Flooding rains in Metro East
Torrential downpours overnight has caused massive flooding in the Metro East and across the river in St. Louis. Some areas reported around a foot of rain from a line of storms that moved through the area for several hours with more on the way. According to data from the National Weather Service, rainfall this intense in the area only occurs once every 500 years.
Tornado sirens not activated
Naperville residents and officials are wondering why tornado sirens weren’t activated on Saturday when an EF-0 twister caused tree damage and minor structural damage in the community. According to damage estimates conducted by the National Weather Service, the tornado touched down near Aurora and ultimately tracked into Naperville. That warning still included the southern portion of Naperville, but officials said sirens still didn’t go off. In a statement, Naperville officials encouraged the public to investigate additional means of receiving weather alerts in the case of fast-moving weather.
Chicago schools to pay back $87.5 million
Chicago Public Schools has agreed to pay the state nearly $11 million annually for the next eight years to return $87.5 million that had accidentally been funded to the district. Officials now say the district expects to lose another $45 million in funding this year because of the error. The payment plan comes after months of discussions between CPS officials and the Illinois State Board of Education, which asked the district to repay the money in April when it discovered the mistake.
Record cannabis sales and taxes
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the State of Illinois has seen a 50% increase in total tax reported from adult-use cannabis, from nearly $298 million in fiscal year 2021 to $445 million in fiscal year 2022. Total adult-use cannabis sales also rose 50%, increasing from $1 billion to $1.5 billion, respectively. Under Illinois’ adult-use cannabis law, 25% of tax revenue generated from cannabis sales must support communities that are economically distressed, experience high rates of violence, and have been disproportionately impacted by drug criminalization.
Speed awareness campaign to begin
The Illinois State Police is joining law enforcement officers from Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin for this year’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Speed Awareness Day enforcement campaign on Wednesday, July 27. The campaign is an effort to address the drastic increase in speed and hazardous moving violations that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials report speeding is involved in approximately one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities nationwide.
Family survives plane crash
An Illinois couple and their teenage niece were injured after their small plane crashed in Michigan. The 44-year-old pilot from Chicago reported that the plane lost power after its landing gear lifted. The plane reached a height of about 100 feet before crashing near the runway at an airstrip north of Detroit. The pilot, his 37-year-old wife and 17-year-old niece suffered lacerations, broken bones and burns and were taken to a hospital. A dog that was aboard was seen running away after the crash.