Midwest
Trump announces he will kick off Independence Day weekend with ‘very special’ patriotic event
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President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will kick off his Independence Day weekend by traveling to Iowa on Thursday for “a very special event, honoring our Great Country.”
“I am thrilled to announce that I will be traveling to one of my favorite places in the World, beautiful Iowa, on Thursday, July 3rd, to kick off the very beginning of our exciting Celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary!” Trump posted to Truth Social Tuesday afternoon.
“Iowa voted for me THREE TIMES, because they love my Policies for our Wonderful Farmers and Small Businesses, and they LOVE AMERICA! This will be a very special event, honoring our Great Country, and our Brave Heroes who fought to keep us FREE,” he continued, and included a link for people to RSVP. “I’ll also tell you some of the GREAT things I’ve already done on Trade, especially as it relates to Farmers. You are going to be very happy with what I say — Should be a BIG Crowd!”
The event is slated to be held at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines and is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Central Time, according to the event’s website.
TRUMP WHITE HOUSE RELEASES VIDEO SERIES LEADING UP TO AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY: ‘ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE’
President Donald Trump is expected to travel to Iowa Thursday to kick off the holiday weekend celebrating America’s independence. (Getty Images)
“This special event serves as the magnificent start of a dynamic, year-long commemoration across our beautiful country, unveiling a vision for a renewed commitment to America’s future,” Monica Crowley, the principal media representative for America250, said in a press release previewing the event.
TRUMP TO HOST MILITARY PARADE TO CELEBRATE ARMY’S 250TH BIRTHDAY, HONOR ACTIVE-DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS, VETERANS
The 250th anniversary of American independence will be held on July 4, 2026, with Trump repeatedly touting his administration will plan a year of patriotic events celebrating the anniversary.
The president’s upcoming trip to Iowa follows the Senate passing Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” Tuesday afternoon, which is a massive piece of legislation that works to advance Trump’s agenda on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt.
President Donald Trump and first Lady Melania celebrating the 4th of July from the White House during Trump’s first term. (Getty Images)
Trump was alerted to the news during a roundtable while visiting the Florida Everglades to tour a new illegal immigrant detention center, celebrating the news in separate Truth Social posts shortly after.
“Our Country is going to explode with Massive Growth, even more than it already has since I was Re-Elected. Between the Growth, this Bill, our Tariffs, and more, “THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL” sets the United States down a fiscal path by greatly reducing our Federal Deficit, and setting us on course for enormous Prosperity in the new and wonderful Golden Age of America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday afternoon. “To my GOP friends in the House: Stay UNITED, have fun, and Vote “YAY.” GOD BLESS YOU ALL!”
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Sunday, December 14, 2025 6:16PM
WINNETKA, Ill. (WLS) — “Home Alone” is one of the most popular Christmas movies of all time.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
The holiday classic debuted 35 years ago. Now, the iconic house featured in the film is in the spotlight, again.
It underwent an interior renovation and was sold earlier this year.
Now, ABC7 learned that it will be transformed back to the way it looked in 1990, when film audiences got to peek inside it for the first time.
John Abendshien is the former owner of the Winnetka house. He has fond memories of the days spent filming the movie.
READ MORE | Original owner of ‘Home Alone’ house writes memoir about iconic movie
Abendshien said he and his family stayed and watched while the movie was being shot.
He has written a memoir called “Home but Alone No More.”
Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
A man wielding a knife was shot by a police officer on Sunday in Gary, Indiana.
A spokesperson for the city said officers responded to the 2100 block of Tennessee Street for a call of a suicidal man who was armed with a knife in his hand. The man had already stabbed himself a couple of times before they arrived.
Officers found the man in the east alley of 22nd and Ohio. At this time, he was standing in the alley still with the knife in his hand and refused to drop it as ordered by officers. The man then started to advance toward the officer, who shot the man three times in the arm, the spokesperson said.
The officer notified the department that shots were fired, and the man was down. The condition of the man is unknown as of Sunday night.
Other officers responded to the scene to set up a perimeter around the area. The Gary Fire Department and Lake County Crime Scene Investigation personnel were also contacted.
No further information was immediately available.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.
With Audi Crooks injured, Addy Brown takes control of game
Iowa State’s Addy Brown has a big game against Northern Iowa with star Audi Crooks injured.
AMES – When the Iowa State women’s basketball team came out for warmups prior to the Dec. 14 game against Northern Iowa, Cyclones junior Addy Brown peeked over at the Panthers.
Brown, who knew Iowa State star Audi Crooks wouldn’t be playing, wanted to see how her in-state rivals would react to the Cyclones’ star center not being available.
“I just saw a lot of smiles,” Brown said.
“I really think they had some hope and they were excited. And I was like, ‘Ah, no, you’re not going to be too excited for long.’ That made me mad. That gave me more motivation. I don’t forget things very easy.”
Brown took things into her own hands. She scored a game-high 28 points as the 10th-ranked Cyclones beat Northern Iowa 81-53 at Hilton Coliseum on Sunday. Brown added 12 rebounds and three assists while connecting on 10-for-20 shots from the field including 4-for-7 from 3-point range while successfully filling the void left by Crooks.
“I think we gave them hope and I was going to make sure we took that hope away,” Brown said with a smile.
There was certainly reason for optimism for the Panthers. It was just a year ago that Northern Iowa took down a ranked Iowa State squad that had Crooks in its lineup in Cedar Falls. Crooks, who entered the weekend leading the nation in scoring at 27.8 points per game, wasn’t available this time around.
The Cyclones post player was out with a head injury she sustained during Iowa State’s win over Iowa earlier in the week. Crooks is in return-to-play protocol. Iowa State was also without Evangelia Paulk, a key contributor off the bench who was dealing with a mild soft tissue injury. Guard Reese Beaty is also out with a foot injury.
So the Cyclones decided to lean on Brown, one of the most versatile players in the nation, in their final in-state game and final non-conference game of the season. Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly made it clear to her before the game that she was going to have to step up in a big way.
“I told her, ‘You need to show people what I already know about you’ and ironically I told her before the game, ‘If you don’t take 20 shots, the whole team is running,’” Fennelly said.
Brown took the challenge on. She scored all eight points during an 8-0 run in the first quarter that gave the Cyclones a 14-10 lead. Brown also had five points during an 11-0 run to close out the second quarter. She capped it off by draining a 3-pointer right before the buzzer, throwing her hands in the air as the team went to the locker room.
“I was a little tired,” Brown said. “I needed a break.”
Brown nearly had a double-double by halftime, finishing the first two quarters with 21 points and eight rebounds as Iowa State led 48-26.
The Cyclones outscored Northern Iowa 19-12 in the third quarter. Brown barely needed to play in the fourth quarter, checking out with 7:32 left and Iowa State up 71-38. She needed just 28 minutes and 36 seconds of playing time to do all of her damage.
While Iowa State needed contributions from Crooks’ backups at the center spot, it was Brown who needed to take on an even bigger role Sunday.
“We had to capitalize today and it was going to be a tough one with three of our players out, but we stepped up in big ways,” Brown said. “I think it was exciting.”
What’s next for Audi Crooks
Fennelly said that he was “hopeful” that Crooks would be back when the Cyclones open Big 12 Conference play on Dec. 21 against Kansas. Crooks has been dominant this season, shooting better than 72% from the floor while pulling down 6.1 rebounds per game.
Fennelly said Crooks got hit in the head during Iowa State’s win over Iowa.
“You can’t take any chances with anyone,” Fennelly said following Sunday’s game. “She’s still mad at me because we didn’t play her, but we’re not doing that. I don’t care who we’re playing or where we’re playing.”
Fennelly said the team needs to see improvement from Crooks before she’s ready to return.
“We’ll probably know by the end of the week,” he said. “But hopefully that she’ll be back.”
Bill Fennelly provides updates on Evangelia Paulk and Audi Crooks
Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly gives injury updates on Evangelia Paulk and Audi Crooks
Fennelly gives injury update on Paulk
Iowa State was also without Paulk, an important contributor off the bench. The transfer played in Iowa State’s first 11 games this season, averaging 1.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.9 steals in 11.6 minutes per game. Fennelly said Paulk was dealing with a neck injury after possibly sleeping on it wrong.
“She can’t move her neck,” Fennelly said. “So my guess is she’ll be OK.”
Alisa Williams and Lilly Taulelei fill the center spot for Crooks
With Crooks unavailable to play, the Cyclones leaned on Alisa Williams and Taulelei. Both gave Iowa State important minutes. Williams started in Crooks’ place and scored 11 points on 5-for-5 shooting. She also grabbed five rebounds and handed out three assists. Taulelei added eight points and two rebounds off the bench.
Williams said she was excited for the opportunity.
“Just knowing I needed to be myself — I don’t have to be anybody else,” Williams said.
Tanya Warren raves about Iowa State
Iowa State was in the midst of a strong season a year ago, having won its first four games before playing at Northern Iowa. The Cyclones, then ranked eighth in the Associated Press poll, suffered a brutal 87-75 loss to the Panthers.
Iowa State went on to win 23 games but had to play in the “First Four” round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cyclones were expected to compete for a Big 12 title and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament but neither of those things happened.
Northern Iowa coach Tanya Warren said the Cyclones are much improved from a season ago thanks to Brown and Crooks and the addition of point guard Jada Williams, who scored 10 points and handed out eight assists in Sunday’s win.
“They’re efficient,” Warren said. “They’re on a mission. You can tell they’re driven and they’re playing with a purpose.”
Iowa State gets ready for Big 12 play
The Cyclones finished off non-conference play with a 12-0 record. While the schedule wasn’t overly demanding, Iowa State does have some nice wins. The Cyclones handed Indiana its first loss during the Coconut Hoops event in Florida. Iowa State also beat in-state rivals Drake, Iowa and Northern Iowa to win its first unofficial state title since 2021.
“We take great pride, great pride in winning all of our in-state games,” Fennelly said. “Some people think it’s not a big deal. We think it’s a huge deal and we take that seriously.”
The victories could be nice resume-builders for Iowa State on Selection Sunday if the Cyclones need an at-large bid. But the true success of the season will be judged on Big 12 play. The Cyclones, who were picked to finish second in the league, begin with Kansas on Dec. 21 at Hilton Coliseum.
“We’re ready,” Fennelly said. “It’s time.”
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.
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