Illinois
Illinois Tollway will patrol round the clock for stranded drivers during extreme cold
The Illinois Tollway will have maintenance workers on patrol around the clock through Monday to help stranded drivers during the extreme cold this weekend.
“We’re here year-round for public safety, but we’re also maintaining the road,” said Rick Hartmann, tollway maintenance worker.
If you find yourself in trouble on the Illinois Tollway, help is just a phone call away. All you have to do is dial *999 and they’ll dispatch a truck to help any stranded drivers. He’s part of the tollway’s Zero Patrol.
“We carry fuel, and we have a floor jack, which will help with flat tires,” he said.
He also said drivers can take steps to help themselves and ensure their safety during the severe weather.
“You just gotta prepare,” Hartman said. “You make sure your fuel is full, check your tire pressure, and if you can, throw a blanket in the trunk and an extra set of gloves. Anything. You never know what’s going to happen.”
Flat tires happen. So do dead batteries and overheated radiators. So do empty gas tanks. Hartmann responded to a call from a woman who ran out of gas mid-drive.
“I was driving to school, and my car literally ran out of gas, and I had to pull over to the side of the tollway,” Emily Donovan said.
Two gallons of gas fuels a lot of gratitude, and she was soon back on the road.
Hartmann and his colleagues will be out through the weekend to help anyone else in need on the Illinois Tollway system.
Illinois
Thousands of Illinois residents report power outages amid storms
Historic tree dating back to Abraham Lincoln damaged in Springfield
It may be the last living tree standing when Abraham Lincoln and his family lived in the Springfield neighborhood from 1844 to 1861.
More than 30,000 Illinois residents reported power outages Wednesday morning amid severe storms and destructive winds.
The National Weather Service forecast two rounds of severe weather throughout the day, issuing a tornado watch early Wednesday morning across central Illinois.
Where were power outages reported in Illinois?
More than 35,000 of the more than 5.8 million customers tracked on PowerOutage.com reported outages Wednesday, as of noon.
The majority of these outages were concentrated in west-central Illinois in Warren, Henderson and Woodford counties.
More than 93% of the customers tracked in Henderson County and nearly 60% of those in Warren County were impacted by outages.
Less widespread outages were also reported in DeKalb, Mercer, Knox, Menard, Jefferson and Gallatin counties.
Electric service company Amaren was by far the most impacted utility provider, followed Commonwealth Edison Company and Corn Belt Energy Corporation.
Illinois power outage map
Report power outages in Illinois
Illinois residents can report power outages in their area at PowerOutage.com.
Illinois power outage tracker
To track where power outages have been reported and where they have been restored, follow the USA Today power outage tracker.
Chicago weather radar
Central Illinois weather radar
Illinois
Pritzker calls on Bears to clarify what they’re seeking in Illinois stadium deal
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Illinois
Pritzker says Bears must express what they want from Illinois, remains open to special session
CHICAGO (WLS) — The finger-pointing surrounding the Bears stadium saga continues with elected officials from Illinois, Chicago, and Indiana all placing the blame for the continued uncertainty either on each other, or in some cases, on the team.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker spent about 10 minutes touting the highlights from Illinois’ eighth consecutive balanced budget. But not until he was probed about the Chicago Bears apparent focus on Hammond, Indiana for a new stadium did he acknowledge the elephant in the room.
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“The reality is that the Bears have to express themselves about what it is that they want,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker referenced a bill passed in the House and a different bill passed in the Senate, saying that the Bears now need to make it clear what it is in those two bills that the organization needs in order to build a stadium in Illinois.
While the Bears say they are advancing stadium development in Hammond, Pritzker says he remains open to a special legislative session this summer if an agreement can be reached with the team. And in the meantime, lines of communication remain open.
“I think lots of people have gotten calls, including my administration and me, so they have thoughts, but they have not been clear about what is the bill that they need, and how do they need to look, and then, can they get the votes necessary to get it done in the House and the Senate,” Pritzker said.
Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch echoed the governor’s sentiments on a special session but downplayed any urgency brought on by the Bears’ plans in Indiana.
“The statement that I saw the first week of June was very different than the statement we saw in February. In February, that statement was very specific about Wolf Point. In the statement that came out in June was very generic that they are looking at sites, which tells me that they’ve taken a step backwards,” Welch said.
Meanwhile, in Indiana, Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott touched on the Bears stadium on his Left of Center podcast on Tuesday morning.
“We’re getting close, to being, you know… We’re getting close,” McDermott said.
The mayor spent a few minutes on his podcast reacting to a speech from Republican Sen. Jim Banks from Indiana, who took aim at Pritzker last week, saying his biggest legacy will be losing the Chicago Bears to Indiana. McDermott, a Democrat, said he has been told by other leaders in Indiana to avoid providing any bulletin board material.
“I think that’s a better speech a month from now when this thing is over. It’s a much better speech in a month than it is right now. I don’t think that helps too much,” McDermott said.
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