Melissa Espana is a Digital Content Producer at WGN-TV.
Before joining WGN in June 2017, she worked as a web producer at ABC7 Chicago. She also produced at KTIV News in Sioux City, Iowa.
Melissa graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor’s in broadcast journalism.
CHICAGO — Three men were killed, and another was injured after a West Garfield Park shooting Wednesday afternoon, according to officials. The Chicago Fire Department said four people were shot on the 4200 block of West Madison Street around 2:45 p.m. Police said shots were fired from a white sedan as the men were standing on the sidewalk in front of a store. Three of the men were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition. A fourth man self-transported […]
CHICAGO — Doctors are working to save the child of a pregnant woman who was killed after she was hit by a semi-truck in the River North neighborhood. According to the Chicago Police Department, the woman was crossing the intersection near LaSalle Drive and Grand Avenue around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday when she was hit. A semi-truck was heading west on Grand Avenue and starting turning left at the intersection and struck the woman. The woman, identified by the Cook County […]
OAK BROOK, Ill. — Police arrested a man after an employee was sexually assaulted at a suburban hotel. The Oak Brook Police Department said officers responded to the Hyatt House on 210 W. 22nd Street around 11:45 a.m. Monday for a reported aggravated criminal sexual assault. When officers arrived, they learned the suspect may still be in the building and armed. In a press release, police said the suspect, a 38-year-old man, was believed to be a relative of a […]
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. — Four people, including a Lake County officer, were injured in a two-vehicle crash in Merrillville Wednesday. Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said an officer, two members of a film crew riding with him and a second driver were injured at the intersection of West 57th Avenue and Cleveland Street. The officer was driving a marked police car and responding to an emergency call with lights and sirens activated. It was broadsided by an SUV at the […]
CLEVELAND (WEWS) — A 5-year veteran of the Cleveland Police Department has been accused of attempting to kidnap a 12-year-old girl who was waiting for a school bus in Euclid, then filming himself urinating on her. The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office said that on Aug. 16, Officer Solomon Nhiwatiwa, 34, while off-duty, approached the girl near Euclid Avenue while she was waiting for the school bus. Nhiwatiwa asked the girl if she wanted a ride to school and after she […]
WHEELING, Ill. — An Illinois State Police trooper was shot while serving a search warrant in suburban Wheeling. State police said officers were serving a warrant in a home around 6:30 p.m. Thursday on Manchester Drive. During the warrant execution, shots were fired from inside the residence. The officer was shot and transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The suspect was taken into custody. No further information was provided.
CHICAGO — Pumpkin lovers rejoice! The coffee giant’s famous fall beverage is returning to stores this month. Business Insider reported the Pumpkin Spice Latte will be here for the season on Aug. 27 — the earliest the company has ever released the drink. Business Insider said the date was shared by employees on social media. While the company hasn’t officially announced the drink’s release date, they have posted clues in the Leaf Rakers Society Facebook group — a group created by […]
CHICAGO — Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) said immigration officials were spotted Thursday in the Pilsen neighborhood. The alderman said his office received several calls and saw reports on social media about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the neighborhood. The office said staff went to investigate and saw agents in the area. Residents and business owners reported to the office that agents were knocking on doors and were inside of a restaurant in Pilsen, the office said. The […]
CHICAGO — President Donald Trump said he is considering commuting the sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The president told reporters on Air Force One Wednesday that he thought the former governor was treated “unbelievably unfairly.” “…He was given close to 18 years in prison. And a lot of people thought it was unfair, like a lot of other things — and it was the same gang, the Comey gang and all these sleazebags that did it. And his […]
CHICAGO — One man is dead and 17 people were injured within three hours between Saturday night and Sunday morning during separate shootings. The number of shooting victims overwhelmed Mount Sinai Hospital. They were so busy that they had to shut down the ER to treat people and had to turn other people away. Seven people were shot early Sunday morning in Douglas Park on the city’s West Side, according to police. A group of people were barbecuing on the […]
