide/STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images)
(FLORIDA) — Another giant reptile is clawing its way toward disrupting the South Florida ecosystem as an invasive species.
The Nile monitor — a semi-aquatic lizard equipped with razor claws that can grow up to 6 feet — has been establishing populations in the area since the 1980s, according to ecology experts.
Endemic to the Nile river delta in Sub-Saharan Africa, the continent’s largest lizards arrived in Florida via the pet trade, through both intentional and unintentional release, Frank Mazzotti, a professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Florida, told ABC News.
“They’re very wild, they’re very active,” Mazzotti said. “They don’t make good pets at all. They don’t calm down.”
The temperament of the giant lizards also makes them difficult to catch. Mazzotti described Nile monitors as “very strong” and “very aggressive.”
The reptiles will put up a fight and even bite humans who attempt to make contact with them, Mazzotti said.
“They’re crazy,” he said. “They’re very hard to handle, and you have to take great care that they don’t escape and that you don’t get bit.”
Monitor lizards are one of the high priority nonnative species for removal due to their potential impacts on native wildlife, Lisa Thompson, a communications specialist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Division of Habitat and Species Conservation, told ABC News via email.
Current management approaches focus on containing established populations and preventing the establishment of new populations, as well as recurring surveys and removals, Thompson noted.
Nile monitors are now established in Lee and Palm Beach Counties, with multiple sightings in Broward County as well. The FWC is also monitoring observations of the species in Miami-Dade County, according to Thompson.
The state’s humidity allows the Nile monitors to thrive, Mazzotti said.
“Their habitat requirements are met,” he said. “The climate’s a match.”
In addition, their diverse diet and ability to travel over land and in fresh and saltwater allows for potential establishment throughout Florida, especially in coastal areas with mangroves and salt marshes.
South Florida’s extensive canal system can provide ample corridor, and they have a high reproduction rate, according to the FWC.
The giant lizards are “generalist” feeders, meaning they aren’t picky about what they eat, Mazzotti said.
They have been observed to eat crabs, crayfish, mussels, snails, slugs, termites, caterpillars, beetles, spiders, grasshoppers and crickets, fish, frogs, toads, lizards, turtles, snakes, young crocodiles and other reptiles, birds and their eggs and small mammals, according to the FWC. They can hunt for prey on the surface, below ground and in trees.
Some researchers have even observed them eating iguana eggs, Mazzotti noted.
“They don’t care what they eat,” he said.
Due to their generalist diet, the invasive reptile could impact state and federally listed threatened species, including sea turtles, wading birds, gopher tortoises and the American crocodile, according to the FWC.
Biologists and ecologists are also concerned about burrowing owls, as their largest population also occurs where the largest known Nile monitor population also occurs.
Nile monitors are not protected in Florida, except by anti-cruelty laws, and can be humanely killed on private property with the landowner’s permission, according to the FWC.
It was added to Florida’s Prohibited Nonnative Species List in April 2021, which limits possession of Nile monitors for the purposes of research, educational exhibition, control or eradication.
Nile monitors are often olive green to black in color and have stripes on their jaw and head. They also have yellow-ish V-shaped stripes that begin at the base of its skull and neck and transform into “bands” along their back, according to the FWC.
They are often seen in or close to water and basking on rocks and branches, wildlife experts say.
The reptiles are usually active during the day and sleep on branches or submerged in water at night.
When temperatures drop, Nile monitors will retreat to burrows to keep warm, the FWC noted.
While they have not yet had demonstrated impacts on the ecosystem, it’s important to keep populations of Nile monitors under control before they disrupt an already delicate environment, Mazzotti said.
“You cannot wait until an invasive species has demonstrated its impact upon the ecosystem,” he said. “Because if you do, then it’s too late.”
