No, Illinois' $1.34 Billion Mega Millions Winner Hasn't Come Forward — But a Deadline is Coming Up

No, Illinois' $1.34 Billion Mega Millions Winner Hasn't Come Forward — But a Deadline is Coming Up

87°

Here are today's top stories It's Thursday, Sep. 1st. 1 No, Illinois' $1.34 Billion Mega Millions Winner Hasn't Come Forward — But a Deadline is Coming Up No, the Illinois winner of the $1.34 billion Mega Millions lottery ticket sold July 29 in suburban Des Plaines has not yet come forward. "For a prize of this magnitude, it's not unusual for the winner to take a while to claim," Illinois Lottery Director Harold Mays Mays previously said in a statement. "I'm sure they're going through a range of emotions." And while that person has 12 months to do so — and can remain anonymous if they so choose, according to Illinois Lottery Officials — a more pressing deadline is coming up: How to get paid. Read More → 2 Cooper Roberts' Family Shares 'Unfortunate News' About 8-Year-Old During His Recovery There are still many unknowns about what the recovery process will entail for Cooper Roberts, the 8-year-old boy paralyzed after being shot by a gunman who opened fire on Fourth of July parade-goers in Highland Park, but his family said they received some "unfortunate news" early on. Cooper is showing signs and behavioral patterns that could indicate some "cognitive loss," marking yet another setback for the young boy and his family. "Cooper wasn't well enough or talking enough to notice these issues earlier while in the hospital," the family said in a statement Thursday. "Therapists are seeing short term memory loss, issues with word recovery, and loss of acuity around fine motor skills." Read More → 3 How Chicago is Preparing for New COVID Vaccine and Where You'll Find the Boosters With the final hurdles surrounding new booster shots of the COVID vaccine have yet to be cleared, Chicago is already preparing for distribution of the omicron-specific doses starting as early as next week. The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized the new shots aimed at targeting the omicron variant and the now-dominant BA.5 subvariant and an influential Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel is expected to vote on recommendations for who should be eligible as early as Thursday. After that, the CDC has to give its own recommendations before shots can begin. "Coming soon after Labor Day, updated COVID-19 vaccines and these new, what are called bivalent boosters as you may know already, are targeted specifically toward the omicron subvariants, the BA.4 and the BA.5 that are what are circulating right now," said Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady. "It's the first time we've had an updated COVID vaccine since the vaccine rollout." Read More → 4 Bears to Host Meeting About Plans for New Stadium in Arlington Heights Bears to host meeting about plans for new stadium originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago The Chicago Bears organization announced its plans to host a meeting about the "potential purchase and possible development of Arlington Park." The meeting will take place at John Hersey High School on Thursday, Sept. 8.  "The meeting will include opening remarks from team leadership and conceptual plans for a transit-oriented mixed-use entertainment district anchored by a stadium that would be one of the largest development projects in Illinois state history," the announcement stated. Read More → 5 R. Kelly Tells Judge He Won't Testify at Ongoing Trial Singer R. Kelly told a federal judge Thursday that he won't testify at his ongoing trial in Chicago on charges that accuse him of child pornography, enticement of minors for sex and fixing his 2008 state trial. The judge raised the issue minutes before attorneys for Kelly and two co-defendants began calling their first witnesses, endeavoring to counter two weeks of government testimony, including from four women who accused Kelly of sexual abuse. Addressing the Grammy Award-winner directly Thursday, Judge Harry Leinenweber asked if he had discussed with his lawyers whether to testify. Kelly, 55, responded that he had. Asked if he would testify, Kelly said he would not. Read More → 6 Thousands of Illinois Families Qualify For $300M in Energy Bill, Utility Assistance. Here's How to Apply Though the first few days of September will feel summer-like, colder weather is on the way as the days get shorter and the nights get longer. And according to a prediction from The Old Farmers Almanac, this year's winter forecast for the Chicago area includes "bone-chilling cold and loads of snow." And the colder it gets, the more expensive a household's heating bill becomes. However, many Illinois families can apply for energy and utility bill support through a $300 million state program called "Help Illinois Families," according to a press release from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's Office. "Every Illinoisan deserves access to reliable energy—regardless of their economic status," Pritzker said in a press release Wednesday. "Thanks to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), we are making natural gas, propane, and electricity assistance accessible for our state's families that are feeling the squeeze from rising costs of living." Read More → Got a tip or story idea? tips@nbcchicago.com Follow NBC Chicago Unsubscribe from this Mailing | Unsubscribe from all | Privacy | Terms ©2021 Copyright NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations 30 Rockefeller Plaza - New York, NY 10112