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 — A 15-year-old boy wounded in crossfire during a “gun battle” involving police and a bank robbery suspect was most likely shot by Des Plaines police, according to Chicago officials. On Tuesday, a 46-year-old Chicago police officer was hospitalized in serious condition after being shot in the head during a “gun battle” in Old Irving Park that left a suspect dead and the 15-year-old bystander, identified as a Lane Tech High School student, injured. CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson said […]
WEST BABYLON, N.Y. (WPIX) — A Long Island family said they were threatened with a fine after their 4-year-old was playing outside their condo. On May 20, 2019, Marie Dellafranca, vice president of South Shore Villas Condominium Association at West Babylon, sent a warning letter to condo owners Robert and Angelica Parker, WPIX reports. Their 4-year-old son Liam loves riding his tricycle and scooter around the grassy triangle in front their unit. The letter reads: “We understand that the weather has […]
A consumer safety group has released a list of what it believes is the worst choice of gifts to give to children this holiday season. The group World Against Toys Causing Harm, Inc. (W.A.T.C.H.) said the toys below could be dangerous in the hands of children. Most of the toys included in this list pose serious choking hazards, but there is also the risk of eye injuries, and even “harmful chemicals.” 1. Nerf Ultra One: W.A.T.C.H. says the darts provided […]
CHICAGO — A Chicago police officer and a 15-year-old boy were shot after a “gun battle” following a police pursuit of a bank robber that started in Des Plaines. A heavy police presence was at the intersection of Irving Park Road and Lowell Avenue around 7 p.m. Tuesday as police investigated following the shooting. Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said the incident started as a bank robbery at a Des Plaines Bank of America involving two suspects. Johnson said following the […]
VENICE, Calif. — A Southern California family is mourning the loss of their pet Yorkshire Terrier that they say was crushed under the weight of a FedEx package. Keiko Napier and Michell Galin told KCBS their pint-sized pup Cooper was in the backyard of their Venice home, lying in the sun, when a FedEx delivery driver tossed a heavy package over their wall and onto Cooper. “So I immediately picked up the box, and Cooper was in a puddle of […]
CHICAGO — Two students from Richards Career Academy High School were shot in the city’s Back of the Yards neighborhood Friday afternoon, according to Chicago police. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the teens, a 16-year-old boy and an 18-year-old woman, were shot in the 5200 block of South Ashland Avenue. Two two were walking on the sidewalk when shots rang out. The teens are siblings, according to police. The 16-year-old boy was shot in the head and taken to the […]
TINLEY PARK, Ill. — After a second day of student rallies at a high school in suburban Tinley Park, school officials issued a statement to “set the record straight” amid racial tension and rumors being spread throughout the school. Victor J. Andrew High School’s Principal Bob Nolting confirmed there was a physical altercation in the school’s hallway Wednesday, that was captured on video. Since the incident, school officials said there have been several rumors spreading stemming from the altercation. On […]
CHICAGO — A 16-year-old boy was shot in Albany Park during an attempted robbery, according to officials. Chicago police said the teen was in the alley in the 4700 block of North Monticello Avenue around 3 p.m. when someone in a dark blue car with tinted windows approached him and demanded his belongings. A person in the car then displayed a handgun and fired shots, striking the teen in the leg, police said. The teen self-transported to Swedish Covenant Hospital […]
CHICAGO — A 15-year-old charged in the shooting of a 7-year-old girl who was trick-or-treating in Little Village appeared in court Saturday where attorneys said the teen was out looking for rival gang members on Halloween. The teen, whose name has not been released because he is a minor, was charged with two counts of attempted first degree murder, two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharge of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon. The shooting […]
CHICAGO — Chicago’s famous stuffed pizza is joining the meat-free bandwagon. Giordano’s Pizza announced Saturday on Facebook and Twitter that an “Impossible Pizza” is in the works. It is unclear if the Impossible Pizza will be entirely vegan — because of the cheese — or if the company is simply adding a plant-based topping. Giordano’s did not say when the Impossible Pizza will be released, but in responses to customers on their Facebook post, the pizza place said it would […]
