Note: “What Happened to Timmothy Pitzen,” an NBC Chicago documentary focusing on the twists and turns of the case, can be found in the player above. As the 13-year mark since Timmothy Pitzen vanished approached, a new image was released in hope of spurring leads in the Aurora boy’s bizarre 2011 disappearance. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children on Thursday revealed an age progression photo of what Timmothy may look like at his current age, 19 years old. Timmothy’s father, shared a message he wrote to his son with the NCEMEC, ahead of the 13-year mark of the then-6-year-old ..read more

A “very rare” geomagnetic storm could make the northern lights visible across a large portion of the U.S. this weekend, including Illinois, but will you be able to see it? The severe “geomagnetic storm” could take place as early as Friday night, the National Weather Service’s Space Prediction Center said, issuing what’s known as a G4 alert for the first time in nearly 20 years. The watch comes after multiple earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CME’s) were observed by forecasters this week. CME’s are “large expulsions of plasma and magnetized particles from the Sun’s corona,” according to th ..read more

A Kansas judge on Friday ordered University of Illinois basketball standout Terrence Shannon Jr. to stand trial on a rape charge following testimony from a woman who said she was “terrified” as she was being assaulted. Shannon, 23, of Champaign, Illinois, is accused of committing sexual assault on Sept. 9, in Lawrence, Kansas. The Lawrence Journal-World reported that Shannon was in Lawrence that day to watch a football game between the Illini and the University of Kansas. He has been charged with rape or an alternative count of sexual battery. The charge led to Shannon being suspended for six ..read more

Prince William on Friday offered a positive assessment of his wife’s health, a hospital administrator said, in one of the royal’s few comments about Kate’s condition since she announced that she was undergoing treatment for cancer. William was on a solo tour of St. Mary’s Community Hospital on the Isles of Scilly, an archipelago off the Cornish coast in southwestern England. He traveled there to break ground for a new building that will include inpatient treatment beds and a maternity suite. “I asked William about his wife Kate and he said, ‘she’s doing well, thanks,’” hospital administrator T ..read more

An online lottery player in Illinois came away with a lucky win Wednesday night, scoring a jackpot prize of $746,348 on the Fast Play Twenty 20s game, lottery officials said. Twenty 20s is an Illinois-only progressive jackpot game, with a jackpot starting at $50,000 and grows with each ticket sold statewide, both online and in-person, until there is a winner. Thus far in 2024, over 408,000 winning tickets have been sold, winning players over $23.5 million in prizes. According to the Illinois Lottery, winners have one year from the date of the winning draw to claim their prize. More information ..read more

For the first time in its nearly 100-year history, an iconic Chicago ice cream shop will add new flavors into the mix. According to a press release, Chicago’s Original Rainbow Cone Ice Cream Shop is adding four new “sliced creations” to its menu. It’s the first time the shop is doing so since its founding in 1926. “We’re not just adding to our menu, we’re crafting a new chapter in Rainbow Cone’s storied history,” Joe Buonavolanto III, executive vice president of The Buona Companies, the parent company of Rainbow Cone said in a release. “Our new sliced creations build upon the legacy of ou ..read more

Chicago’s iconic Buckingham Fountain is set to switch on Saturday afternoon, marking the unofficial start of summer in Chicago as visitors will now be greeted by the majestic fountain when in Grant Park. The “Switch on Summer” event also launches the city’s 12th season of the “Night Out in the Parks” events series, featuring performances from six local arts partners. Saturday’s event is slated to take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the official fountain switch on scheduled for 12 p.m. following a 20-minute speaking program from city officials and the CEO of ComEd, who is sponsoring the ..read more

The Tony Award-winning play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is headed to Broadway in Chicago later this year, with tickets first going on sale on Monday, the touring home announced. The show will run at the James M. Nederlander Theatre officially from Sept. 26, 2024 to Feb. 1 2025. Tickets will be available starting at 10 a.m. local time Monday, both online and at the theatre’s box office. Previews for the performance will begin on Sept. 10 before the show’s 21-week engagement officially begins on Sept. 26. According to Broadway in Chicago, the show is based on the successful Broadway prod ..read more

A southwest suburban farm known as one of the Chicago area’s premier pumpkin patches is expanding into another season, announcing that they will open for an all-new “SummerFest” starting next month. Bengtson’s Pumpkin Farm, located in southwest suburban Homer Glen, will open during summer weekends from June 14 to Aug. 4, operating from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. Though details currently scarce on what will be offered during SummerFest that differs from the farm’s typical fall operations, visitors can likely expect family-friendly rides, a wide variety of food and farm animals ..read more

Pequod’s Pizza launched a new menu item for the month of May and it will mark a first for the popular restaurant. The pizzeria, recently dubbed the best in the country by Yelp, announced the “Tripping Billy,” which will be available every Thursday in May. The pizza marked the first time Pequod’s has offered a white sauce menu item, with the restaurant calling it “Chicago pizza history.” On the new za is a shishito pepper cream sauce, corn, pickled jalapenos, cheddar cheese, scallions and the signature caramelized crust. The new menu item will only be available at the Lincoln Park location, tho ..read more