Midwest

Illinois bar owner killed in ‘execution-style’ shooting, suspect with decades-long criminal record in custody

Published

2 months ago

February 7, 2026

Illinois bar owner killed in ‘execution-style’ shooting, suspect with decades-long criminal record in custody

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A suspect described as a “monster” was arrested following a manhunt for the killer of an Illinois bar owner who authorities say was murdered in an “execution-style” shooting Monday.

Julius E. Burkes Jr., 47, was taken into custody on Tuesday in connection with the murder of 30-year-old Courtney M. Drysdale, the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Department said.

Drysdale was killed just before noon Monday inside The Line, a local bar she owned in rural Momence near the Illinois-Indiana border, authorities said.

The 30-year-old mother was opening the bar when the suspect walked in, brandished a gun and demanded money, WGNTV reported, citing the sheriff’s office. Drysdale complied with the demands, but investigators said the suspect shot her two times “execution-style” anyway.

EX-CON CHARGED IN CHRISTMAS DAY CVS ROBBERY THAT LEFT CLERK FATALLY STABBED

Courtney M. Drysdale, 30, was opening The Line, a bar she owned, when the shooting happened Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, authorities said. (Jensen Memorial Chapel)

Detectives recovered surveillance images from the bar that showed a suspect wearing a bright yellow jacket, a hat and glasses, and driving a white BMW.

Authorities released surveillance photos of the suspect wearing a bright yellow jacket. Julius E. Burkes Jr., 47, was taken into custody, pictured right, on Tuesday in connection with the murder of Drysdale. (Kankakee County Sheriff’s Department )

The suspect tried to remove a video recording device from the bar before he fled to Indiana, according to authorities.

Authorities said the suspect was seen leaving the area in a white BMW. (Kankakee County Sheriff’s Department )

Burkes was apprehended as he was leaving his residence in Hammond, Indiana, about 26 hours after the murder, the sheriff’s office said.

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Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey thanked the public for supplying numerous tips, along with federal, state and local law enforcement officers who worked together to capture the suspect.

“We hope that in some way the apprehension of this monster will bring some sort of peace to Courtney’s family, friends and community,” the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities said Courtney Drydale complied with the armed suspect’s demand for money, though the suspect shot her anyway. (Facebook/Courtney Marie Drysdale)

Court records obtained by WGNTV showed that Burkes has a criminal history spanning decades, including allegedly breaking into the home of an ex-girlfriend in December. He was reportedly out on bond for that case at the time of Drysdale’s murder.

The documents showed his criminal history included a 2014 battery case to which he pleaded guilty. He was placed on 12 months of supervised release, which he completed.

In 1995, he pleaded guilty to two counts of felony murder when he was just 15 years old, the outlet reported. He was sentenced to 37 years in that case, though the outlet noted his role in the crime was unclear as records detailing the incident were not immediately available.

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Burkes is being held in Indiana, where he awaits an extradition hearing back to Illinois.

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Kansas

Kansas firefighters rescue chubby cat trapped in massive recliner while trying to hide from the vet

Published

2 minutes ago

March 25, 2026

Press Room

Kansas firefighters rescue chubby cat trapped in massive recliner while trying to hide from the vet

This cat was feeling stuck.

A fat cat was nearly devoured by an unforgiving reclining chair as it desperately tried to evade its owner and got stuck ahead of an annual visit to the vet — forcing rescuing firefighters to destroy the lounger.

The Garfield lookalike summoned all its strength to avoid its owner ahead of a trip to the veterinarian on Saturday, when it somehow managed to wedge itself in the metal base of a mechanical recliner — which was full of sharp springs and hinges, photos shared by the Overland Park Police Department show.

Kansas firefighters pried a cat out of a reclincer chair. Overland Park Police/Instagram

It appeared to be mewling for help while one firefighter cradled its hind legs and another tended to one front paw. The pussycat then clung to the metal grate with its other paw, not daring to take its beady eyes off a screwdriver in the firefighter’s hand.

The cat’s pudgy belly, jutted out as the recliner’s leg threatened to crush its chest.

Firefighters had to saw the chair in half to free the feline with assistance from animal control.

Police assured that, once the cat was safe, it “arrived to the vet for its annual checkup.”

Feline fanatics weren’t surprised by the orange cat’s brainless bolt for freedom.

Firefighters rescuing an orange and white cat from under a recliner. — Firefighters had to destroy the lounger to save the cat. Overland Park Police/Instagram

“Glad the kitty was safe!!! They will do anything to avoid a visit to the vet!!!!” one woman commented on the police department’s Instagram post.

“Anyone who has an orange cat knows this is just standard #oneorangebraincell life,” another added.

“RIP mechanical recliner,” one user mourned.

In 2024, a 38-pound rescue cat named Crumbs got stuck in a shoe rack while trying to break out of fat camp.

In the viral snapshot of Crumbs’ ignominy, it laid face-down in a blue Croc shoe while its bulbous belly hung between the slots in the rack.

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Michigan

Showers, thunderstorms expected to hit SE Michigan Thursday — What to know

Published

32 minutes ago

March 25, 2026

Press Room

Showers, thunderstorms expected to hit SE Michigan Thursday — What to know

4Warn Weather Alert issued for Thursday afternoon, evening

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop Thursday afternoon and evening in Metro Detroit.

A 4Warn Weather Alert was issued for the afternoon and evening of March 26 due to the threat of severe storms across Southeast Michigan.

Latest forecast –> A warmer Wednesday across Metro Detroit before severe weather threat arrives Thursday

Here’s what to expect:

Timeframe

3 p.m. to 9 p.m. is the wide window, but latest model data is trending to pull the more widespread severe threat through between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Where storms will hit

There is still uncertainty as to how far north the instability will reach. From I-696/I-96 south, there is a slight (level 2 out of 5) risk for severe weather. A marginal (level 1) risk is from I-696 to around I-69.

Damaging winds, tornado probabilities

All threats are on the table, but hail and tornadoes will be the most significant.

Hail: Conditions will be favorable for large hail (up to 2 inch/tennis ball-sized) even in the marginal risk area.
Wind: Damaging wind potential will be little greater closer to the Ohio state line. However, most of the area will be at risk for isolated damaging wind gusts greater than 60 mph.
Tornadoes: Tornado probabilities are a little higher in our southern communities, but isolated strong (EF-2+) tornadoes are not out of the question across much of Southeast Michigan.
Flooding: Heavy downpours are possible, but flash flood risk remains low.

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Minnesota

Minnesota Vikings submit bid to host 2028 NFL Draft

Published

44 minutes ago

March 25, 2026

Press Room

Minnesota Vikings submit bid to host 2028 NFL Draft

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings have submitted a bid to host the 2028 NFL Draft, multiple city and team stakeholders confirmed Wednesday. The team is working in conjunction with Minnesota Sports and Events, the regional sports commission that helped secure Super Bowl LII after the 2017 season.

“Minnesota is in contention,” Matt Meunier, the bid director for Minnesota Sports and Events, said. “We’re in the game. We’re actively pursuing the right to bring a future NFL draft to our community.”

Traditionally, the NFL awards future host cities during one of the league’s annual spring or summer ownership meetings. The owners are scheduled to meet on March 29 in Phoenix and on May 19 in Orlando, Fla.

The Vikings began their pursuit in 2019. Team executives have attended previous drafts. They have also visited the league office to reiterate their interest.

“We have basically been staying in their face for multiple years,” said Lester Bagley, the Vikings’ executive vice president of public affairs.

Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf has wanted to bring the event to Minnesota for years. Last fall, speaking at the team’s practice facility in Eagan, Minn., he said that the subject remained a focus. In conversations with the NFL, league executives mentioned U.S. Bank Stadium as an intriguing location. Minnesota Sports and Events proposed multiple options, but many of them centered around U.S. Bank Stadium.

Experience helps in this regard, too. The Vikings and Minnesota Sports and Events collaborated on the winning bid for the Super Bowl in early 2018. Bagley and Wendy Blackshaw, the president and CEO of Minnesota Sports and Events, said the league came away pleased with the result.

The Vikings plan to commit financial and staff support to help with the bid. The team and Minnesota Sports and Events have also obtained resources from executives from three local companies: Christophe Beck of Ecolab, Gunjan Kedia of U.S. Bank and Geoff Martha of Medtronic.

Blackshaw wouldn’t divulge the specifics on the investments, but she did suggest that Minnesota Sports and Events estimates an economic impact of more than $100 million.

“There is a significant interest in this event,” Blackshaw said, “especially an event of this scale. It would be amazing.”

Typically, host cities must submit bids for multiple years before they are selected by the NFL. Pittsburgh will host the 2026 NFL Draft in less than a month, and Washington, D.C., is scheduled to host the 2027 NFL Draft.

Last year, The Buffalo News reported that the Bills were throwing their hats in the ring for 2028 to coincide with the opening of the new Highmark Stadium.

“Certainly, if 2028 doesn’t work out, we’d need to pivot to a future year,” Meunier said.

Both the team and Minnesota Sports and Events said Wednesday that they intend to pursue the event annually until it is held in Minnesota.

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