Latest news with #CTAYellowLine
Chicago Tribune
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Skokie Festival of Cultures to showcase ethnic groups May 17-18
Skokie, home to great ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity, will showcase 28 cultures at the 33rd annual Festival of Cultures to be held May 17 and 18 at Oakton Park. Individuals and families will get to meet people representing those cultures at various booths, some of which feature interesting objects, dancing, or interactive activities. In the past, those have included henna tattoos or the chance to write your name in a different alphabet, such as Chinese characters. 'Not only will visitors to the festival experience a huge cultural pavilion,' said festival chairperson Aryn Fletcher, 'attendees will also enjoy two days of ethnic folk music and dance, a wide range of food and merchandise vendors.' The opening ceremonies will be held Saturday at 1 p.m., featuring a parade of delegations in costumes from their homelands. The Sunday finale at 5:45 p.m. will feature a Festival of Colors, with music and dance. The 28 cultures represented will range from Assyrian to Tibetan, German to Kurdish, Polish to Pakistani, Cameroonian to Chinese, and many more. A full entertainment schedule is available at The festival will also offer something for the younger set, with a $5 children's area featuring play and activities. Food vendors will offer meals and snacks for purchase, and merchandise vendors, some of whom will offer ethnic merchandise, will also be onsite. The festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Oakton Park is located at the southeast corner of Oakton Street and Skokie Boulevard in Skokie, at 4701 Oakton Street. A parking lot is available but when it fills, attendees can find parking on nearby side streets. The park is a short walk from the CTA Yellow Line's Oakton stop. The festival is largely made possible by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council and is presented by the Skokie Park District, the Village of Skokie and the Skokie Public Library. Find more information at
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Yahoo
Probable cause of CTA Yellow Line crash revealed by NTSB
The Brief The NTSB's investigation into the 2023 CTA Yellow Line crash, which injured 19 people, identified braking system failures, speed reduction issues, and slippery track conditions as key factors. The CTA had disabled an automatic track brake feature, which contributed to the train's inability to stop in time. Additionally, toxicology reports showed the train operator had alcohol in his system, exceeding federal limits for safety-sensitive transit workers. CHICAGO - The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released findings from its investigation into the CTA Yellow Line crash that left 19 wounded in 2023. The backstory On the morning of Nov. 16, 2023, a Yellow Line train collided with snow removal equipment near the Howard station in Rogers Park. The train was carrying 31 people at the time of the crash, 16 of whom were hospitalized, including the operator. The CTA estimated damages to be roughly $8.7 million. The NTSB said three factors contributed to the crash: An aggressive speed reduction command that resulted in wheel slide and degraded the train's braking performance, CTA's decision to disable the automatic track brake application feature of the train's wheel slide protection system, delaying application of the track brake and further reducing the train's braking performance, and The presence of organic material on the rails that caused slippery conditions that worsened the wheel slide and further degraded the train's braking performance. The video below is from a previous report on the crash. Dig deeper Last October, the NTSB reported the train operator had alcohol in his system at the time of the crash. The NTSB noted that "the hospital ethanol test is an unconfirmed clinical test, and the results report contained a disclaimer that the results are not intended for legal purposes." The FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory conducted toxicological tests on the operator's blood, detecting ethanol levels of 0.043 g/dL in a specimen collected at 11:20 a.m. and 0.048 g/dL in a second specimen collected at 11:36 a.m. Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regulations prohibit employees in safety-sensitive positions from working with a blood alcohol level of 0.04 g/dL or higher. Employees with levels between 0.02 and 0.04 g/dL must be removed from duty for at least eight hours or until their alcohol level drops below 0.02 g/dL. The train operator passed medical exams in both 2021 and 2023, receiving two-year commercial motor vehicle (CMV) certifications each time. He was part of the CTA's random drug and alcohol testing program but had not been selected for testing before the crash. The Source The information in this story came from NTSB and our previous reporting.
