NWS: 2 tornadoes confirmed in Tazewell County

Posted on March 8, 2017

By Eric Stock

LINCOLN – The National Weather Service said a damage assessment shows two tornadoes tore a path through Tazewell County early Tuesday morning.

The first tornado was confirmed about five miles southeast of Green Valley shortly after midnight. The tornado was 150 yards wide and ran for 7.5 miles. The twister was rated an EF-1 with winds of 105 miles per hour.

A second tornado at EF-2 was confirmed east of Delavan. It had winds of 115 miles per hour and spanned the length of two football fields and drove a path nearly three miles long. No major damage or injuries were reported.

A group of dormitories at Illinois State University, Wilkins and Haynie halls, sustained some damage.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…