A Wisconsin man thought to have drowned is alive in Eastern Europe.

Ryan Borgwardt, a husband and father of three who authorities said faked his own death in Green Lake, Wisconsin lake and fled the country, is speaking to police but he will not divulge his location.

The mysterious case began on the night of Aug. 11, when Borgwardt last texted his wife. He told her he was in his kayak on Green Lake and was paddling back to shore.

The 45-year-old was reported missing the next day.

After Borgwardt’s overturned kayak and life jacket were discovered in the lake, responders believed the missing dad drowned, officials said.

Crews scoured the lake for weeks until his name surfaced by law enforcement in Canada.

Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said they were able to speak with Borgwardt after getting in contact with a woman who speaks Russian.

In nearly daily communications with the man, he revealed to authorities how he faked his death in Wisconsin and fled the country.

Authorities continue to negotiate with Borgwardt to return to his family in the U.S.

The county is seeking around $35,000 to $40,000 for restitution, and could potentially face an obstruction charge, the sheriff said.

Green Lake, Wisconsin is approximately 180 miles northwest of Chicago, near Fond du Lac.

The Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival and Parade will return for the 33rd year this Saturday.

This year’s holiday event will feature a new Chicago River lighting spectacle and the tallest balloon to ever come down the Mag Mile the weekend before Thanksgiving.

The parade will travel south on North Michigan Avenue from Oak Street to Wacker Drive, then east on Wacker to Upper Columbus Drive from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

As many as one million people and over 600 volunteers are expected to attend the largest evening parade in the U.S., and the third-largest parade in the country.

More details at https://www.themagnificentmile.com/lights-festival

A semi truck driver was seriously hurt after a tanker truck he was driving, rolled over Thursday morning.

The accident happened around 3:30 a.m. on the ramp from northbound Mannheim Road to the inbound Eisenhower Expressway in Westchester, which closed that ramp before the morning rush hour.

It took crews took two hours to get the driver extricated from the truck.

IDOT said the driver was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

The snowy weather conditions were blamed in the cause of the rollover semi.

A 6-month-old boy was grazed in the cheek by gunfire that also killed a man as they drove Wednesday morning in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood, officials said.

Around 10:45 a.m., a 35-year-old man and the boy were northbound in the 2400 block of South Oakley Avenue when a blue vehicle approached and someone inside opened fire and struck them both, according to Chicago Police.

The child was taken to Stroger Hospital with a graze wound to his cheek, police said. He was listed in good condition.

The man, who was driving, was shot multiple times in the head and body and he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

He crashed into two parked vehicles shortly after the shooting, officials said.

The blue vehicle fled south on Oakley Avenue, authorities said.

No one was in custody.

The Cook County Forest Preserves has just added a new 68-acre parcel of land in south suburban Lynwood.

The land, purchased from the nonprofit Conservation Fund, lies along Deer Creek and was once farmland at Glenwood-Dyer Rd. and Ridge Rd.

As a preserve, it will protect the floodplain and its ecosystem from development and holds potential for restoration of wetlands associated with the creek.

The Forest Preserves of Cook County now holds more than 70,000 acres of land for the first time in its 110-year
history.

Chicago Bulls legend Bob Love has died at the age of 81 after a long battle with cancer

He spent nine seasons with the team, from 1968 to 1976, and was a three-time NBA All-Star.

Modern day, Love is the Bulls’ third leading scorer all-time, trailing only franchise greats Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in the points scored department. He is one of four players who have their number retired by the franchise

The Bulls issued a statement about the Love’s passing, saying, “The Chicago Bulls mourn the passing of Bob Love, who passed away today in Chicago at the age of 81 after a long battle with cancer.”

“Condolences go out to his wife, Emily, his family, and his many friends.”

Additional information regarding memorial services will be shared at a later date.

Metra has added an extra holiday-themed train to its schedule this season in response to popular demand.

The extra train will depart from University Park Station at 4 p.m. Nov. 30 and then stop at the North Pole winter wonderland at Millennium Station, which will feature holiday treats and activities.

Tickets for the previously scheduled holiday-themed trains went on sale last week and sold out within minutes. Metra said it expects this additional experience to sell out quickly too.

Tickets went on sale at noon on Tuesday and can be purchased at shop.metra.com.

Meanwhile, the CTA has announced their holiday train schedule.

As the train pulls into each station, Santa waves to riders from his sleigh on an open-air flatcar carrying his reindeer and decorated holiday trees.

The Holiday Train will travel all CTA rail lines beginning in late November through late December as part of regular rail service, making stops at all stations along the respective routes.

Details at transitchicago.com

You can roll up your sleeves and do some good before the Northwestern homecoming at Wrigley Field.

Abbott and the Big Ten are holding a blood drive Friday at the Friendly Confines. That’s where the game against Ohio State is being played tomorrow as the baseball field has been transformed into a football field

The blood drive runs until 6 p.m. Friday.

Chicago Blackhawks legend Chris Chelios will be on hand to show his support to donors.

Walk-ins are welcome

U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and nine other members of Congress are demanding the federal government provide a time line for ridding three downtown Chicago buildings and a courthouse in Rockford of the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease as well as harmful metals in drinking water.

The Sun-Times reported in August that three Loop buildings — Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building, John C. Kluczynski Federal Building and Everett M. Dirksen U.S. Courthouse — have Legionella, and in some cases, traces of lead or copper that exceed safe levels set by the government.

The Metcalfe Building is the Chicago regional headquarters for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and also includes a children’s day care that detected Legionella and lead. Its employees — and workers at the Department of Housing and Urban Development — have filed grievances against their employers.

The Government Services Administration, which manages the buildings, said in August that it was working to resolve the contamination threat at the Loop offices. The agency has not responded to requests for updates over the last few weeks.