Rare Late November Tornado Touches Down in Illinois, Significant Damage, Injuries
By: David Shepherd [dshepherd@wtwo.com] – Monday, November 22, 2010
Photo: Nicole Bradley
Destruction lies in the wake of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes that ripped through parts of the Midwest Monday.
Among the hardest hit, northern Illinois, where there were several reports of tornado touchdowns and significant damage.
News sources are reporting at least three children were hurt in Caledonia, Illinois, when their school
Photo: The Rockford Register-Star
bus was flipped in the severe storms. There have been no reports as to the extent of their injuries.
CNN is reporting Caledonia’s town hall was destroyed when the storms blew through. Elsewhere in the town, at least one home was completely destroyed and power was knocked out to about 500 residents. There was significant damage done to several other homes and businesses in that area.
Severe weather was also reported in Wisconsin where meteorologists from the National Weather Service will have to determine if a tornado touched down there.
Tornadoes & Hurricane Force Winds Rip Through The Midwest
By: David Shepherd [dshepherd@wtwo.com] – Tuesday, October 26, 2010
NBC NEWS PHOTO: Storms cause damage to a home near Chicago Tuesday morning.
A powerful storm system is moving through the nation’s mid-section. A low pressure system is sweeping an intense cold front through the Midwest, with blizzard conditions in the extreme north, destructive winds in the Great Lakes region, and tornadoes from Texas to Kentucky.
In Chicago, forecasters predict the storm could be the most powerful to hit Illinois in over 70 years.
As of Tuesday morning, tornado reports have come in from several states. In Indiana, tornadoes were reported in Kokomo and Wanatah.
A roof was ripped off of a home in Peotone, Illinois. The people were injured there. Forecasters have not confirmed tornadoes yet, however they will be out soon to survey the area and determine what caused the damage.
More than 62,000 customers were without power in Chicago. More than 40,000 reportedly lost power in Indiana.
Hurricane-force winds are being reported this afternoon in northern Illinois and Indiana and through the Dakotas. The eastern Great Lakes are expecting waves to reach 25 feet with fears of beach erosion.
NBC News is reporting 300 flights were canceled at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.
The National Weather Service said the storm is one of the strongest to hit the region in decades.
“We’re expecting sustained winds on the order of 35 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph throughout the afternoon,” Edward Fenelon, a weather service meteorologist in Romeoville, Ill, told NBC News. He said the storm’s central pressure is equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane.
“This is a very different type of event,” Fenelon said. “But that does give an indication of the magnitude of the winds. This isn’t something you see even every year.”
Weather Service Meteorologist Jim Allsopp tells NBC that the storm could be among the worst to hit Illinois in more than 70 years.
Three Killed In Minnesota Tornadoes This Week
By: David Shepherd [dshepherd@wtwo.com] – Sunday, June 20, 2010
At least 3 people were killed in Minnesota when a line of intense storms plowed through Thursday evening.
Angie Woodside told The Weather Channel about taking cover in the basement as the tornado approached. Angie says her mother-in-law, Kathy, 66, refused to go underground despite the warnings.
“She told me she would not go down in one,” Angie Woodside said Friday, the day after Kathy was killed when the tornado picked her up and threw her 200 feet into a field near her home.
In northwestern Minnesota,79-year-old Margie Schulke was killed when the intense twisters destroyed her home with her inside. 58
Courtesy: The Weather Channel, Iwitness Carl Becker
year old Wes Michaels was also killed when the gas station he owned was leveled by the violent storm.
In all, 3 people were killed in Minnesota and dozens more were injured in Thursday’s storms.
Officials report hundreds of homes were damaged by the extreme weather. The National Weather Service reports 36 tornado sightings Thursday.
Severe storms have wrecked havoc on several mid-west states for several days in a row this week with some states expecting even more this weekend.
Sunday’s Severe Weather Outlook For The Midwest
David Shepherd – Storm Chaser [dshepherd@wtwo.com]
*Note: The information on the weather blog is not updated regularly. The forecast is based on data collected early in the day. For the most up-to-date information on severe weather, consult your local media outlets.
Father’s Day thunderstorms are in the forecast Sunday for the Dakotas, Nebraska, Indiana and northern Kentucky, according to meteorologists.
Some storms will likely turn severe as they enter a very hot, humid, and unstable air mass.
Severe storms are expected to pack damaging winds, lightning, hail and isolated tornadoes. Rainfall estimates of 3 inches for parts of the Midwestern states Sunday.
At Least 5 Killed In Midwest Tornado Outbreak
By: David Shepherd [ dshepherd@wtwo.com ] – Sunday, June 06, 2010
Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes plow through the Midwest overnight killing at least 5 people and leaving a path of destruction 100 yards wide.
In Millbury, Ohio, rescue workers continue their search for victims in the rubble of shattered homes Sunday. It’s too soon to tell whether anyone else is missing.
The storms hit around 11 p.m. Saturday night with heavy rain, wind, hail and tornadoes. The storm swept through a small farm town,
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narrowly missing a heavily populated suburb of Toledo.
The violent storms damaged at least 50 homes and another 50 were severely damaged. School buses and police cars were tossed in a mile long trail of devastation.
5 people, including 1 child, were killed. Police say, among those killed, a person standing outside of the police department and a motorist.
In Michigan, it was a terrifying night as violent weather ripped off siding on a nuclear plant.
Nuclear Plant Automatically Shut Down as Storms Blew Through
Enrico Fermi Nuclear Power Plant
Severe storms that blew through Michigan caused damage to the Fermi 2 nuclear plant in the southeastern part of the state. Per design, the plant shut
down as the high winds ripped off siding from one of the buildings there.
Investigators
were called in to inspect the plant to make sure there was no further damage. A public information officer for Monroe County tells NBC News the plant was expected to go back into operation soon.
Power was knocked out to about 35,000 people nearby during the storms but it’s not clear if it was directly related to the shutdown of the nuclear power plant.
In Dundee, Michigan, 11 people were taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries. Meteorologists with the National Weather Service are looking into reports of a tornado touchdown there.
More than 12 people were hurt in Dwight, Illinois where 10 homes and 40 mobile homes were destroyed.
Illinois Tornado Outbreak
By: David Shepherd [dshepherd@wtwo.com] – Sunday, June 6, 2010
At least 12 tornadoes have reportedly touched down in central Illinois.
Damage reports are coming in from several areas in Illinois. No injuries have been immediately reported.
The storms began around 7:45 p.m. central time. Tornadoes touched down in Elmwood, Peoria, East Peoria, Washington, and Hanna City, according to the Peoria Journal Star.
Severe damage has been reported on the ground near Kankakee, Ill, apparently caused by a tornado.
Early December Cold Snap Grips the Nation
David Shepherd – Dec. 7Frigid weather is gripping much of the country as far south as Florida.
Fort Lauderdale hit a record low temperature for this date (Tuesday) at 40 degrees. The old record was 42 set in 1841.
The National Weather Service issued hard freeze warnings Tuesday night into Wednesday morning for much of Florida with freeze advisories as far south as Hollywood.
Cold and snow have hit parts of North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Vermont. Winter weather advisories are in effect for parts of those states with more snow expected.
IN Voters to Decide Whether Prop. Tax Caps Are Put In Constitution
David Shepherd - Nov. 2Question 1 on the ballot in Indiana asks voters if they support making Property Tax Cap laws part of the state constitution.
Lawmakers expect the proposal to pass, but Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett says the caps are bad for cities who are struggling with the lack of revenue.
The Mayor says more cuts must be made to make up for the loss in revenue from the property tax caps.
Over the past two years, the caps have forced the city to cut more than $5.5-million.Terre Haute is the 7th hardest hit city in the state when it comes to the caps' effects.
"It all sounds good. Everybody wants their taxes to go down," says Bennett. "But people don't realize that the translation is, you pay less, there's less service and people are not going to be happy with that in future years. I've not seen a lot of resistance to it out there and I don't think people really understand the true impact and cities and towns are the hardest hit because you can't raise any new revenue."
One city service that won't be cut this year is the city's leaf pick-up.
Last year, city leaders thought they wouldn't be able to afford to do it this year.
Wednesday, the Mayor said they'll make one pass to pick up the leaves if they are raked out to the curb.
Republic will also continue to collect bagged leaves.The Mayor doesn't know if the city will be able to afford the program next year.
VA Man Accused of Plot to Bomb DC Metro
David Shepherd - Oct. 27A Virginia man, born in Pakistan, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly casing Washington area Metro stations to possibly carry out a bomb plot on the Nation’s Capitol, police sources said.
34-year-old Farooque Ahmed is accused of approaching government employees, he thought were al-Qaida operatives, to join the so called bomb plot on Washington’s Metro.
NBC News has learned the ruse was conducted over the past six months and it allegedly involved Ahmed handing over video of northern Virginia subway stations to the men the thought were connected to the terror group.
Sources say he suggested using rolling suitcases, instead of backpacks, to kill as many people as possible.
Investigators also tell NBC Farooque offered to donate money to al-Qaida.The FBI says the public was never in danger since agents knew what Ahmed was up to. They say he was monitored throughout the entire course of the investigation.
Hundreds Feared Dead in Mexican Mudslide
FROM MSNBC: Hundreds of people were buried in their homes early Tuesday after a rain-soaked mountainside gave way in southwestern Mexico, officials said.
Donato Vargas, an official in Santa Maria Tlahuitoltepec reached by phone, said 500 people were missing and that 300 homes were buried after the slide around 4 a.m. local time.
"We were all sleeping and all I heard was a loud noise and when I left the house I saw that the hill had fallen," Vargas said.
"It has been difficult informing authorities because the roads are very bad and there isn't a good signal for our phone," Vargas said shortly before the call dropped.
Reached by the news agency AFP, Vargas added that "we fear that those missing are buried inside their homes because we've already searched nearby areas."
Mr. Colbert Goes to Washington (But Did Congress Get the Joke?)
David Shepherd - Sept. 24It was suppose to be “lol” funny! But I’m not sure members of Congress got the joke.
Comedy Central star Stephen Colbert appeared on Capitol Hill today as a witness on the issue of migrant farm work.The funnyman was invited to speak to the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security by the co-chair
“I certainly hope that my star power can bump this hearing all the way up to C-SPAN One,” Colbert told members of the subcommittee.
Stephen Colbert’s character comes across as a right-wing activist, ready to join the Republicans at any moment (while not confirmed, most think it’s just an act).
“We have to do something” about the plight of farm workers “because I am not going back out there,” Colbert jabbed.
“At this point, I break into a cold sweat at the sight of a salad bar,” he said.
It’s obvious his comments were meant to be taken light-heartedly by the elected officials but, as TV cameras showed glimpses of the committee members, not many seemed amused.
Some chuckled, others laughed out loud, but the majority rolled their eyes and sat expressionless as Colbert ranted on several issues including immigration and the economy.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters she thinks Colbert's appearance was appropriate.
"He's an American. He comes before the committee. He has a point of view. He can bring attention to an important issue like immigration," she said. "I think it's great."
My News Blog
Thank you for checking out my blog. Feel free to browse, comment and participate in my Sound-Off Web Polls.The information in these stories come from several sources from network news to my own sources in Indiana, Washington D.C. and elsewhere.
While many other blogs give the author's point of view on a variety of topics, it's my goal to present the information in an impartial fashion so you, the reader, can form opinions for yourselves.
I'm a firm believer in the old-fashioned style of news where the accurate information is the highlight, not the "If it bleeds, it leads" philosophy.
Again, thank you for checking out the blog and enjoy! I'd love to hear from you. If you have story ideas or ways I can improve the blog, feel free to shoot me an e-mail at dshepherd@wtwo.com.
David Shepherd Wins “Best in General News” Award
I was recently honored to win a Spectrum Award for Best in General News by the Indiana Broadcasters Association for a story I did for NBC 2 WTWO-TV in Terre Haute.
This is my first award from the Broadcasters Association.
I’d like to thank my photographer, Josh Lum, for shooting and editing the piece. Without his stellar work, this award would not have been possible.
Democrats Stump For Last Minute Votes
David Shepherd - Nov. 2Democratic candidates for state office were in Terre Haute Friday stumping for last minute votes.
The candidates for State Treasurer, Secretary of State, and State Auditor greeted supporters.
As the election enters the home stretch, the democrats know they have ground to make up if they want to pull out a win on Tuesday.
Democratic Senate candidate Brad Ellsworth also made a stop in the Valley Friday.
Ellsworth spoke to a group of ISU students at Rhodes Hall.
The Senate hopeful discussed a variety of issues including Cap and Trade and the economy.
Ellsworth says his campaign is in full gear leading up to Tuesday’s election.
"It's going really well. I just left Indianapolis. I was in a room full of people; volunteers that were stuffing walking bags and making phone calls and that's really what it's down to now, is the ground game of who gets the votes out."
Ellsworth is running against Republican Dan Coats and Libertarian Rebecca Sink-Burris in Tuesday’s election.
Residents Flee Erupting Volcano
David Shepherd - Oct. 26The death toll stands at 19 in Indonesia after its most active volcano, Mount Merapi, erupted Tuesday morning; spewing smoke and ash for miles.
NBC News reports one of the dead was a young baby. There were also slew of other injuries.
Terrified villagers fled their homes following Tuesday morning’s eruption.
The death toll is expected to rise.
President’s Approval Drops to All-Time Low
David Shepherd - Sept. 24Democrats are starting to smell blood in the water as new polling shows President Barrack Obama’s approval rating dropping to record lows.
Only 42 percent of Americans approve of President Barrack Obama’s job performance, according to a new CNN / Opinion Research Corporation poll. The poll shows 54 percent of Americans are not satisfied with the administration’s performance.
A sluggish economy and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have taken support for Mr. Obama to an all-time low.
Other democrats, some who are running in November’s mid-term elections, aren’t doing much better.
Congressional Democrats face a nine-point deficit when those polled were asked which party they’ll support in November.Some political analysts say Republicans have a serious shot at picking up the 39 seats needed to re-take control of the House of Representatives (currently held by the Democrats).
Those Democrats may not be asking the President to stump for them any time soon. Only 37 percent of likely voters say they are more likely to vote for a candidate backed by Mr. Obama.
Nearly half of those polled said they’d likely choose a candidate supported by the Tea Party movement, an ultra-conservative base that’s gained growing support in recent months.
The poll also shows the majority of Americans believe Republicans, in general, are more engaged and excited about voting than their Democratic counterparts.
David Shepherd: News Blog 
