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CBS News
2 days ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Alan Thompson, CBS Chicago writer and producer, dies at 63
Alan Thompson, a CBS Chicago newswriter and producer and a beloved colleague, has died. Thompson died Sunday, July 20, after a year's battle with esophageal cancer. He was 63. Thompson was born April 19, 1962, in Kansas City, Kansas, to teachers Max and Marjorie Thompson. He grew in Bonner Springs, Kansas and Davenport, Iowa, and graduated from Davenport Central High School in 1980. A published obituary notes that growing up, Thompson was passionate about sports — becoming a fan early on of the Chicago Cubs, Bears, and Blackhawks, and the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. He also took up golf at an early age and played his whole life long, and took an early interest in broadcasting as he created at-home "radio shows" with his brother. "[T]hey'd take turns playing DJ (with real records!), writing/delivering newscasts, and writing/reading commercials, recording their efforts on cassette tape," Thompson's obit read. Thompson graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in journalism in 1984, after working at WSUI radio in Iowa City and KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids in college, his obit noted. Early in his radio and TV news career, Thompson made stops around the country — with posts in Muscatine, West Virginia; the Quad Cities; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Columbus, Ohio; Tampa, Florida; Des Moines, Iowa; Huntington, West Virginia; and Greensboro, North Carolina. Thompson joined CBS Chicago, known back then as Channel 2, as a morning newswriter and producer in 1998. He worked with many beloved morning anchor teams — including the husband-and-wife team of Jay Levine and Mary Ann Childers, and later the tight-knit team of Roseanne Tellez and the late Randy Salerno, meteorologist Ed Curran, traffic anchor Susan Carlson, and entertainment reporter Bill Zwecker. In the newsroom, Thompson could win over anyone with his wit, his kindness, and his talent. "Alan's work ethic was an inspiration to his coworkers and he shared his experience and wisdom with younger writers," his obit noted. "They especially appreciated his sense of humor and his ability to make them laugh with #GrandpaStories and 'All right everybody, let's look alive!'" When he wanted to focus, or wanted his colleagues to focus, Thompson also had a favorite phrase he would utter: "Why am I here? What am I doing?" Thompson was part of an Emmy Award-winning team in 2014 and 2021. In 2023, marking the 25th anniversary of his arrival at CBS News Chicago, Thompson wrote: "As a kid, I wanted to get to type on one of Walter Cronkite's CBS typewriters. Now, I do!" Thompson met his wife, Beth Mengel, on eHarmony in 2005, and they married the following year. They bonded in part over a shared love of cats. Thompson also became a parent to his wife's two children, Bethany and Cody. Thompson is survived by his wife, Beth; their children, Bethany Uriostegui (Joe Saltarelli) of Chicago, and Cody Uriostegui (Chanel Roche) of Los Angeles; his brother, Gary Thompson (Kris) of Urbandale, Iowa; a nephew, John Thompson of Des Moines, Iowa; nieces Grace Haney and Emma Haney of West Des Moines, Iowa.
Al Jazeera
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Russia's latest strikes in Ukraine kill four in Kharkiv after Sumy attack
Russian strikes on eastern Ukraine have killed at least four civilians, a day after one of the deadliest attacks in recent months left more than 30 people dead in Sumy in the northeast and drew condemnation. Local officials in the Kharkiv region reported that artillery and rocket fire on Monday hit the town of Kupiansk, a strategic rail junction once held by Russian forces and retaken by Ukraine in 2022. Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, also came under renewed drone attack overnight, underscoring Moscow's concerted efforts to gain ground in the northeast. Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov said a 68-year-old man and a 61-year-old woman were killed in Monday's shelling while a rocket strike claimed the lives of a 77-year-old woman and a 52-year-old man. The attacks follow Sunday's twin missile strike on the centre of Sumy, where Christian civilians had gathered to mark Palm Sunday. Ukrainian officials said at least 34 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the blast. Among the dead were two children. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack as a deliberate targeting of civilians. He urged United States President Donald Trump in an interview on the CBS TV network's 60 Minutes news programme to 'please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead'. Despite the heavy civilian toll, Trump, who has previously faced criticism for his perceived leniency towards Russia and President Vladimir Putin, called the Sumy attack a 'mistake' and a 'horrible thing'. The Kremlin said it struck a military target, saying two Iskander-M tactical missiles hit a meeting of Ukrainian officers in Sumy and blamed Kyiv for using civilians as 'human shields' without providing any evidence. Russia accused Ukraine of endangering civilians by carrying out military operations in urban areas. According to Russia's Ministry of Defence, the target was part of an operational command centre and the attack killed more than 60 Ukrainian soldiers. There has been no confirmation of that from Ukraine's side. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on Monday urged Trump and his advisers to recognise that Putin is 'mocking their goodwill'. Several other European Union leaders and the United Kingdom condemned Russia on Sunday. In the meantime, the Kremlin warned Germany's incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, over suggestions his government might consider sending long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine. Merz told German media that if there was a consensus among European allies, he would support the move. 'That would be one way of finally putting this country [Ukraine] strategically – to stay with the term – ahead of the situation,' adding that he was not convinced that 'Putin would react positively to weakness and peace offers'. Merz called the Sumy attack 'a serious war crime'. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that such a step would 'inevitably lead only to a further escalation' and accused Western leaders of fuelling the war. Berlin, one of Kyiv's top arms suppliers, has so far held back from providing Taurus missiles despite repeated Ukrainian appeals.
