HAZELWOOD, Mo. — Camila Cage woke to the sound of her phone rumbling on her nightstand early Tuesday, its glow piercing the darkness as a severe weather advisory pops up on the screen. “I just thought it was normal,” the 31-year-old said. “You know, a normal severe thunderstorm warning. I didn’t think it’s going to
GIBSON CITY – In August, nine inches of rain dumped on one of Randy Aberle’s fields of corn and soybeans near Gibson City, Illinois. “We had some areas in those fields that the water was four feet deep,” he says. Luckily, he says, those fields have enough slope that the water drained off within a
GIBSON CITY – As Gibson City cleans up from last week’s flash flood, a special fund has been set up to help people pay for the damage. Businesses, churches and private individuals have set up about two dozen GoFundMe pages seeking donations for people who suffered flood damage during the heavy rains that fell for
URBANA – A nearly stationary line of heavy thunderstorms brought flooding Thursday to the uppermost part of the Sangamon River Valley in Champaign, Ford and McLean Counties. Meteorologist Andrew Pritchard estimates that six to nine inches of rain fell in those counties, from early Thursday morning into the afternoon. He blamed the flooding on
Scientists say climate change is already here, and it’s causing more frequent storms and flooding. Illinois Newsroom’s Lecia Bushak traveled to Grafton, where the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers come together to see how the town is still dealing with the physical and mental health effects of a devastating flood in 2019. GRAFTON – In the
Wednesday December 9, 2020 Today’s headlines: Republican lawmakers are proposing changes to Illinois’ constitution that would allow for recall elections in Illinois — something currently reserved only for the governor. The state’s Department of Public Health reported more than 7,900 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, which brings the statewide total case count to more than
DePUE – This year’s spring brought high precipitation levels across the state, and each year flooding remains a concern along the state’s rivers. Environmental advocates argue that increased flooding is just one of the results of climate change that tend to impact people of color and low-income communities more severely. One example of that is
Illinois Driver Services Centers Reopen For Some Next Week CHICAGO — The Illinois Secretary of State’s office has announced driver services centers will reopen with limited services next week. They will open Monday and Tuesday for new drivers, people with expired licenses and IDs and people making vehicle transactions. They will be open with expanded
Last year, Illinois saw record-breaking flooding across most of the state, and this spring’s recent heavy precipitation is causing communities near the Illinois River to prepare for further rises in water levels in the coming days. Floods in Chicago last week and flood risk along the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers are another sign of growing
Pritzker Says No Decision Yet On Holding State Fairs This Summer SPRINGFIELD – Governor J.B. Pritzker says no decision has been made yet on whether Illinois’ two state fairs can be held safely this summer. Illinois’ two fairs are scheduled for later in the summer: August 13-23 for the Illinois State Fair in Springfield and
Quad Cities Waiting For FEMA Checks After Flooding EAST MOLINE – Most local governments in the Quad Cities are waiting for checks from FEMA to help pay for flood expenses. Davenport, Iowa asked for $3.5 million. In Illinois, Rock Island County asked for $884,000; East Moline and Rock Island each submitted around $540,000 in eligible
Durbin Pushes For More Science Research Funding Senator Dick Durbin (D) Illinois wants to reverse a half-century decline in federal funding for science research with legislation he’s hoping will become part of the next budget. The Democrat supports bills to finance research in medicine, technology and agriculture with a mandatory five percent increase each