By WMBD TV

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — After a very dry start to June, a stormy and humid weather pattern takes hold for the next several days.

Key Takeaways

• Flood Watch through Monday Evening
  • Localized pockets of 2 to 3+ inches of rain may lead to flooding
  • Rain totals will vary widely from one spot to another
• Oppressive heat and humidity midweek
  • Heat index near 100 degrees Tuesday through Thursday
• Severe Storm Chances
  • Highest risk Thursday, some severe weather potential Wednesday evening

The highest rain coverage for Monday will occur during the afternoon. Some funnel clouds may develop, but the risk of a tornado remains low. The main concern will be pockets of very heavy rain that can quickly lead to flash flooding where they develop. The showers will decrease and gradually end overnight.

With lower storm coverage during the daytime Tuesday and Wednesday, we will crank up the heat! While actual highs will “only” be in the upper 80s to lower 90s, the air will be very humid. This will push heat index values toward the triple digits. If possible, limit any strenuous outdoor activities to the early part of the day. The oppressive humidity will stay in place through Thursday.

The best chance for severe storms will come our way mid to late week, with all severe hazards on the table. While the highest severe threat is to our north and west Wednesday, severe weather could work in during the evening. The highest chance will be west of the Illinois River.

Thursday brings the highest threat for severe storms areawide. Timing of the greatest potential looks to be from mid-afternoon onward through the evening.

Rain amounts will vary greatly, on on average, 1 to 3 inches of rain can be expected through the week.

WMBD TV first reported this story. You can read the original story online at CIProud.com.

VERNON, Ind. (WANE) A grand jury last week indicted the Jennings County Sheriff on multiple charges following a six month investigation by Indiana State Police involving the alleged theft of campaign signs.

In November 2025, Troopers from the Indiana State Police-Versailles Post were contacted by a candidate for Jennings County Sheriff, who reported having campaign signs stolen that had been placed around area roadways.  The candidate then placed a GPS locator device on one of his signs. When that sign was stolen, he tracked it to a dumpster located on the property of Jennings County Sheriff William “Kenny” Freeman, Jr.

Troopers went to Freeman’s property and retrieved the sign and the GPS locator from Freeman’s dumpster. They also found other campaign signs in the dumpster including a sign for a Jennings County Judge candidate, who also reported having campaign signs stolen.

Soon after troopers located the stolen signs in Freeman’s possession, Freeman issued tickets to both political candidates related to the placement of their signs. 

Because the investigation involved an acting sheriff, a request was made for both a Special Prosecutor and Judge. The Dearborn and Ohio Counties Prosecuting Attorney Lynn Deddens was appointed along with Ripley County Superior Judge Jeffery Sharp. The case was presented to a Jennings County Grand Jury this past Thursday. 

The Grand Jury reviewed the case and indicted Freeman on the following charges:

*Theft (2 counts)-Class A Misdemeanor
*Official Misconduct-Level 6 Felony
*Obstruction of Justice-Level 6 Felony
*Perjury-Level 6 Felony

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP/KCRG) – A team from Iowa has been sent to Texas to help combat the spread of a pest that is threatening to devastate the U.S. cattle industry.

Three more cases of the New World screwworm have been confirmed, including one outside the main cluster in Texas, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday.

During a news conference, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said a team from the National Veterinary Services Lab in Ames has been sent to Texas to monitor for cases. The lab is a key facility for animal disease testing and has been conducting tests in Ames but Rollins said the team could be more efficient and test samples quicker by being on location in Texas.

The screwworm is actually a fly larva that eats living flesh instead of dead material. Females lay their eggs in open wounds of warm-blooded animals like cattle, but wildlife, pets and occasionally even humans can be infested. The government has a program to breed sterile male flies and drop swarms of them from planes to mate with wild females, which kept screwworm contained at the southern end of Panama for decades.

So far, there are five confirmed cases: three calves and a goat in Texas and a dog from neighboring Lea County, New Mexico. The dog, which the USDA initially reported as a Texas case, lives in New Mexico and was reclassified as the first in that state. The animal’s travel history is being investigated.

The first two screwworm cases were discovered last week in calves a few miles apart in south Texas. A case was announced Monday in a calf in La Salle County, southwest of San Antonio, and in a goat in Gillespie County, west of Austin.

Scientists expect new cases could pop up in the coming days and weeks, but it doesn’t mean screwworm is spreading rapidly, said Edward Burgess, a University of Florida entomologist who studies the fly.

“When that first case is seen, everyone is being vigilant and their eyes are on it more intensely,” Burgess said. “And when you are looking for something, you are more likely to see it.”

The USDA and the U.S. cattle industry have been racing to prevent an infestation since screwworm was detected in Mexico late in 2024. Screwworm was eliminated in the U.S. in the 1960s, and gets its name from the maggots’ habit of burrowing — or screwing — into a wound, according to the USDA.

So far, its reappearance hasn’t greatly affected beef prices, which are already near record levels because there are fewer cows in the U.S. Although the parasite attacks live cattle, it does not infest meat or fruit. There are also a dozen government-approved medications to treat livestock.

Canada temporarily stopped importing cattle, horses or other livestock from Texas on Friday. The parasites prefer humid areas where temperatures are at least 77 F (25 C), making them more of a summer problem up north.

Burgess said the long-term solution — breeding sterile male flies — is months away. Since wild female flies mate just once, if that encounter is with a sterile male, outbreaks can eventually be halted as the flies die out.

The USDA is working to both increase sterile fly production in plants outside the U.S. and build a massive fly factory in Texas.

The goal is to have enough sterile flies to stop the pests from returning in 2027 after the winter kills off most of them, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said at a news conference at the U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville, Texas. She said building the plants is a top government priority.

Scientists are also working on ways to sterilize only male flies to make the program even more effective.

Texas officials encouraged ranchers to keep a close eye on their herds and other wildlife and report anything suspicious to a hotline open 24 hours a day. They also established a website and map to post cases as they are reported.

“This is a highly treatable condition if you act on it immediately,” Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said.

However, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller — who lost the Republican primary to a candidate backed by Abbott — said the federal response will take too long and risks crippling the cattle industry.

Instead, he says a poison bait could eliminate the screwworm problem in a few months, even if USDA and other experts say the bait hasn’t been proven effective and could poison other flies, animals and even humans.

“What the hell is a good fly?” Miller said in an interview.

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Associated Press writer Scott McFetridge in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.