Illinois
Rep. Eric Sorensen faces GOP challenger Joe McGraw in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District
CHICAGO (CBS) – Voters in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District will decide Tuesday whether Democratic Rep. Eric Sorensen will keep his seat, or challenger Joe McGraw will return the seat to Republicans for the first time since 2012.
The 17th District does not include any part of the Chicago area, but does snake around to include Rockford, the Quad Cities, Galesburg, Peoria, and Bloomington-Normal. Sorensen is in his first term representing the district, which has been in Democratic hands since 2013.
Sorensen, a meteorologist for more than 20 years before he was elected to the 17th District in 2022, is facing a challenge from McGraw, a retired judge who spent 15 years on the bench in the 17th Judicial Circuit, which includes Winnebago and Boone counties before he retired in 2017.
Sorensen has touted his limited experience as an elected official as an advantage in seeking bipartisan solutions in Congress.
“I’m one of the very few people that doesn’t have a background in politics,” Sorensen said recently. “So I can work with Republicans and Democrats to get the job done.”
McGraw, meantime, has touted his experience as a judge, as well as a trained mediator and arbitrator.
“I’ve used those skills to do reality testing with parties that are very adverse to try to figure out, what are the facts?” McGraw said recently.
This race, which could help tilt the balance of power in Congress, is focused on the same issues as numerous others. They include the issues of abortion, the economy, and immigration.
Where do Sorensen and McGraw stand on abortion?
Sorensen supports codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law, and permanently restoring a woman’s right to choose. Meantime, he also wants to protect women’s right to travel across state lines to seek safe reproductive care in Illinois.
McGraw has said he supported the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, arguing abortion is an issue that states should decide, not the federal government. He has said he would oppose a national abortion ban if it were to come up for a vote in Congress.
Where do Sorensen and McGraw stand on the economy?
Sorensen supports legislation to increase Social Security benefits for seniors, and wants to expand Medicare’s power to negotiate prescription drug prices to lower medication costs for working families and seniors. He also supports creating more “green jobs” to help address climate change, such as through increased electric vehicle production at the Rivian plant in Normal, Illinois.
McGraw has said he wants to cut taxes on American factories to create more jobs, and eliminate the federal estate tax. He also wants to reduce federal spending by restricting immigration, arguing migrants have become a drain on social services, health care, and schools.
Where do Sorensen and McGraw stand on immigration?
Sorensen has proposed legislation to add 500 new U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at entry points on the southern border, as well as a bill to provide increased funding, technology and staffing for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to stop the spread of fentanyl.
Likewise, McGraw also wants to expand the border patrol and crack down on fentanyl, but also supports expanding the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. He also backs a return to the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which would require asylum seekers arriving at the southern border to stay in Mexico until an immigration court rules on their asylum claims.
Springfield’s northside heavily impacted by severe storm I Video
Springfield woke up to buildings at the local airport tossed around, and warped fences, along with significant damage to a northside animal shelter.
SPRINGFIELD – Another severe storm is forecast for central Illinois.
The storm predicted for Saturday afternoon and into Saturday night is expected to be less severe than the ones Springfield experienced on June 11 and June 10.
Most of the state is set to be under a Slight Risk for severe weather, which is a level 2 out of 5, according to an infographic from the National Weather Service out of Lincoln.
The main expected hazard is damaging wind gusts at 60-75 mph, with higher gusts west of Jacksonville.
Scattered hail over 1 inch in diameter is also expected, in addition to possible isolated tornadoes and localized flash flooding.
Storms this past week
Reached by The State Journal-Register, Matt Barnes, who is a meteorologist with the weather service out of Lincoln, said straight line winds at 60-70 mph caused damage in Springfield on the night of June 11.
The storm came in around 7 p.m.
Quite a few trees and power lines were knocked down, Barnes said.
More than 11,000 people lost electrical power across Springfield, according to a news release from City, Water, Light, and Power. The storms snapped poles, bringing trees and limbs down onto power lines, Amber Sabin wrote in the release. Sabin is the director of customer and media relations for the agency.
“With all available resources, including CWLP crews in the field from Electric Operations Troubleshooters, Construction, Substations, Relay, Traffic, Communications, and other support divisions, progress has been made but more work is to be done until all customers are restored power,” Sabin wrote early on June 12.
Tornado undetermined
The weather service on June 12 is sending a damage survey crew to Springfield and other locations in Sangamon County to assess damage from a severe storm that hit the area on June 10. The crew seeks to determine whether the damage may have been caused by a tornado.
A report from NWS is expected this evening that will be available on the NWS homepage or its social media pages.
Rainfall this week
Springfield recorded 1.95″ of rain on June 11, and 0.88″ of rain on June 10.
Some places in central Illinois have seen a “tremendous” amount of rainfall, and scattered flash-flooding may be a concern with upcoming storm activity, Barnes said.
Tom Ackerman covers breaking news and trending news along with general news for the Springfield State Journal-Register. He can be reached at tackerman@usatodayco.com.
Illinois
Severe storms cause major damage to homes, schools and trees in central Illinois; thousands without power – IPM Newsroom
Updated Friday, June 12, 2026 at 12:00 a.m.
Heavy storms caused major damage to at least two school buildings in Vermilion County last night.
Joel Bird is the Director of the Vermilion County Emergency Management Agency. He said the damage is widespread.
“Danville has several homes with trees that have fallen near the garage or the home,” said Bird.
Mark Denman Elementary School in Danville lost its roof and that wasn’t all.
“Up in Hoopeston, there’s several spots where a tornado went through on the South side… some damage at the high school, east of town at the local bridge,” said Bird.
The Nutrien Plant also took a direct hit. Bird said as of late Thursday night, there are no reports of injuries or deaths.
The sounds of chainsaws will fill the air in many Champaign County communities on Friday.
Kandy Powell was at home around 7:30 Thursday night when a storm blew through east Urbana.
“But then the winds got really strong. And as you looked out the window you can see that the trees were kind of bowing down a little bit. And from there we heard a very large snap,” said Powell.
The large branch of one tree fell onto her driveway just missing the house. A branch from another tall, mature tree fell, blocking her street. Powell did not lose power, but thousands of people in Champaign-Urbana had a long wait to get the lights back on overnight.
Updated Thursday, June 11, 2026 at 8:30 p.m.
There are multiple reports of damage after severe storms passed through Champaign and Vermilion Counties on Thursday night. The National Weather Service issued Tornado Warning for Champaign County at 7:28 p.m.
As of 8:42 p.m., Ameren reports more than 78,000 customers have lost power. Thousands of homes and businesses in the Springfield, Champaign-Urbana and Danville areas do not have electricity. To report a downed power line, call 800.755.5000.
Below are some pictures of storm damage. This story will be updated through the evening.
Large tree branch lying across driveway in Urbana after storms on June 11, 2026.
Illinois
‘Best Coffee Shop In Illinois,’ Social Butterfly’s 1-Year Anniversary Offers Joliet Block Party Festival
What are the most popular drinks on the menu?
“Any cold brews and cold foam combination,” Bosi explained. “And our sourdough sandwiches sell like crazy. When we first opened, we did not open with a focus on food.”
Since adding seven sourdough sandwiches to the regular menu, the most popular selections include the Golden Hour, Fresco Italiano, Sunrise Sausage, Garden Glow and the Spicy Social.
The address for Social Butterfly Coffee is 310 N. Ottawa St., now known as the 3TEN Building. Back in 2018, the Old Steelworkers Union Hall property was purchased and remodeled by Joliet businessman Cesar Cardenas, who now serves on the Joliet City Council.
The inside of Social Butterfly Coffee can accommodate around 75 people. There is plenty of seating, sofas, tables and chairs for people to relax, either by themselves or to strike up a conversation with someone else.
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