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US: 15 Families Displaced After Motel Fire Near Chicago's O'Hare Airport
- By newsweek
- february 13, 2021
Activists: Biden Better Allow Reunited Migrant Families to Stay
When a parent and their child are forcibly separated by hundreds of miles, every second apart is excruciating—and every delay is torture, no matter the justification. That urgency is what immigration advocates, attorneys and activists are increasingly anxious to convey to President Joe Biden after he signed three executive orders relating to immigration on Tuesday evening. The orders each begin a long and complex process to dismantle his predecessor’s defining policy legacy, but those advocating for major reform are concerned that when the well-being of children is at stake, Biden’s deliberative approach could have disastrous consequences.
When a parent and their child are forcibly separated by hundreds of miles, every second apart is excruciating—and every delay is torture, no matter the justification. That urgency is what immigration advocates, attorneys and activists are increasingly anxious to convey to President Joe Biden after he signed three executive orders relating to immigration on Tuesday evening. The orders each begin a long and complex process to dismantle his predecessor’s defining policy legacy, but those advocating for major reform are concerned that when the well-being of children is at stake, Biden’s deliberative approach could have disastrous consequences. At least 100 people were inside a motel in Leyden Township, Illinois, when a fire broke out around 2 a.m on Monday. NBC Chicago reported at least 15 families who were staying in the O'Hare Kitchenette Motel have been displaced by the early morning blaze.
© KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images A woman was burned in a fire at a motel near Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Firefighters struggled to quell the fire amidst bitter cold temperatures. Steam rises from the city buildings and Lake Michigan during sunrise in Chicago on February 7, 2021. - According to the National Weather Service, dangerous wind chills can bring temperatures to up to 25 degrees Fahrenheit below zero in the Chicago area on Sunday. Now learning from the that at least 15 FAMILIES have been displaced in the O’Hare Kitchenette Motel fire.
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Still waiting to confirm how many people, but hearing it could be upwards of 75.
However, a @RedCrossIL rep assured @nbcchicago that they will all have shelter today. pic.twitter.com/bgysz1Them
— Jen DeSalvo (@trafficjamjen) February 8, 2021
Amazon's Valentine's Day 2021 sale is massive, with deep discounts available on a whopping 40 different Amazon devices. Everything on sale from the best-selling Fire TV Stick 4K and $100 off a 65-inch Fire TV to a rare discount on Echo Frames smart glasses and $56 off the blazing-fast eero 6 mesh Wi-Fi system. 10 different Kindle deals were added to the sale this morning, with prices starting at just $64.99. Honestly, the past few weeks have been pretty weak when it comes to Amazon device deals. Don’t get us wrong… the deals that were available on Amazon devices at Amazon’s site were terrific. The American Red Cross of Illinois confirmed to NBC Chicago the families would be given shelter on Monday.
"Our volunteers have been out since early this morning assisting families displaced by a fire at a residential hotel in Melrose Park," the American Red Cross of Illinois said in a tweet. "Volunteers are providing a safe place to stay, meals, emotional support and mental health services to those impacted."
Our volunteers have been out since early this morning assisting families displaced by a fire at a residential hotel in Melrose Park. #RedCross volunteers are providing a safe place to stay, meals, emotional support and mental health services to those impacted. pic.twitter.com/DEIJRxqaQ2
Illinois lawmakers call on Chicago mayor to compromise with teachers to avoid strike; Lightfoot says her patience has run out
— American Red Cross of Illinois (@RedCrossIL) February 8, 2021
CHICAGO – Despite Chicago Public Schools extending a “cooling-off” period through Thursday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot started the day casting blame on the Chicago Teachers Union for the lack of an agreement over reopening schools. “We are deeply disappointed to announce that we still have not reached a deal,” the mayor said at a Thursday morning news conference, later adding, “We are out of runway. ... Time is running out.” Lightfoot and CPS CEO Janice Jackson later issued a joint update on negotiations: “As of 12:30 p.m., we have yet to receive anything back from CTU leadership since yesterday. Only one injury caused by the fire has been reported as of Monday morning. A woman was burned by the flames in the motel near O'Hare International Airport in Melrose Park. Tenants acted fast to help the woman they said was burning.
"So I went in and got a blanket, and I put her out," Tenant Alvin Willis said to CBS 2 Chicago. "But she was trying to get back in there to get her cat. I kept telling her go downstairs, but she wouldn't move. But then I had to get my mother out because I was concerned about my mother."
One resident told CBS 2 Chicago he heard a "crackling" noise and went to check for the source of the noise. He helped the woman who was burning as well as his own mother.
"She was on fire, her hair was on fire so my son put it out," Ernestine Dinkins, another tenant, said to CBS 2 Chicago. The woman who was reportedly on fire was taken to a hospital.
‘I don’t even know if my home still exists.’
The first Nagorno-Karabakh war displaced more than a million people in the southern Caucasus. After the second one, is there anything for them to return to?During the first Nagorno-Karabakh war, Gunay Hamidova (center) and her family were displaced from Ağdam, a province in western Azerbaijan. Hamidova's husband was killed in the second war, which ended in November 2020. Frightening. This fire destroyed a motel near O’Hare. Residents say it was nearly fully occupied. A woman’s hair and clothes caught fire. Dozens of people lost everything. @fox32news pic.twitter.com/PrKAx3yvF8
— Joanie Lum FOX 32 (@JoanieLum) February 8, 2021
Flames were reportedly seen shooting from the building and the second floor, where residents lived, was entirely destroyed. One resident told ABC7 Chicago that she did not know about the fire until a firefighter was banging on her door. A smoke alarm she installed herself failed to alert her of the flames, and the motel room did not have a fire alarm when she moved in.
Firefighters struggled to respond to the extreme blaze amid bitter cold temperatures in the Chicago area. According to the National Weather Service, wind chills of 5 to 15 degrees below zero were expected on Monday morning. Sunday was reported as the coldest day of the year so far, with temperatures feeling like 20 to 25 degrees below zero.
People rescued from massive motel fire near O'Hare Airport https://t.co/TCxRIlV0P1 pic.twitter.com/p7gjPSUSMk
Chicago strikes deal with teachers to reopen school buildings
— FOX 32 News (@fox32news) February 8, 2021
Chicago teachers and the school system have been in a tense, six-week standoff over the reopening of schools. Chicago Teachers Union officials accepted the agreement begrudgingly after concluding that they would be unlikely to extract any more concessions from the city. Nearly 70 percent of members who cast ballots endorsed accepting the agreement, less than a day after union brass had passed a vote of “no confidence” in Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Taming fires in arctic temperatures has posed a challenge for firefighters across the Chicago area, ABC7 Chicago reported. Water from hoses can freeze and cover firefighters' equipment in ice. Snow plows bury fire hydrants, making it next to impossible for fire officials to quickly access the hydrants.
The cause of the fire is not yet known. Newsweek has reached out to Leyden Fire Protection District for comment.
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Millions of children at risk in DR Congo violence: UN .
Several million children are at risk in DR Congo regions that have been destabilised by armed groups, the UN's children's agency said on Friday. Children are at risk from sexual abuse and recruitment as child soldiers by armed groups, UNICEF said. Documented violations of this kind rose 16 percent in the first six months of 2020 compared to the previous year. Video: Hamas says Israel 'preventing vaccines from entering Gaza' (AFP) Your browser does not support this video A vast country the size of continental western Europe, the DRC is grappling with numerous conflicts, especially in its remote east.
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