Peru police say they've identified two persons of interest in a suspicious fire and vandalism reported in the pre-dawn hours Wednesday. In a news release Wednesday, Police Chief Doug Bernabei said two people were arrested at 11:30 a.m., about eight hours after a fire in a Peru mobile home park and a series of slashed tires in the vicinity. The crimes may be related. Names and charges have not yet been announced. Bernabei said the investigation is ongoing "and due to the sheer number of cases, it may take time for formal charges to be filed." "I am extremely proud of the work of all the patrol officers who have been working since the first 911 call this morning and led by Detective Sgt. Dennis Hocking, who is leading the investigation," Bernabei said.  

Randy Kash is no stranger to helping those who truly make a difference in the local communities. Long before the current coronavirus pandemic, the owner of Dear Franks, with locations in Deerfield and Niles, has been donating food to hospitals, police and fire departments. Now, with the current state of things due to COVID-19, it should be no surprise that Kash and his family business are stepping up once again. "We saw the sacrifices many of the medical, police, fire and local store workers were making in order to keep the rest of us safe," Kash said. "Seeing all this first hand made us feel there was much more that could be done to show that their sacrifices are appreciated." In May, Kash and Dear Franks launched a new initiative called Hot Dogs for Heroes. Through a GoFundMe campaign, Kash is raising funds to provide hot dogs to first responders and front line personnel.  

Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation Wednesday aimed at protecting police and other first responders from bias-motivated crimes in Georgia, capping a series of controversial moves by state Republican leaders that nearly derailed passage of a separate bill outlawing hate crimes. The bill Kemp signed into law sets out punishments for those who commit crimes against police officers, firefighters and medics because of their "actual or perceived employment as a first responder." Crimes would have to involve serious physical injury or property damage. Backers of the legislation have highlighted it as a show of support for police and other first-responders amid nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice that have prompted tense and at times violent encounters between officers and protesters.  

Four firefighters were overcome by fumes after stumbling onto a drug mill operating in the basement of a Paterson home. The firefighters were responding to a small fire in the basement of the Illinois Avenue home when they were overcome just before 1:30 a.m. Thursday. They evacuated the structure and collapsed on the driveway. The four were rushed to the hospital, where they were treated and released. The firefighters appear to have appear to have stumbled on an illegal K2 manufacturing operation in the "drug dungeon" of a home. They likely inhaled chemicals that was being used in the drug processing. Hazardous materials crews responded after unknown materials were discovered. Two families, consisting of 11 people, who live there were left homeless by the fire, which is under investigation.  

PHOTOS: On Tuesday, Lebanon's capital city of Beirut was rocked by a massive explosion at the city's port. Thousands were injured and at least 100 people are known to have died so far. While citizens and government officials there are still evaluating the extent of the damage, others are pointing out similarities between this disaster and one that happened in a small Texas town in the 1940s. On April 16, 1947, a French-owned cargo shipped called the SS Grandcamp exploded in the docks of Texas City, according to the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). The ship was carrying ammonium nitrate, the same chemical used in the Oklahoma City bombing and the chemical believed to have caused the Beirut explosion. The chemical has been used in wartime explosives but is also used to make fertilizer.  

Public safety should retain control of its 50 MHz of 4.9 GHz spectrum—airwaves that the FCC is considering for at least some commercial use—through an allocation to the FirstNet Authority, according to the newly formed Public Safety Spectrum Alliance (PSSA). "We're concerned that public safety is going to lose spectrum that we might need," Jeff Johnson, CEO of the Western Fire Chiefs Association and former vice chairman of the FirstNet Authority, said during an interview with IWCE's Urgent Communications. "[The PSSA was] created to provide a voice to public safety, saying, ‘We think that the 4.9 GHz spectrum needs to remain with public safety'—that's Position 1. "Position 2 is that we think that [the 4.9 GHz spectrum is] best given to the people who have proven themselves as the watchdogs for public safety on these matters, and that's the FirstNet Authority. We trust that they'll develop an effective working plan for how to go forward."  

Using anonymous cell phone data, University of South Florida researchers are pinpointing how and where people in the Bay area move to try to predict how the coronavirus will spread and impact our hospitals. The data is collected by a third-party vendor from devices on which users have enabled location services. Researchers have no access to any personally identifiable information. Dr. Matthew Mullarkey and his team at USF's Muma College of Business have—predictably—watched mobile device movement in our region consistently grow since reopening began. But distance alone doesn't tell the whole story. It's also about how many different places people are going—and staying for a while—and how many other people are also at those places, according to Mullarkey, who leads the Project ASPeCT study.