After reports emerged earlier this year that Big Lots would be shuttering hundreds of stores nationwide, several of the chain’s locations have appeared to change course on closing, including stores in Illinois and Indiana.

According to The Hill, the chain announced plans to close 19 more locations while several locations appeared to backtrack on previously announced closures.

The report stated that banners on the web pages of numerous stores, including locations in New Albany, Indiana, and Franklin Park, Illinois, changed from “closing” to “share your big ideas!”

The apparent shift away from closure was seen on the web pages of Big Lots stores in 17 different states.

In addition to the banner changes for the New Albany and Franklin Park locations, stores slated to close in Round Lake Beach, Country Club Hills and Champaign have remained open.

Stores in Burbank, Calumet City, Crest Hill, Elgin, Fairview Heights, Lockport, Niles and Oakbrook Terrace have already closed.

According to the company’s website, 20 Big Lots stores in Illinois remain open.

Chicago-area roads were expected to get slick and slippery and travel impacts were likely for the Thursday morning commute as a winter weather advisory with bursts of “wind-whipped” snow moved into the region.

According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, all of Northeastern Illinois is expected to see waves of snow showers Thursday morning, beginning around 7 a.m., with two to four inches of accumulation possible. Slushy snow totals were expected to partially melt as temperatures rise above freezing, the NBC 5 Strom Team said.

Chicago weather radar: Track heavy ‘bursts’ of snow ahead of morning commute

Accompanying the snow will be wind chills in the teens and 20s, with gusts as high as 40 or 50 miles-per-hour at times. According to the National Weather Service, a wind advisory will go into effect at 10 a.m. for the entire area.

According to the NWS, sharply reduced visibility was expected for the morning commute, with accumulating snowfall “likely” to impact travel. Highest snowfall rates were expected to start around 8 a.m., the NWS said, lasting through Tuesday afternoon.

The heaviest snow was expected to fall first close to the Illinois-Wisconsin border as a band of heavy snow started to creep down from Green Bay.

As of 6 a.m., crashes and slide-offs were already reported in some parts. In Crown Point Indiana, two separate semi rollovers were reported on I-65, Sgt. Glen Fifield said. One of the crashes involved two semis and two cars, Fifield said, with some southbound lanes blocked.

In the northbound lanes, left lanes were blocked for a fuel tank spill after a trailer with 30,000 pounds of paper rolls overturned.

“This is going to be an extensive cleanup,” Fifield said.

Track Illinois winter road conditions

As of 6:30 a.m., Illinois Department of Transportation’s Illinois winter road conditions map showed areas of blowing snow or ice in counties to the west.

As the morning goes on, travel was expected to become more hazardous, with a winter weather advisory set to go into effect at 7 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The No. 8 Alabama basketball program got back on track on Wednesday defeating the No. 25 Illinois Fighting Illini 100-87. The Crimson Tide program is still in the process of getting to know its personnel as Alabama welcomed eight new scholarship players for the 2024-25 season.

The Crimson Tide faithful knew it had a lot to be excited about with the talented players returning and a highly rated recruiting class that included two McDonalds All-Americans in Derrion Reid and Aiden Sherrell, however, the biggest surprise may be one of the team’s best players in freshman guard LaBaron Philon.

The freshman guard from Baker High School by way of Link Academy in Missouri logged his fourth college game with double digit scoring as he tied for third on the team in points against Illinois with 16. Additionally he chipped in nine assists with seven rebounds, two steals and a block.

“Philon showed why he’s a pro and moving up everybody’s draft board. That’s a bad boy right there,” Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said.”

Has the Alabama product surprised Oats in his ability to assimilate to the college game so quickly?

“Go back to last spring when he opened his recruitment up and we took him. Yes, I’m surprised from then, but if you’d have asked me after the summer after watching what he did in June, July, August. He came in an established himself as one of the best guards in the program right out of the gate in the month of June.” Oats said.

“I think he came in and competed. He had the right mindset coming in. When he opened up his recruitment he made the point, ‘If I’m not going to play much, because Kansas took a lot of transfer guards, that’s where he’d signed. ‘If i’m not going to play much I’d rather be home in Alabama at Alabama, if I’m not going to play much’. I just said ‘Look, just come in and work hard and we’ll see what you can earn’. So he kind of just came in expecting nothing, had to earn everything. When you feel like you’ve got to earn everything, that’s when I feel like you starting playing your best. That’s why we don’t ever promise anybody minutes, starting spots, really anything around here. I think you make everybody come in and earn it. All of the sudden you get guys like Labaron that blossom”

Oats said in his Tuesday press conference he’s already hearing from NBA scouts about his freshman sensation. Philon is third on the team in scoring through five games and added a hard hat award for his efforts against the Fighting Illini. He credited preparation and a calm mindset for his quick start tot the current year.

“Really just being in the moment. As a young guy you probably get nervous or a lot of butterflies. I just try to stay calm in every moment and confident. Once you get in the gym, once you get on the court it’s all confidence then.”