Illinois
Legendary astronaut honored with new 'Captain James Lovell Day' in Illinois
CHICAGO (WLS) — One of the world’s most legendary explorers, James Lovell, spoke with ABC7 on Saturday about the honor of December 21 being named Captain James Lovell Day in Illinois.
The honor has been a long time coming for the 96-year-old, who is now being recognized for his incredible contribution because of the efforts of two Illinois state senators.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
Lovell began his career in aviation as a navy pilot before being chosen by NASA in 1962.
As an astronaut, Lovell had several missions that make up the fabric of historic firsts.
He was a part of the Gemini 12 mission, which was the first rendezvous of the two-manned maneuverable spacecraft, as well as his favorite mission, Apollo 8, where he and his fellow crewmen became the first humans to leave earth’s gravitational pull and orbit the moon.
But Lovell is best remembered as commander of the Apollo 13 mission, where an oxygen tank exploded two days after the launch, depleting oxygen and power inside the command module odyssey.
The mishap sparked a rush to rescue the crew stranded more than 200,000 miles from home and the remarks of Lovell were made famous in the 1995 “Apollo 13” movie starring Tom Hanks.
Lovell’s heroics were celebrated as the trio returned safely to earth.
Now, Lovell resides quietly in Chicago’s north suburbs, remembering his career as an explorer.
And while he managed to accomplish so much, he wishes he could have gone to Mars.
Artifacts from his many travels are housed at the Adler Planetarium, as are his many dreams of future space exploration as he continues to look to the stars.
Copyright © 2024 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
CENTRALIA, Ill. – An investigation is underway after multiple people were shot Sunday in Centralia, Illinois, according to a report from WFCN News in southern Illinois.
FOX 2 has confirmed the Illinois State Police is investigating a shooting and taking over the investigation, but ISP could not confirm many further details as of 9 p.m. Sunday.
“The investigation is in its infancy and to protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional details will be released at this time,” ISP said in a statement to FOX 2.
According to WFCN News, the shooting happened around 5 p.m. near the 900 block of East Kell Street in Centralia. Multiple law enforcement agencies have since responded to scene and multiple victims are hospitalized, according to the report.
It’s unclear how many people may have been injured and what led up to the shooting.
Centralia, Illinois is about 70 miles, or just over an hour, east of St. Louis.
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.
The National Weather Service has teams of storm surveryors in the field April 18 investigating several reports of severe storms and tornado touch downs across eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois and northeast Missouri.
According to the weather service’s website, windgusts of up to 60 to 70 mph along with teacup-sized hail and several tornadoes were reported April 17.
Many homes and outbuildings were damaged, trees were uprooted and power lines were downed in Lena, Illinois, where the most significant damage occurred, the site pointed out.
Very strong winds also were reported near Washington, Iowa, and Colmar, Illinois, where several outbuildings and grain bins were destroyed.
The weather service received reports of confirmed and possible tornadoes in the areas of Lena, Pecatonica, Shirland, Rockton, Roscoe and Capron.
The teams will be assessing damage this weekend into next week along with county emergency management teams to determine what types of storms occurred and their paths.
Dozens of power outages were reported, as well.
As of the afternoon of April 18, ComEd was reporting 85 active power outages across northern Illinois, down from 241 on April 17, and 6,751 customers affected, down from more than 18,000.
The bulk of those outages and the most customers impacted are concentrated in Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties.
Freeze Watch
from MON 12:00 AM CDT until MON 9:00 AM CDT, Lake County, Kankakee County, La Salle County, DuPage County, Northern Will County, DeKalb County, Southern Will County, Kendall County, Southern Cook County, Northern Cook County, Grundy County, Eastern Will County, Kane County, McHenry County, Lake County, Newton County, Jasper County, Porter County
-
Alabama3 minutes agoAlabama AHSAA softball key dates and top teams approaching the 2026 playoffs
-
Alaska9 minutes ago‘We never forgot her’: Friends, family of longtime Alaska teacher gather for 100th birthday celebration
-
Arizona15 minutes agoTrying to beat the heat: Addressing rising temperatures in Southern Arizona
-
Arkansas21 minutes ago
Arkansas Lottery Cash 3, Cash 4 winning numbers for April 19, 2026
-
California27 minutes agoCalifornia couple charged with murder in death of toddler skip court
-
Colorado33 minutes agoUPDATE: Northbound Powers reopned after major crash
-
Connecticut39 minutes agoCT Lottery Cash 5, Play3 winning numbers for April 19, 2026
-
Delaware45 minutes agoMan speeds past leading runner in photo finish at Delaware Marathon