DOLTON, Ill. (CBS) — Neighbors in south suburban Dolton raced to the rescue Sunday after a fiery crash – using garden hoses to save people trapped inside.

It happened around 5:30 p.m. near 154th Street and Diekman Court. Witnesses saw a speeding car lose control, crash into a tree, and then burst into flames.

Several people grabbed hoses to put out the fire. They managed to get two people out before firefighters arrived.

One man saw the crash on the way home from the barbershop, and said he was called to help.

“I pulled that guy from the wreck. I couldn’t get the kid out, but then God told me to grab, because there’s a water hose over here. And I grab the water hose, and start putting the fire out, and I told the kid, ‘Hey look, if you want to live, you’d better start praying to God right now,’” said Paul Hughes.

A young boy, believed to be 11 or 12 years old, was airlifted to the University of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital in critical condition.

Late Sunday, there was no word on the condition of the others in the car.

HOBART, Ind. (CBS) — A man was shot Sunday afternoon at a Walmart in Hobart, Indiana, police said.

Two people were taken into custody.

As CBS 2’s Lauren Victory reported Sunday night, this was the second bout of gun violence at the Walmart at 2936 E. 79th Ave. in Hobart within just the past year.

Sunday night would have been like any other night at the Walmart off of Route 30 – except associates weren’t the only ones keeping things tidy. Inside, police were busy picking up the pieces of yet another shooting at the store.

“Coming here to pick up a few things and we see you guys, and we know something’s not right,” said would-be Walmart shopper Christopher Cottrell.

Cottrell and other would-be shoppers didn’t get the message the Hobart Walmart had been evacuated, then closed – but many people on social media did.

The Hobart police and fire departments were called at 3:50 p.m., and officers and medics found one gunshot victim in the Walmart, police said.

Twitter immediately lit up with rumors of an active shooter, but police shut those down within 20 minutes. A customer had been shot inside, but it was an isolated incident and there was no threat to the public.

It turned out it was all a quarrel inside the store between people who knew each other.

Walmart could not say exactly where in the store the shooting happened.

A male suspect was taken into custody without incident by an off-duty East Chicago, Indiana police officer who happened to be shopping in the store, police said. A woman accompanying the suspect was also taken into custody, police said.

The man who was shot was undergoing surgery his condition was stabilized, police said.

Some Twitter users reported fears of an “active shooter” at the Walmart. But police said there was no threat to the public after the shooting and arrests.

Hobart police were investigating, and were waiting to interview the victim, suspects, and witnesses to determine a motive and other facts.

Merrillville and Lake County, Indiana police, as well as the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives also responded.

The store remained closed early Sunday evening as the investigation continued.

“This is the second time here, and I just don’t understand why it keeps happening here or really what happened,” said would-be Walmart shopper Tina Roesman.

As Roseman alluded to, flashing lights are a familiar scene at the Hobart Walmart.

It was the second shooting at the same Walmart in less than a year.

On Sept. 30, 2018, a gunman shot two people in the parking lot of the same Walmart. A 9-year-old boy and his 25-year-old father were wounded in the shooting.

One of the victims ran inside the store, alarming customers, according to police. At the time, employees at the Walmart store had just finished active shooter training a few days before.

Alex Cordell Hughes, 26, was charged in the 2018 shooting. Police said Hughes and the man he allegedly shot were in rival Gary gangs.

“This world ain’t like it used to be,” Roseman said.

And some argue, this section of Northwest Indiana is not like it used to be either.

“This area used to be, I don’t want to say upscale, but very nice,” Cottrell said. “It’s our home. Born and raised in this area and it’s surprising.”

Still, security website SafeWise still lists Hobart as one of the top 20 safest cities in all of Indiana – a message that Walmart likely wants to push.

The store should reopen on Monday morning.

Any witnesses who have additional details are asked to call Hobart police Sgt. Rod Gonzalez at (219) 924-1125, or rgonzalez@cityofhobart.org.

CHICAGO (CBS) — The Chicago Jazz Festival offered an unofficial swansong to summer at Millennium Park this weekend.

The 41st annual festival featured live bands at Millennium Park, the Chicago Cultural Center, and other venues throught the city. Among the headliners were a special tribute to Nat King Cole by his brother, Freddy Cole.

“It’s quite a thrill. It’s quite a thrill. You remember the festivals from the years back when we used to go out in the park and listen to everybody. I’m quite excited about it,” Cole said last week.

The Cole family grew up on Chicago’s South Side in the Bronzeville neighborhood and it was on the South Side where many nightclubs allowed him and his contemporaries to play music non-stop. There was never a shortage of clubs or gigs to play. Cole, who’ll turn 88 in October, remembers that time very well, when music was everywhere.

“On the same block you would have two or three taverns with music in them. Especially up and down 63rd Street. They had every block between South Park (now Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive) and Cottage Grove. They had some type of music. Trios, quartets, quintets, just different things,” Cole said.

That time and space inspired Cole to record one of his most famous songs “On the South Side of Chicago.”

This year’s also featured performances from Art Ensemble of Chicago cofounders Roscoe Mitchell and Famoudou Don Moye with a new assortment of performers joining them; Cécile McLorin Salvant; the Eddie Palmieri Sextet; and George Freeman and Billy Branch.

New stars and musical innovators also took the stage.

CHICAGO (CBS) — A Chicago-based coding academy is teaching military veterans and their spouses valuable tech skills, helping them quickly climb the career ladder in civilian life.

Gary Coffey’s job as a software engineer for Enova involves a scramble of numbers and letters.

“It’s about a $45,000 increase since I came here. It pretty much doubled my salary; more than doubled,” he said.

The Air Force veteran’s life wasn’t always so lucrative. He struggled to find employment when he left the service two years ago.

“I had tried to apply to probably 20-plus, 30-plus companies,” he said. “The only job I could get was selling mattresses, which going from working on a billion-dollar jet to this was a little bit different.”

Nearly a third of military veterans looking for a job are under-employed, according to a study by ZipRecruiter. That rate is almost 16% higher than non-veterans.

But ever since Coffey learned how to code at Code Platoon, he and his wife have purchased their first home, and paid off a lot of old debt.

“It’s been really great,” he said.

Coffey’s wife, Karin Matsuyama, has continued the success. She also graduated from Code Platoon, a technology training program in Chicago.

“I worked as an assistant in the business industry for a little over a year, but I didn’t see the growth opportunities I wanted,” she said.

The 14-week coding academy put Matsuyama on a different path, just like her husband.

“I learned JavaScript, Python, and frameworks that I need to develop full cycle web applications,” she said.

Code Platoon founder Rod Levy initially offered the course only to veterans, but expanded the program to spouses after seeing Department of Defense data about unemployment rates for military wives and husbands. It hovers around 24%, six times greater than the national average.

“We are really solving two problems at once. We’re solving the problem of veteran unemployment, or at least addressing that problem; and at the same time we’re trying to address this tech gap, skills gap,” he said.

Thinking back to when he graduated from Code Platoon, Coffey said he’s grown a lot in his career.

“Code Platoon kind of took me from being more of a hobbyist programmer to being someone with a professional skill set,” he said.

His wife is less than a year behind him. Soon, the two coders will be crunching numbers and crushing financials.

“Nothing was really working for me before Code Platoon,” Coffey said. “It’s made a huge impact on my life.”

Matsuyama just took a job as a software engineering intern at Trading Technologies International.

CHICAGO (CBS) — A decades-old toxic site might soon become home to a brand new gas station, going against promises made about redevelopment there. Neighbors concerned about their health and their children’s health are now suing the city to stop the project.

“Not one person was in favor of this. Not one person benefits from this,” neighbor Erika Castillo said.

A vocal group of people often gather near a triangular plot of land nestled between Ogden, Oakley, and 13th Street to show Thorntons how much their proposed gas station is not wanted in the Tri-Taylor neighborhood.

“We didn’t think it was going to be a gas station,” neighbor Margaret Bingham said.

“We would like to see something with more of a greener footprint,” said Tri-Taylor resident Mari Blair.

That’s because of the toxic history of the site. The area once housed the Acme Barrel Company, and leaking underground tanks that released dangerous chemicals, including PCBs.

Bingham has lived in Tri-Taylor for three decades.

“After a while, the fumes started coming up, and people got cancer,” she said.

Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) said it’s one of the only EPA superfund sites in the city. Superfund sites are contaminated land deemed hazardous to human health and/or the environment, for which the EPA has mandated cleanup.

“That’s how contaminated this land was, and to come back with another contaminating activity makes absolutely no sense,” Ervin said.

The alderman said he and neighbors were promised anything but a gas station would be built on the land. At least two other gas stations already are located within a block of the site.

“The site originally was designated to be general commercial use; an office, potentially a hotel, or either a small grocer. That was the conversation that we had with the developer some five, six years ago,” Ervin said. “During that time, they had not been successful in getting what they thought they could get on the site, and then all of a sudden decided to go with a filling station, which we knew that the community was opposed to.”

This summer, the Chicago Zoning Board of Appeals granted Thorntons the right to build on the land.

“This is a highly unusual case where our Zoning Board of Appeals actually decided against the community,” Ervin said.

The Illinois EPA has determined no more cleanup is needed, but neighbors remain concerned about potential new risks.

“For a gas station to come in here and put in gas tanks into the ground here just kind of doesn’t seem right after the land has already been cleaned up,” Blair said. “I just think it’s kind of a backwards move.”

A recent study out of Columbia University seems to back up those concerns.

Researchers measured levels of toxic vapors from gas stations, including the cancer-causing chemical benzene. They found emissions peaked 10 times higher than estimates suggest, and traveled further away – as far as 1 ½ football fields.

“I’m worried for my son, my future family,” Castillo said. “We’re concerned about the pollution it’s going to bring.”

The Tri-Taylor Community Association is suing Thorntons and The Chicago Zoning Board of Appeals to halt construction of the gas station.

The Illinois EPA said whatever is built on that old toxic site must meet certain conditions about building materials, and must also caution construction workers about potential risks.

CHICAGO (CBS) — Police on Sunday were cheering another drop in violent crime – with August having closed out with a 15 percent decrease in overall violent crime compared with August of last year.

But as CBS 2’s Lauren Victory reported, the celebration may be short-lived.

Two hours into the beginning of September, another Chicago family fell victim to gun violence. A 15-year-old boy sitting on the sidewalk one minute in the West Side’s Austin community was gone the next minute.

Police said the boy died in the 5100 block of West Washington Boulevard, shot in the leg and back.

Investigators searched for a reason why as they combed the scene in the rain. But as of Sunday night, detectives still were not sure what happened to Davontae Jackson.

Unfortunately, that was one of seven shooting scenes across the city before sunrise on Sunday.

A shooting also left a man dead and another man wounded early Sunday morning in the 6100 block of South St. Lawrence Avenue. Another shooting in the wee hours left a man dead and a man wounded in the 5100 block of South Pulaski Road.

Shootings also left victims injured in the 3300 block of West Washington Boulevard, the 1200 block of North Avers Avenue, the 3200 block of West 66th Street, and the 1900 block of West Ogden Avenue before daybreak Sunday, police said.

Altogether, shootings this weekend had left seven people dead and 28 more wounded through Monday morning.

In an incident on Saturday evening, two men were killed and three other people were injured in a shooting on a front porch in the 7100 block of South Paulina Street, in the West Englewood neighborhood.

A 32-year-old man died at University of Chicago Medical Center after suffering gunshot wounds to the chest and thigh. A 26-year-old male sustained a gunshot wound to the chest and was transported to the hospital in critical condition. He later died of his wounds, police confirmed.

A man was also shot Sunday evening in the park of Humboldt Park. Just after 7 p.m., the man was shot in the leg in the 1400 block of North Luis Munoz Marin Drive and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition. A person of interest was being questioned late Sunday.

But at least there is some positivity on the horizon, given that police say August 2019 ended with the lowest number of murders and shootings of all the Augusts since 2011 – eight years.

Some districts in the city broke or tied their violent crime records from 1999. Compared with last August, homicides overall dropped 23 percent, shootings 19 percent.

Police hope to continue the trend of crime reduction while increasing the cases they solve. Earlier in August, they announced a pilot program with Samsung to help investigators collect evidence – including surveillance from private homes and businesses.

“Footage from these cameras can be fed directly to these new devices, allowing officers to be better prepared when they arrive on scene,” police Supt. Eddie Johnson said on Aug. 21.

But that is only in one of 22 police districts for now.

In the short term, 1,000 extra officers are patrolling the streets at night, since the CPD unfortunately expected a busy and tragic holiday weekend.

Police said other serious crimes, including robberies and car thefts, are also down.

They credit the work of community organizations and other outreach groups.

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Sports betting is underway in Indiana, with Gov. Eric Holcomb placing a bet at the Indiana Grand Racing & Casino in Shelbyville.

Holcomb on Sunday placed a $10 bet for the Colts to win the Super Bowl, a $10 bet for the Pacers to win the NBA Championship and a $10 bet for the Indiana Fever to win Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Lynx.

Sports betting also opened at Ameristar Casino in East Chicago and the Hollywood casino in Lawrenceburg.

Most of Indiana’s 13 state-regulated casinos and all three off-track betting parlors plan on offering sports betting by the end of September. They expect to attract gamblers from neighboring states where sports wagers aren’t allowed.

The Indiana Gaming Commission has approved the Horseshoe Hammond casino to start taking wagers on Wednesday. The French Lick Resort has approval for opening its sportsbook on Friday.

(© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

CHICAGO (CBS) — DeKalb police have released video footage of officers arresting a man on drug and trespassing charges, after 25-year-old Elonte McDowell accused police of excessive force last month.

McDowell’s attorneys have said he was cooperating with police when officers pulled him over on Aug. 24, “when he was unjustifiably and unlawfully placed in a choke hold and tased.”

“What happened to our client, Elonte McDowell, was completely unlawful, unjustified, and we believe racially motivated. As a result, and in addition to the physical trauma, he has experienced flashbacks and nightmares on a frequent basis, and has heightened anxiety in the presence of law enforcement officials,” attorney Antonio Jeffrey stated in a news release.

DeKalb police have said they received a tip that McDowell was driving to DeKalb with a “load of drugs,” and after officers pulled over his Chevy Malibu, a K-9 unit detected drugs in the car, and McDowell tried to run away when police tried to place him in handcuffs.

“During this encounter, a Taser was deployed to gain McDowell’s compliance. Officers placed McDowell into handcuffs and called for an ambulance to check on him. McDowell refused medical treatment,” police stated in a Facebook post.

On Sunday, DeKalb police released dashcam video of the arrest, which appears to show McDowell holding his hands up as he stands next to a squad car, and asking “what am I being detained for,” before running off camera.

Another angle shows two officers tackling McDowell, who repeatedly shouts “I can’t breathe” before officers use a Taser on him.

McDowell’s girlfriend also can be seen on the video, recording the incident on cell phone video, and shouting at officers as they tased him.

“What the f*** are you doing that for? He’s in a f***ing choke hold, and you just tased him? For what?” she said.

After McDowell was on the ground, his girlfriend asked police to check his pulse.

“He has a pulse, right? Like, you guys can make sure that he has a pulse, because look at his face,” she said.

Cell phone video from the incident shows one officer on the ground, his arms around McDowell’s neck and shoulders as McDowell shouts, “record this, babe.”

Afterward, on police video, one officer can be heard telling another he did not put McDowell in a choke hold.

“By the way, I did not have my arm reaching across his throat,” he said.

“No, I was climbing around him like a spider monkey, trying to get on the other side, and he locked his arm underneath,” the other officer said.

Dashcam video shows McDowell lying on the ground for about five minutes as police wait for an ambulance, before the officers help him to his feet and walk him off screen.

Police said McDowell refused medical treatment when paramedics arrived, and he was later booked on charges for drug possession, trespassing, and resisting an officer.

DeKalb police said five dashboard cameras were recording the incident – four DeKalb Police Department vehicles and one DeKalb County Sheriff’s vehicle.

Illinois State Police were investigating the incident.

McDowell’s attorneys have said they requested all evidence in the case as they also investigate, and prepare a possible lawsuit.

CHICAGO (CBS) — Authorities in McHenry County are searching for a young man who has been missing since Friday.

McHenry County Sheriff’s police said Aidan Beckford, 18, was last seen around 10 p.m. Friday near Nish Road and Highview Road in unincorporated Nunda Township.

Aidan Beckford, 18, has been missing since Aug. 30, 2019. (Source: McHenry County Sheriff)

He was wearing beige shorts and a blue shirt, and was not wearing shoes.

Beckford is 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone who sees him should call the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office at 815-338-2144.

CHICAGO (CBS) — Police are warning drivers on the Northwest Side about a string of three carjackings within about 90 minutes of each other on Sunday morning.

In all three incidents, a group of two to five men approached the victim in their car and ordered them to get out of the vehicle at gunpoint. In two of the incidents, the robbers beat the victim after ordering him out of the car.

Police said the first carjacking happened around 6 a.m. on the 2900 block of North Talman Avenue in the Avondale neighborhood. The next happened around 6:50 a.m. on the 5700 block of North Christiana Avenue in the Hollywood Park neighborhood. The third happened around 7:35 a.m. in the 3900 block of North Keeler Avenue in the Old Irving Park neighborhood.

Police had only vague descriptions of the carjackers.

Anyone with information on the robberies should call Area North detectives at (312) 744-8263.

ALPHA, Ill. (AP) — A western Illinois post office has been named in honor of a 26-year-old soldier who died while serving in Afghanistan.

The Alpha Post Office was formally named the Capt. Joshua E. Steele Post Office during a ceremony last week.

Steele was raised on his family farm in North Henderson. He graduated from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 2002 and was commissioned that year as a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He served in Iraq and the Republic of Georgia before he was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2007.

Stephen Steele said during Thursday’s ceremony that he will never forget his brother. He said the post office naming will ensure the community will also remember Joshua Steele’s sacrifice.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CHICAGO (CBS) — The Walmart in Hobart, Indiana, has reopened after a Sunday afternoon shooting that forced the store to close for more than 12 hours.

Police were called to the store around 3:50 p.m. Sunday, after a customer was shot inside.

Twitter immediately lit up with rumors of an active shooter, but police shut those down within 20 minutes. Police said it was an isolated incident, and there was no threat to the public.

It started when two people who knew each other started arguing in the store.

An off-duty East Chicago police officer was shopping in the Walmart at the time, and took a male suspect into custody. A woman who was with the suspect also was taken into custody, but was later released without charges.

The man who was shot was taken to the hospital, where his condition was stabilized.

The East Chicago Police chief said he’s extremely proud of the officer who arrested the suspect.

#HERO off-duty #officer was shopping with wife/kids & ran towards #WalmartShooting! I’m on my way to interview him. His Chief tells @cbschicago he’s “extremely proud…had it not been for his swift selfless actions, the situation could've been worse.” #merillville #hobart #NWI pic.twitter.com/9YMGRrRs1E

— LAUREN VICTORY (@LaurenVictory) September 2, 2019

“Had it not been for his swift selfless actions, the situation could’ve been worse. He was able to stop the threat and prevent any further harm or danger to the patrons and workers inside of that store,” the chief said.

The store was evacuated after the shooting, and closed for about 12 hours as police investigated.

Hobart police said they were still questioning witnesses to the shooting on Monday, and expected to present the case to Lake County prosecutors on Tuesday, to consider charges against the suspect.

It was the second shooting at the same Walmart in less than a year.

On Sept. 30, 2018 a gunman shot two people in the parking lot of the same Walmart. A 9-year-old boy and his 25-year-old father were wounded in the shooting.

One of the victims ran inside the store, alarming customers, according to police. At the time, employees at the Walmart store had just finished active shooter training a few days before.

Alex Cordell Hughes, 26, was charged in the 2018 shooting. Police said Hughes and the man he allegedly shot were in rival Gary gangs.

Despite the shootings, customers said they will continue to shop at the Walmart in Hobart.

“I’m glad I wasn’t here at the time, but it’s close to home. Maybe there’s security. So I’ll probably keep coming,” Pat Seaton said.

“I can’t let incidents stop me from doing what I want to do, go where I go. That would be foolish,” Cathy Presly said. “If something is going to happen, it’s going to happen.”

Any witnesses who have additional details are asked to call Hobart police Sgt. Rod Gonzalez at (219) 924-1125, or email him at rgonzalez@cityofhobart.org.

CHICAGO (CBS)– Police are warning residents after a string of robberies on Chicago’s West Side.

According to Chicago police, the string of robberies in took place in August in the following locations:

• 3700 Block of West 31st Street on Monday, Aug. 19
• 3800 Block of West 28th Street on Sunday, Aug. 25 
• 3000 Block of South Hamlin Avenue on Friday, Aug. 30

In all three incidents, the offender approached the victim, displayed a weapon, battered the victim and demanded property by force.

The robberies took place in the evening ranging from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Area Central detectives at 312-747-8380.

CHICAGO (CBS) — A 17-year-old boy was charged Monday with sexually assaulting a girl at a party she hosted over the weekend in Elmhurst.

The boy was ordered detained by DuPage County Judge Joshua Deiden on Monday, on two counts of criminal sexual assault, according to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s office. The boy’s name was not released.

Prosecutors said on Saturday, the boy showed up at a party the girl was hosting, and at one point, he was asked to leave and did so. But he later returned – forcing his way in by breaking down the back door, prosecutors alleged.

Once inside, the boy allegedly grabbed the girl, told her, “I’m going to kill you,” and sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said.

“The allegations against this defendant, who, after being asked to leave, allegedly broke down a door to get back into the party and then threatened to kill a female friend before sexually assaulting her, are extremely disturbing and will be met with the full force and of the law,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin said in a news release.

The boy is due back in court on Tuesday in front of Judge Robert Anderson.

CHICAGO (CBS) — The Chicago Public Schools resume classes on Tuesday – following on the heels of a school year that saw an all-time low dropout rate, but also amid discord between the city and the Chicago Teachers Union.

Ready for Sept. 3rd ⁦@GBrooksHS⁩ ⁦@BrooksPrepCSL⁩ #BeBrooks pic.twitter.com/6JljG3fJ1R

— Shannae Jackson (@BrooksMsJackson) September 1, 2019

CPS announced last month that the one-year dropout rate for 2018-2019 was 6 percent – indicating that more students are staying in school than ever before. Since 2011, the one-year dropout rate is down 46 percent, CPS said.

Today, we’re happy to announce that more high school students are staying in school than ever before. The one-year dropout rate is at an all-time low of 6 percent. pic.twitter.com/cM8RXOGq09

— ChicagoPublicSchools (@ChiPubSchools) August 22, 2019

African-American and Latino boys experienced the biggest one-year dropout rate improvement for 2019, CPS said.

But amid the good news for students comes some discontent among teachers. Last week, the Chicago Teachers Union rejected an independent fact finder’s contract recommendation, setting up a possible strike if they cannot reach a deal with CPS.

“If we don’t make more progress, this is a union that’s prepared to strike,” CTU President Jesse Sharkey said Monday of last week.

The union now may vote to authorize a strike at any time, but is legally required to wait 30 days to walk out once they vote.

If a strike did go ahead, it would be the first since 2012.

The recommendation that the union rejected involved an offer to boost pay checks – specifically a 16 percent pay increase over five years. Teachers are asking for more than money.

The fact finder’s also calls for a 1 percent increase in health care contributions. The raises recommended by the fact finder would cost approximately $351 million, according to the mayor’s office.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the fact finder’s recommendation amounts to a good deal – higher than her proposed 14 percent salary hike over five years.

But the Chicago Teachers Union says the hang-up is bigger than money.

They want smaller class sizes, and more special education teachers, social workers, and librarians. Four or five years ago, CPS had 400 librarians, and next school year the district will have only 108, according to Sharkey.

But no strike will be happening to affect the first day of school, or anytime soon. If the teachers did authorize a strike, they would have to wait 30 days before actually walking off the job.

Sharkey said a strike authorization vote likely wouldn’t happen until after the school year starts, so a strike wouldn’t be able to happen until October.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Transit Authority is offering free rides on all trains and buses Tuesday for all CPS students from kindergarten through grade 12 and accompanying adults.

Spread the word about first day free rides on the CTA on 9/3/19 for CPS students and accompanying adults. #cps #attendancematters #chicago #cta #FirstDayOfSchool pic.twitter.com/32nX9bfNZa

— Communities In Schools of Chicago (@CISofChicago) August 11, 2019

CHICAGO (CBS) — Police on Monday were warning of a string of thefts of catalytic converters in the Arcadia Terrace neighborhood.Police on Monday were warning of a string of thefts of catalytic converters in the Arcadia Terrace neighborhood.

Lincoln District police said numerous thefts of catalytic converters have been happening in the residential area bounded by Western, Lincoln, California, and Peterson avenues. The thieves go under the vehicles, and cut out and take the catalytic converters.

The devices contain precious metals such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium.

The latest incidents occurred:

• Between 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9 and 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 10 in the 5600 block of North Campbell Avenue;
• At 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 10 in the 5800 block of North Maplewood Avenue;
• At 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 10 in the 5900 block of North Artesian Avenue;
• Between 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9 and 2 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 10 and in the 5500 block of North Artesian Avenue;
• At 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 10 and in the 5800 block of North Campbell Avenue.

No description of a perpetrator is available.

Police advise people to alert their neighbor to the crime, pay special attention to any suspicious people or vehicles loitering in the area, install a vehicle security system if possible, and call 911 immediately with a detailed description of an offender and vehicle and license plate information if a suspect is spotted.

To try to put the brakes on that trend Chicago passed an ordinance four years ago to prohibit metal dealers from buying a catalytic converter that’s not attached to a car.

Anyone with information on the crimes is asked to call Area North detectives at (312) 744-8263.

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (CBS) — A water boil advisory has been issued in East Chicago, Indiana due to a loss of pressure in water distribution lines.

The advisory will be in effect until water samples confirm the water is safe to drink, according to the East Chicago Water Department.

While the advisory is in effect, customers are urged to boil tap water vigorously for at least five minutes and let it cool before using it to cook, drink, make ice, or wash uncooked foods.

East Chicago residents are urged to share the information about the boil advisory for those who might not have received it directly.

Anyone seeking further information is asked to call the East Chicago Water Department at (219) 391-8469.

CHICAGO (CBS)– After a sunny Labor Day, storms and warm temperatures are on the way for Tuesday.

According to CBS 2 meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist, showers could linger in the morning through mid day Tuesday. Possible severe storms could start around 2 p.m. and continue until sunset.

Tuesday will be warm and windy with temperatures in the mid 80s.

CHICAGO (CBS) — In East Lakeview this Labor Day, there were no spectators in the annual WOOGMS Parade – only participants.

The 56th annual WOOGMS Parade stepped off at Wellington and Pine Grove avenues Monday morning. The parade proceeds through a compact area – north on Pine Grove a block to Barry Avenue, east on Barry Avenue to Sheridan Road, south on Sheridan Road to Diversey Parkway, and east on Diversey Parkway to Lake Shore Drive West.

The one-of-a-kind event began as a do-it-yourself parade. DNAinfo reported in 2013 that it started in 1963 when Oakdale Avenue resident Al Weisman’s neighbor gave him a five-foot flagpole – and he decided to hold a march with the flagpole accompanied by local kids.

On that occasion, fewer than 10 children attended – with one girl strumming the Israeli national anthem “Hatikva” on a violin, DNAinfo reported.

But the parade took off and continues on 56 years later.

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg wrote about participating in the parade in his memoir, “You Were Never in Chicago.” He noted that Al Weisman’s son Tony had taken over by the time he arrived in the neighborhood, and the Jesse White Tumblers also often participated.

“We’d hear a drum calling the neighbors to assemble – how nineteenth-century is that? – and hurry downstairs to gather before the impressive Weisman home, listen to a speech from Tony, and be led in the Pledge of Allegiance,” Steinberg wrote. “There was a definite whiff of the squire greeting his yeomen on the saint’s day about the whole thing.”

WOOGMS stands for Wellington-Oakdale Old Glory Marching Society. The parade’s motto is, “Everybody marches, nobody watches.

CHICAGO (CBS)– The driver arrested after a crash that killed an 81-year-old woman is walking free today. He was released without charges.

However, the suspect isn’t off the hook yet.

The crash took place near Fullerton and Cicero over the weekend. An SUV crashed into a building and Myrna Logan, 81, was fatally struck by a car around 3:45 Saturday afternoon.

Monday morning, the 34-year-old driver was still in police custody and was later released without charges, despite witnesses telling CBS 2 they saw him try to flee the scene.

Chicago police told CBS 2 they charged the man after his arrest but those charges were dropped because the Cook County’s State’s Attorney Office did not approve them, pending an on-going investigation.

Maria Otero’s daughter lives across the street from the Hermosa Pizza Parlor and was one of the witnesses who called police.

“She heard squealing tires and all that and when she heard that she ran this way and it had already happened,” Otero said.

A white SUV had plowed into the side of Cochiaro’s Pizza.

Apparently, taking out the sign for the bus stop directly in front of it, where witnesses believe Logan had been waiting.

A total of five people were injured. Logan died in the hospital.

Otero left flowers to Logan’s memorial.

“It kind of hurt to find out that someone died in such a gruesome way, it’s devastating to hear about it,” Otero said. “Even though I didn’t see it. I didn’t know them. It touched me.”

Amid the candles and flowers, a car door handle from the vehicle that hit her serves as a painful reminder of her death.

Victors to this spot have a hard time understanding why the driver was released, given that witnessed told CBS 2 he was trying to leave the scene.

“They were holding him down. He was trying to leave with his car,” said Steve, who owns a business next door.

Detectives are still working to gather evidence.