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Aiden McCarthy's photo was shared across Chicago-area social media groups in the hours after the July 4 parade shooting in Highland Park, accompanied by pleas to help identify the two-year-old who had been found at the scene bloodied and alone and to reunite him with his family.

On Tuesday, friends and authorities confirmed that the boy's parents, Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35, were among seven people killed in the tragedy.

"At two years old, Aiden is left in the unthinkable position; to grow up without his parents," wrote Irina Colon on a GoFundMe account she created for the family and Aiden, who was reunited with his grandparents on Monday evening.

READ MORE: Chicago shooting suspect charged with seven counts of murder

Friends of the McCarthys said Irina's parents would care for the boy going forward.

Four of other others who were killed were identified Tuesday as Katherine Goldstein, 64; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; Stephen Straus, 88; and Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78.

Every victim was from Highland Park except for Toledo-Zaragoza, who was visiting family in the city from Morelos, Mexico.

Officials haven't yet identified the seventh victim.

Portraits of some of those who died began to emerge on Tuesday as investigators continued to search for evidence in the shooting that killed at least seven and wounded 30.

Irina McCarthy's childhood friend, Angela Vella, described McCarthy as fun, personable and "somewhat of a tomboy" who still liked to dress up.

"She definitely had her own style, which I always admired," Vella said in a short interview.

READ MORE: Chicago shooting suspect's disguise to flee scene

Straus, a Chicago financial adviser, was one of the first observers at the parade and attended it every year, his grandchildren said.

Brothers Maxwell and Tobias Straus described their grandfather as a kind and active man who loved walking, biking and attending community events.

"The way he lived life, you'd think he was still middle-aged," Maxwell Straus said in an interview.

The two brothers recalled Sunday night dinners with their grandparents as a favourite tradition. They said they ate with him the night before he was killed.

"America's gun culture is killing grandparents," said Maxwell Straus. "It's very just terrible."

Sundheim, meanwhile, was regaled as a lifelong congregant and "beloved" staff member at North Shore Congregation Israel in Illinois, where she had worked for decades, the Reform synagogue said on its website.

Sundheim taught at the synagogue's preschool and coordinated events including bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies.

"Jacki's work, kindness and warmth touched us all," synagogue leaders wrote in a message on their website.

"There are no words sufficient to express the depth of our grief for Jacki's death and sympathy for her family and loved ones."

READ MORE: Millions warned as freak storm shifts direction

Toledo-Zaragoza was killed on what his 23-year-old granddaughter, Xochil Toledo, said was supposed to be a "fun family day" that "turned into a horrific nightmare for us all."

On a GoFundMe page to raise money for Toledo's funeral expenses, Xochil Toledo said her grandfather was a "loving man, creative, adventurous and funny."

"As a family we are broken, numb," she said.

Toledo-Zaragoza had come to Illinois to visit his family about two months ago, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

His family wanted him to stay permanently because of injuries he had suffered after being hit by a car a couple years ago during an earlier visit to Highland Park.

The newspaper reported that he was hit by three bullets on Monday and died at the scene.

He wasn't sure he wanted to attend the parade because of the large crowds and his limited mobility, which required him to use a walker, but Xochil Toledo said the family didn't want to leave him alone.

US Vice President Kamala Harris said Americans need to understand that gun violence "can happen anywhere," during a visit to Highland Park, CNN reports.

"There's a lot of healing that's going to have to happen that is both physical and emotional. There's no question that this experience is something that is going to linger in terms of the trauma," Harris told members of the media gathered at the scene of the shooting in Highland Park.

"I'd like to urge all the families and all the individuals to do seek the support you so rightly deserve.

"Addressing gun safety in the United States, the vice president continued: "We've got to be smarter as a country in terms of who has access to what – and in particular assault weapons.

"We have to take this stuff seriously. As seriously as you are because you have been forced to take it seriously. The whole nation should understand and have a level of empathy to understand that this can happen anywhere, in any peace loving community."

The suspect in Monday's mass shooting at a July 4 parade in Highland Park, in Chicago, that left seven dead and injured more than two dozen has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, US authorities said.

If Robert E. Crimo III, 21, is convicted, the charges could lead to a mandatory life sentence, Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said.

More charges are expected to come, Rinehart said, including attempted murder, aggravated discharge and aggravated battery charges.

READ MORE: Chicago shooting suspect's disguise to flee scene

"These are just the first of many charges that will be filed against Mr Crimo, I want to emphasise that," Rinehart said, adding he anticipates "dozens of more charges centring around each of the victims".

Crimo has been in police custody since being apprehended Monday evening.

"Tomorrow morning at the Lake County courthouse, we will ask a judge to hold Mr Crimo without the possibility of bail," Rinehart said.

Police on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) identified six of the seven victims killed in the shooting.

Jennifer Banek, Lake County Coroner, read the list of names during the news conference. The victims are as follows:

• 64-year-old Katherine Goldstein of Highland Park
• 35-year-old Irina McCarthy of Highland Park
• 37-year-old Kevin McCarthy of Highland Park
• 63-year-old Jacquelyn Sundheim of Highland Park
• 88-year-old Stephen Straus of Highland Park
• 78-year-old Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza of Morelos, Mexico

A seventh victim died at a hospital outside of Lake County, Banek said.

READ MORE: Millions warned as freak storm shifts direction

A total of 45 people died or were injured during the shooting, said Christopher Covelli, spokesperson for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.

The focus of the investigation for the last 36 hours was on the shooter, but has now shifted to "the victims and those left behind," Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said.

The release of the victims' names comes after investigators revealed the suspected gunman may have planned the attack "for several weeks" and wore women's clothing during the shooting to conceal his identity and his facial tattoos, and to help him leave with the crowd that was fleeing in the shooting's wake, Covelli said.

"He blended right in with everybody else as they were running around, almost as (if) he was an innocent spectator as well," Covelli said.

READ MORE: Former bricklayer awarded six-figure payout after lung cancer diagnosis

Covelli also revealed Tuesday that Crimo had two prior incidents with law enforcement.

In April 2019, an individual contacted authorities about Crimo attempting suicide.

Authorities spoke with Crimo and his parents, and the matter was handled by mental health professionals, Covelli said.

Then, in September 2019, a family member reported that Crimo threatened "to kill everyone" and had a collection of knives, Covelli said.

Police removed 16 knives, a dagger and a sword from their residence.

Highland Park police reported the incident to Illinois State Police.

"At that time there was no probable cause to arrest. There were no complaints that were signed by any of the victims," Covelli said.

Investigators still are trying to determine a motive for Monday's shooting, Covelli said.

Crimo, authorities believe, used a high-powered rifle "similar to an AR-15" he legally bought to fire more than 70 rounds into a parade crowd from a business's roof, which he accessed by a fire escape's ladder, Covelli said.

Last year was the worst year on record since the Gun Violence Archive began tracking mass shootings in 2014.

There were a total of 692 mass shootings in the US in 2021, the non-profit says.

The Highland Park attack comes after several recent mass shootings that shocked the nation, including an 18-year-old's racist attack at a New York supermarket that killed 10 and another 18-year-old's shooting at a Texas school that left 19 students and two teachers dead.

In the wake of those massacres, US President Joe Biden signed into law the first major federal gun safety legislation in decades, marking a significant bipartisan breakthrough on one of the most contentious policy issues in Washington.

The building industry's peak body has urged the Reserve Bank to ease off rate hikes or risk the financial ruin of already-strained companies in the construction sector.

After the RBA imposed its third rate rise in as many months, taking the official cash rate to 1.35 per cent, Master Builders Australia boss Denita Wawn claimed the central bank was now "turning the economic dial too far" and moving too fast.

The RBA spikes have left millions of Australian households paying hundreds of dollars more every month on their mortgage, while others who were considering building or buying a new home may now be recalculating the viability of such a move.

READ MORE: Nick Kyrgios charged with assaulting ex-girlfriend

"Our industry is disproportionately affected by interest rises," Wawn said.

A hard economic landing would "put at risk the viability" of many builders who survived the pandemic and were now being tested by severe supply chain pressures, she said.

"Many now lack the resilience to withstand more sharp economic shocks," she said.

The RBA hikes have caught everyone by surprise, because throughout all last year the bank's governor Philip Lowe had said interest rates would not likely rise until 2024.

Yesterday Lowe said more rate rises were likely in the coming months.

READ MORE: Major Aussie super fund records worst result since global financial crisis

Wawn said the building association acknowledged the RBA had to tackle the dire effects of inflation, but she queried Lowe's aggressive pulling of levers.

"We are concerned that a continuing regime of steep rate rises risks turning the economic dial too far in the opposition direction and stalling economic growth needed to for the continuing recovery from COVID," she said.

"Time should be given to observe the impact of the monetary policy changes in the economy."

Most market analysts have predicted the cash rate could end up somewhere between 2 per cent and 3 per cent.

READ MORE: More construction giants to fold as 'perfect storm' hits building sector

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Many building and construction companies have struggled in turbulent headwinds since 2020, where the rising costs of materials, worker shortages and unviable fixed-cost contracts have sunk major players across Australia.

As construction giants like Probuild and Condev collapsed, a cloud of doubt has been over billions of dollars of major projects.

Sub-contractors and tradies have been left out of pocket in the fallout, and many would-be homeowners have watched projects stall and lie dormant.

Gail Marshall has vivid memories of her husband Jeff coming home from his work as a bricklayer covered in dust from head to toe.

"His face would be stark white," Mrs Marshall said.

"It would be all in his hair.

"I used to be absolutely horrified, I would say, 'Don't you come inside with those boots on.'" 

READ MORE: Mother-of-two contracts deadly disease by inhaling crystalline silica

Washing his stiff and cakey clothes was always a challenge, Mrs Marshall said.

"I had to run them under the tap and soak them in the laundry trough because it would have ruined the machine." 

Mr Marshall, now 70, worked as a bricklayer for more than 40 years, starting from the age of 16.

From his first job building a home in Coldstream, north-east of Melbourne, he went on to become a foreman and work on many of Melbourne's major infrastructure projects over the decades – including the CityLink tunnel, the redevelopment of the MCG and Melbourne Park's tennis centre.

For the better part of his career, there was no mask-wearing, no wet cutting and no awareness about the dangers of breathing in construction dust.

"There was no protection, none at all," he said.

"It wasn't thought of, it was just 'get the job done'."

Often the bricks – which typically contain 5 per cent to 15 per cent crystalline silica – needed to be cut with an angle grinder, rather than a saw, creating more dust, he said.

READ MORE: St Basil's aged care home facing another COVID-19 outbreak, day after charges

About a decade ago, Mr Marshall began to have trouble breathing.

He hung on and kept working as a bricklayer for a few more years, before trying out a career change as a courier.

But he was forced to stop working entirely when the diesel fumes proved too much for his ailing lungs.

Mr Marshall has since been diagnosed with lung cancer and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), an incurable condition which narrows the airways and causes difficulty breathing.

Doctors have told Mr Marshall the 3cm tumour on his right lung is inoperable.

He is matter-of-fact about his diagnosis.

"It is what it is, a lot of people are worse off than me," he said.

But his deteriorating health has taken a heavy toll.

"I can't get outside and go for a walk, I have enough trouble walking to the front gate," he said.

"It's hard especially when I see my grandkids, I can talk to them a bit but I can't run around with them.

"I've got a beautiful set of false teeth that cost me an arm and a leg, and I can't wear them because they close my mouth up too much."

Mrs Marshall said it had been incredibly difficult to see her husband struggle with his illness.

"To watch him and see how he has changed in personality is heartbreaking, that is the hardest part," she said. 

"He was a happy-go-lucky fellow but now you never see him smile."

Mr Marshall said it was with his family in mind that he contacted law firm Maurice Blackburn.

His lawyer recently lodged a statutory claim through WorkCover on his behalf, which resulted in a payout of $640,000 – the maximum amount the compensation scheme can award for pain and suffering damages.

"My whole thing was to make sure that Gail was looked after, the money to me is nothing," Mr Marshall said.

He said he kept the whole process a secret from his wife, right up to the moment when the money arrived in their bank account.

"I didn't tell Gail and when she (logged in) to the bank account she said, 'Oh, we have got to ring the bank, they have made a big mistake.'"

"When he told me I was quite gobsmacked," Mrs Marshall said.

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She said no amount of money would give her husband a new set of lungs, and she hoped that by sharing their story they could raise more awareness about dangers of construction workers breathing in dust.

Emily Ormerod, a dust disease lawyer at Maurice Blackburn, said bricklayers and other construction workers were increasingly seeking out her firm's services as awareness grew about the health impacts of dust exposure.

"Some of these people are finding that they are having to stop work early because of a lung condition," she said.

"They're often left with an uncertain future, thinking about how they're going to provide for their family, 

"They are also starting to wonder, 'How did I end up here?' and question what they did day-in day-out for all of their working life." 

Mr Marshall's case was notable in that the former bricklayer had also been a smoker in the past, but this didn't mean he did not have a legitimate claim for compensation, Ormerod said.

"When Jeff came to us, we did some investigations and what we found was that there is a link between the nature of Jeff's work and what he was exposed to and the development of lung cancer and COPD. 

"There have been studies done that show that bricklayers, in particular, are at an increased risk of developing those conditions, even adjusting for smoking."

CFMEU Heath and Safety manager Dr Gerry Ayers said although WorkCover was a "no-fault" scheme, which meant there was no requirement to prove fault on the employer's behalf, many people were forced to seek legal representation to get the outcome they deserved.  

READ MORE: Why a cancer survivor became a doctor

"There's a lot of insurance agents working for WorkCover schemes that will knock back the claims in the first case until a lawyer becomes involved, and that's always disappointing," he said. 

"It can be quite traumatic on a person that is already feeling the ill effects of some chronic disease. The last thing they need is to go through a legal battle with an insurance firm, to try to get compensation to try and at least have some sort of financial security for the family."

While workplace safety for bricklayers and other construction workers had improved vastly over the years, Ayers said the health effects of decades past were still being keenly felt.

"They talk about the third and fourth wave of asbestos exposure, we will probably feel the effect of crystalline silica dust, and products which contain crystalline silica, for quite a number of years yet," he said.

Contact reporter Emily McPherson at em********@******om.au

NBA legend Michael Jordan has been unveiled as the cover star of the upcoming NBA 2K23 video game.

Jordan will appear on the NBA 2K23 Michael Jordan Edition cover, as well as the premium NBA 2K23 Championship Edition.

No stranger to the video game world, his first appearance was in 1988 with Jordan vs Bird: One on One on the Atari and Commodore 64.

In 1993 he starred in Michael Jordan in Flight on DOS, followed by Super Nintendo's 1994 platformer Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City.

He's also heavily acquainted with the NBA 2K series, having graced the covers of NBA 2K11, NBA 2K12, and the NBA2K16 Special Edition.

READ MORE: Review: The new PlayStation Plus and helping you pick a tier

It's been revealed NBA 2K23 will feature 15 iconic (and playable) Michael Jordan moments, known as The Jordan Challenge.

First introduced in NBA 2K11, the game's developers have fully recreated The Jordan Challenge to house these moments, as well as adding five new moments for players to experience.

A new video trailer gives a first look at gameplay for the upcoming title, entirely focused on Michael Jordan.

More details about the game are expected on Thursday when pre-orders for NBA 2K23 go live.

The Championship Edition of the game will also include a 12-month NBA League Pass, with pricing to be confirmed.

NBA 2K23 Michael Jordan Edition is scheduled to release on consoles and PC on September 9.

Perth Zoo is preparing to farewell a jumbo icon.

Tricia the elephant's health is rapidly deteriorating and her keepers fear she only has days left.

In January, Tricia celebrated her 65th birthday with crowds of people.

READ MORE: Aussies smashed by three rate hikes in three months

Tricia arrived in Western Australia as a six-year-old from Vietnam in 1963.

The elephant, who was named after a Miss Australia winner, has charmed and entertained Perth crowds ever since.

Her artwork is well known and popular.

The funds from every purchase go towards protecting the endangered Sumatran elephants.

READ MORE: NSW top doctor 'very concerned' about new COVID-19 wave

"She knows how to take a piece of your heart and she doesn't return it," elephant keeper Kristy Carey said.

"There's going to be a huge hole missing when she does go."

It will be the end of an era for Perth Zoo when Tricia does pass away.

The two younger elephants will be re-homed to other zoos and the enclosure will be no more.

Twelve people have been arrested and are in the process of being charged with the murder of an eight-year-old girl, who was found dead in a Queensland property after she was allegedly denied access to medical treatment.

Police allege Elizabeth Rose Struhs, who has type 1 diabetes, was denied access to insulin for six days by a fringe religious group in Toowoomba, who were aware of the child's illness.

9News understands the group of Christians who resided in the Rangeville home believed the young girl would be "healed by God" prior to her death and are alleged to have prayed, sang and chanted over the girl's body for 24 hours before calling emergency services.

Elizabeth's parents were also part of the church group, which police understand consists of three families.

READ MORE: Rooftop gunman kills six people at US parade

"It will be alleged the child suffered an underlying medical condition, who was denied treatment for that condition over a period of six days," Southern Region Detective Acting Superintendent Garry Watts said.

Watts said Elizabeth passed away on January 7, but emergency services were not notified until 5.30pm the next day.

A search warrant was executed at the home in Homestead Avenue early on Tuesday morning, where 30 officers arrested the 12 people, ranging in ages from 19 to 64.

READ MORE: Why a Melbourne cancer survivor became a doctor

The seven women and five men were located in the living room of the property, used as a place of worship.

Pastor Brendan Stevens had just had a shower when he was also arrested.

"All of the 12 arrested were aware of the child's condition, were there at the address and did not take any steps to provide medical assistance to the child," police alleged.

They will appear in court on Wednesday to each face murder charges.

The parents of the child, a 47-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man, had already been arrested during investigations into Elizabeth's death.

They were charged January 11 with murder, torture and failure to comply with necessities of life.

Watts said the six month investigation to catch the remaining 12 alleged perpetrators was complex, involving the Toowoomba child protection investigative unit, the child trauma unit and homicide investigators.

"It's not the kind of situation we as investigators are faced with commonly," he said.

"In my nearly 40 years of policing, I haven't been faced with a matter like this."

"It's a very complex investigation and I'm not aware of a similar event in Queensland let alone Australia.

"It's a tragic set of circumstances."