Cyberattack shutters Canvas learning platform for schools across the U.S.

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A system that thousands of schools and universities use was offline Thursday due to a cyberattack, creating chaos as students tried to study for finals and underscoring education’s dependence on technology. The hacking group named ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach at Instructure, the company behind the learning management system Canvas, said Luke Connolly, a threat analyst at the cybersecurity firm Emisoft. CBS News has reached out to Instructure for comment. Late Thursday night, Instructure posted to a status log that Canvas was “now available for most users.”

Some of the universities that have reported being targeted include Penn State, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Columbia University and Union College New Jersey. UCLA was among several California schools that reported being crippled by the outage. Also impacted in the Chicago area were Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois Chicago and the University of Illinois. In a message to students, Penn State said that “no one has access” to Canvas, and a “resolution” was not expected “within the next 24 hours.” The school said all tests scheduled for Thursday and Friday in its Pollock Testing Center were canceled. The student newspaper at Harvard reported that the system was down there, too. And public school districts also sought to reassure parents, with officials in Spokane, Washington, writing that they aren’t “aware of any sensitive data contained in this breach.” Canvas is used to manage grades, course notes, assignments, lecture videos and more. The hacking group posted online that nearly 9,000 schools worldwide were affected, with billions of private messages and other records accessed, Connolly said.

Source: Cyberattack shutters Canvas learning platform for schools across the U.S. – CBS News

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”
Romans 7:7

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5 injured in apartment building fire, reported explosion in Des Plaines

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Five people were injured in an apartment fire and reported explosion in Des Plaines, Illinois, overnight.   Firefighters responded to a fire at a three-story building at 1279 Harding Ave just before 1 a.m. and found heavy flames and smoke.  Video from the scene shows firefighters on ladders working to control the flames as emergency responders on the ground treated residents. Fire officials confirmed that multiple people were rescued from balconies.  Five people were taken to local hospitals with injuries of varying severity, the Des Plaines Fire Department said.  One neighbor told CBS News Chicago she heard a “very big explosion” followed by people yelling, “Help me.”  The cause of the fire and the reported explosion are under investigation.

Source: 5 injured in apartment building fire, reported explosion in Des Plaines – CBS Chicago

But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
Luke 12:48

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Experts raise concerns about CTA after Yellow Line derailment in Rogers Park

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Almost 24 hours after a derailment made a mess of the Red, Purple, and Yellow lines in Chicago, the CTA continued to investigate the cause of the incident, and experts were raising concerns about what they called a troubling pattern. During the evening rush on Thursday, a Yellow Line train derailed in the rail yard near the Howard terminal in the Rogers Park neighborhood, prompting the CTA and firefighters to evacuate approximately 80 passengers from the train. No injuries were reported. “Howard is a very complicated, intricate yard, with lots of traffic. So, it’s a hot spot for possible derailments,” said DePaul University professor and transportation expert Joe Schwieterman.

The derailment interrupted service on the Red, Purple, and Yellow lines for several hours.  Video from CBS Skywatch showed the front wheels on one car of a two-car Yellow Line train appeared to end up on a different set of tracks than the rest of the train. “You look at this picture, you wonder if something happened with a switch, whether it was an open switch, or whether something about the speed or the wheel quality or something interacted with the rail,” Schwieterman said. It was at least the fifth derailment by a CTA train since February of 2025. Experts said this pattern is concerning and needs to be addressed. 

Source: Experts raise concerns about CTA after Yellow Line derailment in Rogers Park – CBS Chicago

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
John 10:10

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United flight from Germany to Chicago diverted to Boston due to unruly passenger, airline says

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An unruly passenger caused a United Airlines flight from Germany to Chicago to be diverted to a Boston airport on Monday morning. United Airlines flight 945 was diverted to Logan Airport, where it landed around 8:30 a.m. Chicago time due to the unruly passenger. According to the Massachusetts State Police, the passenger was restrained on the flight, but was cooperative by the time troopers boarded the plane. EMS also responded to evaluate the passenger, who declined medical attention.

The flight, a Boeing 787, was heading to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport from Frankfurt International Airport. It had 231 passengers and 12 crew members on board.  United said in a statement after the passenger was removed, “the flight then continued to Chicago.” The individual was placed into custody by U.S. Customs officials and was later taken to Massachusetts General Hospital.

Source: United flight from Germany to Chicago diverted to Boston due to unruly passenger, airline says – CBS Boston

Better is a little with the fear of the LORD, Than great treasure with trouble.
Proverbs 15:16

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First responders rescue horse from flooded creek near Marengo, Illinois

a horse covered in snow

First responders rescued a horse from an overflowing creek near Marengo, Illinois, northwest of Chicago this weekend.

Early Saturday morning, the Marengo Fire & Rescue Districts were called for an animal water rescue in the 22900 block of Anthony Road in unincorporated McHenry County near Marengo.

Firefighters and sheriff’s deputies found a horse in Coon Creek, standing in floodwaters about 600 feet from the nearest shore, the fire and rescue district said. Coon Creek overflowed its banks during recent storms, and the horse was believed to have been swept away overnight Friday into Saturday, the district said.

Source: First responders rescue horse from flooded creek near Marengo, Illinois – CBS Chicago

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Psalm 34:8

Abortion News Roundup: April 15–22, 2026

Here’s a summary of the key abortion-related developments from the past seven days. Activity centered on state-level legislative pushes (especially in South Carolina), ongoing medication-abortion access fights, and cultural polling—amid continued post-Dobbs…

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