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Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Crash kills woman on I-74 between Danville and Champaign

Icy roads claimed the life of a Florida woman Tuesday morning.

The woman was identified as Angel Michelle McDonald. She had recently relocated from Bradenton, Fla. to Bloomington, said Vermilion County Coroner Peggy Johnson in a news release this evening.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

'Angel family' involved in '83 blizzard rescue comes forward

CHAMPAIGN – Saturday put an end to former Illinois resident Nancy Stagg's 25-year search.

Stagg, who lives in Dallas, N.C., a small town outside of Charlotte, has been searching for the Central Illinois family who helped her family during a blizzard on Christmas Eve 1983.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Family seeking 'Angels' of Christmas past

FITHIAN – A former Illinois woman is searching for the "angels" who saved her family in a "Christmas miracle" 25 years ago.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

2008 was one soggy year; fourth wettest on record

Ice, snow, rain, freezing rain, ice, snow, rain, flood: This year's weather proved costly for East Central Illinois.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Burst water pipe causes damage at Memorial Stadium

The University of Illinois is cleaning up after a burst water pipe caused damage to the newly remodeled Memorial Stadium.

On Dec. 23, a contractor discovered several inches of water on the floor of the Colonnades Club, the third-floor lounge and seating area in the stadium.

Apparently a water pipe on the fifth level of the stadium's west side froze, then later burst, causing water to gush down through the ceiling and to the levels below, according to UI Division of Intercollegiate Athletics spokesman Kent Brown.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

East Central Illinois escapes serious storm damage

URBANA – Some streets in Champaign were being closed late Saturday afternoon as rain and melting ice caused scattered flooding.

Barricades were put out to block traffic on Kirby Avenue at Neil Street about 4 p.m., according to the Champaign police. Other viaducts and some county roads also had some high water.

When the Champaign County temps plummet, so do the burglaries

Maybe the burglars around here don't like to get their tootsies cold.

The number of burglary calls in Champaign County drops by more than 20 percent if the temperature hits freezing or below.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Forecasters fear that flooding will follow state's thaw

CHICAGO – Mother Nature on Friday continued to mix it up in Illinois by following snowstorms and blasts of Arctic air earlier in the week with freezing rain, then fog and rapidly rising temperatures that threatened flash flooding.

Roadways lacquered with ice during early morning commutes thawed quickly, but mountains of melting snow began to create hazardous pools of water on those same roads later in the day.

Rain, melting ice cause flooding, Champaign street closures

URBANA – Some streets in Champaign were being closed late Saturday afternoon as rain and melting ice caused scattered flooding.

Barricades were put out to block traffic on Kirby Avenue at Neil Street about 4 p.m., according to the Champaign police. Other viaducts and some county roads also had some high water.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Champaign orders property owners to clear sidewalks

CHAMPAIGN – Property owners in the Campustown and downtown districts need to clear their sidewalks of ice by 3 p.m. Friday or run the risk of getting a big city bill in the mail.

City Public Works Director Dennis Schmidt declared that the city's sidewalk snow and ice removal requirements for the Campus District and downtown were in effect at 3 p.m. Wednesday. That declaration gives property owners 48 hours to clear their sidewalks.

It's still slick out there; police urge caution for drivers

Illinois State Police were again warning motorists to drive with caution Friday morning.

"Drive as if the roads were ice-covered," Master Sgt. Rory Steidl said at 7:25 a.m. Friday.

Ice going away, but fog and floods may move in

Ice was melting today as temperatures warmed, but fog and flooding replaced it as new travel dangers.

A dense fog advisory and another for flash floods were issued Friday.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, how you've worn out your welcome...

By this time of the season, we've all heard the song praising the Christmas tree and its lovely branches.

But hang onto that tree too long, and it will cease to be lovely as it dries out, sheds on your floors and becomes a fire hazard.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Roads improve by midday; caution still urged

With temperatures slipping back below freezing, state and local police said conditions of roads and highways remained treacherous in spots.

Police dealt with scores of accidents, hundreds of residents went without electricity and tree limbs were reported down throughout the area.

Ice coats East Central Illinois; rain, cold mean more trouble

Area officials warned the public to continue to be cautious Wednesday, as temperatures were expected to drop and bring more ice to streets and power lines.

Freezing rain Tuesday left a thick layer of ice coating East Central Illinois, followed by more rain Wednesday morning that was expected to re-freeze.

Tuesday icy coating creates havoc on area streets

A thick layer of ice coated East Central Illinois on Tuesday afternoon and evening, its glittering beauty on trees belying its danger on streets and sidewalks.

It caused slips, falls and car accidents. State police reported icy conditions on interstates and on entrance and exit ramps. Some ramps were too icy for traffic to drive up, according to dispatches on the state police scanner.

Humane society advises how to protect your pets in winter

Keeping your dog or cat with you is humane society's primary advice

The humane society is urging pet owners to take extra precautions this winter to ensure the safety of their pets.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

State police still dealing with crashes and cars in ditches

PESOTUM — Bad weather is still causing cars in ditches and crashes, state police report.

By about 2 p.m. troopers had responded to 22 crashes in District 10, with no serious injuries, said Master Sgt. Rory Steidl. About 30 other vehicles have slid into ditches and medians.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Ameren says power's back, but urges preparation

Ameren Illinois says it's restored power to the tens of thousands in Illinois who had lost electricity at some point because of the weekend ice storm and arctic winds that followed it.

Any customer who is still without electrical service is urged to contact Ameren Illinois immediately. The numbers are 888-672-5252 (AmerenCILCO), 888-789-2477 (AmerenCIPS) and 800-755-7000 (AmerenIP).

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Wintry weather leads to spate of accidents, no injuries

Icy conditions and slick roads early Saturday evening caused several minor accidents but no major injuries, police reported.

Champaign, Urbana and state police were called out to several collisions and reports of vehicles in ditches in the area between 5 and 7 p.m.

Weather postpones finals for at least three area districts

Colin Millin should have been taking finals in economics and anatomy Friday, and turning in a final paper.

Instead, the senior at Mahomet-Seymour High School started his winter break a day early. The school district joined most others in the area in canceling school Friday after freezing rain overnight.

Local doctors urge caution as ERs fill up with injuries from ice

URBANA – Icy conditions are making local hospital emergency rooms busier.

"A dislocated shoulder, a head injury, some ankles," said Dr. Jim Ellis, head of Provena Covenant Medical Center's emergency room, listing what he'd seen by early Friday afternoon. "There's a couple of wrecks on the interstate right now."

Friday, December 19, 2008

Emergency rooms hopping with people falling down

URBANA – Icy conditions are keeping local hospital emergency rooms busy.

"A dislocated shoulder, a head injury, some ankles," says Dr. Jim Ellis, head of Provena Covenant's emergency department, listing what he'd seen by early Friday afternoon. "There's a couple of wrecks on the interstate right now."

Don't like the weather? It's going to get worse

If you've planned a weekend of gallivanting, you've picked the wrong weekend.

After a morning of what Alan Black, a climatologist at the Midwestern Regional Climate Center in Champaign, called "the double whammy of the treacherous roads and the fog" – with visibility only about 800 feet at Willard Airport in Champaign at about 8:30 a.m. – expect the weather to only get worse.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

One dead after fiery crash on Interstate 74 at Champaign

CHAMPAIGN — Traffic continues to be rerouted on Interstate 74 following a three-car crash that killed one person and sent two others to the hospital.

Eastbound motorists should exit I-74 at Prospect Avenue to Bradley Avenue. Follow Bradley Avenue to Lincoln Avenue and take Lincoln Avenue back to I-74.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Morning travel tough with slick roads

The fallout from Tuesday's snow and freezing rain continued this morning for police, particularly those patrolling the interstates.

Illinois State Police Sgt. Rory Steidl said a multiple-vehicle crash on Interstate 57 between I-72 and I-74 around 7 a.m. shut down the southbound lanes of the interstate temporarily. By 9 a.m., all lanes of traffic were open but traffic was backed up and moving slowly as troopers continued to investigate.

Group offers tips to make shoveling safer

CHAMPAIGN – Heading out to shovel your driveway? Don't forget that shoveling can take a lethal toll on your heart.

As many as 1,200 people in the United States die of coronary artery disease a year during and after major snowstorms, according to the American Heart Association.