Illinois hit by winter storm
A major winter storm continues to affect most parts of Illinois.
Several inches of snow have fallen in the central part of the state, while icy conditions are making for dangerous driving conditions in southern Illinois.
Near whiteout conditions are possible at times Thursday, given the combination of gusty winds and blowing snow. The storm isn’t expected to let up until Thursday night.
Amtrak services disrupted by weather
Due to the winter storm affecting Illinois, Amtrak has made temporary service adjustments on Wednesday and Thursday.
Trains scheduled to run between Chicago and Carbondale and the City of New Orleans have been cancelled.
Amtrak said it will waive additional charges for customers to change their reservation during the modified schedule.
Decline in COVID cases offers hope
With coronavirus cases and hospitalizations on a rapid decline in Illinois, the commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Public Health said she hopes that mask and vaccine mandates could be lifted.
During a press conference Tuesday, Dr. Allison Arwady said she also wants to exercise patience because of fears of a rebound in the number of cases with so many people still gathering indoors.
Trial in Waffle House murder underway
The trial of an Illinois-native accused of killing four people and injuring several others at a Nashville, Tennessee, area Waffle House is underway.
Travis Reinking, originally of Morton, is accused of walking into the restaurant in Antioch, Tennessee, and opening fire with an AR-15 in 2018.
The district attorney announced in 2020 that he would not be seeking the death penalty in the case.
Tutor fired after ‘inappropriate’ noises
A virtual tutor has been fired after students in a middle school math class in Aurora were exposed to “inappropriate” noises.
The incident happened at Waldo Middle School during a sixth-grade math class.
Police say as of now, they are only aware of inappropriate audio heard during the session. The tutor claimed the audio came from her television.
Beaver dam mitigation
An Illinois community is considering using a non-lethal method to deal with some pesky beavers that are causing flooding.
Midwest Beaver Management is being considered by South Barrington to deal with the village’s beaver issue.
The company said it puts 40-foot long pipes through beaver dams, which allow the dams to remain in place but allows water to flow through so no flooding occurs.
