A 63-year old Centreville woman died when her house caught fire early Tuesday morning. St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. identified the woman as Sarah J. Wynn of 5405 Church Rd. She was pronounced dead at Touchette Regional Hospital at 10:23 a.m., Dye said. Centreville Detective DeMarius Thomas said members of the police department have known Wynn a long time and are saddened by her death. She was "a mother, a grandmother, an aunt, friend ... everything. She will be missed by many," Thomas said. "It's such a tragedy. Our hearts go out to her family and many friends." Centreville police were dispatched to Wynn's Church Road residence at 9:33 a.m., according to police.  

Ahead of the Evanston City Council's vote to raise its share of property taxes on residents for another year, several aldermen called for Northwestern University to begin compensating the city for the fire and rescue services taxpayers provide. Evanston Fire Chief Brian Scott said firefighters were called to the university more than 500 times in 2019. About half of those calls involved ambulance rides, which are reimbursed at the same rate regardless of whether a patient is connected to the university. But the fire and rescue calls that made up the other half of trips to university property are not reimbursed. Scott estimated the total cost of those calls at about $659,000. As a private nonprofit institution, Northwestern is exempt from property tax. The 1 percent increase in the city's property tax levy narrowly approved by the City Council on Nov. 23 covered a budget gap of less than $600,000.  

Investigators returned to the scene of a triple-fatal house fire in southern Illinois on Tuesday to piece together what happened. The fire erupted at a home on Vaux Street in Zeigler Monday. The local fire department said crews received the call just after 12 p.m., and when they arrived, the house was fully engulfed in flames. Other fire departments responded too, in addition to the Zeigler and Christopher Police Departments. City Commissioner Shawn Morgan, who learned about the fire through a text message from the fire department, went to the scene as well. "I got over here and it just took my heart," said Morgan. "Surprised me how much fire was going on." Officers and firefighters tried to get inside the home to rescue the victims, but could not, the Zeigler Fire Department said. Three people died in the the fire: an adult and two children. Although investigators have not released the victims' names, neighbors said the children were very young.  

A 21-year-old Naperville woman is charged with reckless driving after state police say she struck a trooper's squad car while the trooper was conducting a traffic stop on I-80. The Naperville woman's vehicle also struck a Honda that had been stopped by the trooper, injuring the driver. Illinois State Police said that just after 11:30 p.m. Monday, the trooper was inside his marked squad car, which was stopped with emergency lights activated, on the shoulder of I-80 westbound at Francis Road near New Lenox. The trooper had stopped a white Honda, which was also pulled over and stopped. Police say a silver Chevrolet driven by 21-year-old Cheyenne T. Payton of Naperville failed to yield to the emergency vehicle and hit the driver's side of the squad car before continuing forward and hitting the rear end of the Honda. Scott's Law is named after Chicago Fire Department Lt. Scott Gillen, who was hit and killed in 2000 as he tried to help motorists involved in an accident on the Dan Ryan.  

Avoiding fires during the holidays has the attention of the Moline Fire Department. It's part of a fire safety campaign called "Keep." All four stations have a wreath with red bulbs on display in front of them. Anytime there's a structure fire in Moline, a bulb will change from red to white. It's the second year the department's been part of the initiative. "I believe it's a good reminder to the residents of Moline," said Deputy Cheif Steve Regenwether. "Last year, I believe we switched out three or four bulbs during the month of December. We would like to cut that down again this year." The wreaths will stay up through New Year's Day.  

The CDC's immunization advisory panel voted Tuesday to first give the COVID-19 vaccine to health care personnel and long-term care facility residents. Some firefighters feel they should have been included in that list. "I think it's not the correct decision," Prince George's County firefighter and paramedic Theresa Alexander said. "I strongly believe for firefighters, paramedics and EMTs, we should be given top priority along with hospital workers and health care workers...because for many patients, we're the first link throughout the pandemic. Our personnel are the ones treating them prior to being transported, and that includes things like breathing treatments, airway procedures, which certainly increases our risk." As it stands, firefighters are listed in the second group to receive the vaccine, along with other essential workers, like those in the education and food sectors, correctional officers, and police officers, according to the advisory group's presentation.  

VIDEO: A former volunteer firefighter from Long Island just won big on ABC's "Shark Tank" for her new fitness device, which was inspired by her time as a firefighter. Sarah Apgar, of Port Washington, is the creator of Fitfighter and the Steel Hose. When Apgar joined the Halesite Volunteer Fire Department in 2012, she noticed the firehouse didn't have a structured strength training program. Apgar served as a platoon commander in Iraq with the U.S. Army, so she was familiar with regimented strength and weight training programs. She began using firehoses around the firehouse to train her colleagues. Throughout the next few years, Apgar began developing a fitness device based upon the firehose. She used real firehose material and filled it with recycled steel shot. She called it the Steel Hose. The longer the hose, the heavier it is. They range in weight from 5 pounds to 50 pounds.  

A huge floating fire station will make its permanent home in San Francisco early Thursday morning. A new Fireboat Station 35 will house the San Francisco Fire Department's three fireboats and rescue watercraft, replacing the existing 105-year-old fire station on the Embarcadero, according to the city's Public Works department. The existing building is "vastly undersized" to meet the fire department's current needs, and does not meet seismic-safety standards. San Francisco Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson said in a statement that disasters like the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the massive fire that destroyed a warehouse on Pier 45 back in May and constant water rescues performed by the department demonstrate the importance of the new station.  

Starbucks is giving thanks to first responders and health care workers on the front lines of the fight against the spread of COVID-19 with a free cup of coffee. As cases continue to rise across much of the country, Starbucks is offering a free tall brewed coffee (hot or iced) to front-line workers at participating U.S. Starbucks stores now through December 31. This offer is "to show appreciation for those keeping our communities safe during COVID-19," a Starbucks representative said, and is good all month long. So those doctors and nurses in need of a caffeine boost may want to visit their local Starbucks every morning (or afternoon!) this month. Those eligible for the free tall coffee offer include front-line health care providers and first responders, such as doctors, nurses, public health workers, pharmacists, dispatchers, firefighters, paramedics, police officers, dentists and dental hygienists, mental health workers, hospital staff and active-duty military. No official ID is necessary.  

PHOTOS: How many cities do you know of that showcase a caboose, fire truck and tractors in their downtown sector? There is at least one — the city of Winter Garden, which recently saw the return of an iconic piece of its fire department history. The 1954 American La France fire engine No. 1 is back in the space it shares with a 1907 citrus sprayer, 1948 railroad caboose, a Case grove tractor and a Fordson tractor — all surrounding the Winter Garden Heritage Museum. "The fire truck has been a part of Winter Garden for many years," said Frank Chase, president of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation board of directors. "During that time it has had several different lives. The Heritage Foundation is grateful to have it back on display for everyone to enjoy and interact with." The Winter Garden Heritage Foundation started displaying the historical equipment in 1998 and ended up with the five currently sitting out front. A fundraising campaign began in 2016 to restore the four smaller pieces.