Latest news with #NorthernIllinoisUniversity
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
'Baseball cap-sized hail:" Near-record hailstones measured in Texas
Massive hailstones, one measured at nearly 6 inches in diameter, pummeled Texas over the holiday weekend, with storm chasers helping scientists on a mission to research big hail. On Sunday in Afton, about 70 miles east of Lubbock, storm chaser Colt Forney found a hailstone that may have been more than 6 inches in diameter-about the size of a baseball cap. ICECHIP, a project at Northern Illinois University funded by the National Science Foundation that aims to answer scientific questions about hail, measured a 5.47-inch hailstone in the same town. It was bigger than a baseball and a golf ball put together. Not to be outdone by Sunday's discovery, a 5.87-inch hailstone was recorded at Menard, Texas-about 150 miles northwest of Austin-Monday by Landon Moeller from ICECHIP. "Is this what they call the Finger of God? Massive hailstones today!! Everything really is bigger in Texas," Moeller posted on X. Texas and U.S. hail records The official hail record in Texas is 6.42 inches, set in Hondo on April 28, 2021. Larger stones were also measured last year but haven't made it into the record books yet. Even if the stone is clearly measured, it can take years for the records to be updated. A hailstone that fell in Vivian, South Dakota, on July 23, 2010, holds the United States record for the largest size with a diameter of 8 inches. How is hail measured? Hail is classified by diameter, from pea-sized, one-quarter of an inch across, to softball-sized, 4 inches across. Hail an inch or larger in diameter is considered severe by the National Weather Service. Beyond 4 inches, the stones are so unusual that there aren't officially terms to describe the size, although "grapefruit" is sometimes used to describe hail that is 4.5 inches in diameter, and "CD/DVD" penned to stones at 4.75 inches. How does hail form? When rising air in a thunderstorm, known as the updraft, lifts water droplets high into the atmosphere where temperatures are below freezing, layers of ice form on a frozen raindrop until the hailstone is heavy enough to fall to the ground. May and June are the most typical months to see large hail, with 32 reports of hail larger than 4 inches in diameter submitted to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center in May 2024 and May 2025 so far.
Chicago Tribune
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Elgin Valley Fox Trot bringing back cash prizes, introducing new routes
The 48th edition of the Elgin Valley Fox Trot set for June 1 will be a bit different from years past. Not only will cash prizes be offered again for the first time in several years, there will be new routes for the 5K and 10-mile races and the continuation of newer fun attractions, like face painting, organizers said. 'This race began before chip timing and GPS watches became standard so everything was done with stopwatches,' said Ed Bates, who has penned a new book, 'Running 10: The History of the Valley Fox Trot,' which he said is to be published by Aleo Publications later this year. Its long history is part of the appeal for some, only some of whom will remember back to the day when it stepped off with 10 people starting their stopwatches at the start off the race and and then spreading out to designated mile markers to call out split times. Bates, who has a doctorate in history from Northern Illinois University, said event founder Dr. David Bruce would run just behind the leaders to ensure everything was in place for the rest of the field. 'One of his friends even offered him fine champagne along the course,' Bates said. Bruce was an ER doctor at Sherman Hospital who ran the Chicago Marathon in 1976, an experience that inspired him to start the Fox Trot in Elgin in 1978. 'The running boom of the 1970s is often attributed to (American) Frank Shorter's victory in the 1972 Olympic marathon,' Bates said. 'The Fox Trot is part of that history and began at a time when very few local running events existed.' From 1978 through 1994, the Fox Trot was exclusively a 10-mile race. The first sponsor was Elgin Life Underwriters, and the city of Elgin managed the event from 1980 through 2019. From its start through 2012, the race was held on Memorial Day. The high cost of staging the race on a holiday Monday led to it being shifted over to the Saturday of the holiday weekend in 2013 and and later to a Sunday, Bates said. By 2019, race participation declined. The city was losing money on the event and officials decided to end its direct involvement, he said. 'The Kenyon Farm Runners, a local running group of which I am a member, took over the race in 2020,' Bates said. 'After hosting a 'virtual-only' race that first year due to COVID, the event has seen steady growth. We're hoping to get 1,200 runners this year.' This year's Fox Trot will have different routes than it did last year for its 10-mile and 5K races. According to the event website, both courses will still begin and end at the corner of Grove Avenue and Ann Street, just north of the Gail Borden Public Library. A downhill stretch of Grove Avenue for both races will enhance a sprint to the finish. And a short, steep climb up Cedar Avenue at just beyond the 8-mile mark will remind long-time Fox Trot runners of the old course up Duncan Avenue. To promote participation by young runners, the event has a $20 entry fee for anyone 19 or younger, which is less than half the rate for adults. There's also a trophy given to the school with the highest number of finishers, Bates said. 'Face painting, which is open to everyone on race day, has also helped attract young participants. It's a feature we noticed in other successful races,' he said. And as it has been doing for the last few years, race organizers will be offering free course preview runs Sunday, May 18, and Monday, May 26. Inspired by research showing the city of Elgin once offered cash prizes, new Fox Trot sponsor the Karas Restaurant Group will be doing the same for this year's events. Male and female winners of the 10-mile race will each receive $200, with second-place winners netting $100 and third-place $50. For the 5K, the prizes are $100, $50 and $25 for both men and women. Come race day, Bates will be part of a five-person team managing the event. For that reason, the avid runner hasn't been able to participate in the Fox Trot since the virtual event in 2020, he said. Bates took up serious running in 2004 after ending a 30-year career in retail managment. It was a sport he enjoyed in high school and did briefly during his business career, he said. 'I became a college history instructor and had more time to devote to running, having been only a mediocre golfer during my retail years,' he said. In those 21 years, Bates has run 78 marathons in all 50 states. 'I have run the Chicago Marathon for each of the past 17 years, and I have completed Boston twice, New York twice, London, Tokyo and Berlin, achieving all six world marathon majors,' he said. 'Now, at 76 years old, I continue to run Chicago every year along with many local half- marathons.' For more on the Elgin Valley Fox Trot, go to
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
Transcript: Talk-Line with Steve Marco interviews Greg Gates, Reagan Mass Transit District
Apr. 29—Read the transcript from our Talk-Line interview featuring the Executive Director of the Reagan Mass Transit District, Greg Gates. Gates discusses a transit desert study on local public transportation needs in association with Northern Illinois University, continuing work on bringing daily regular city routes to Dixon and Rochelle, and work on the new transit center for Ogle County in Oregon. Other topics include the start of transportation through RMTD for rural Winnebago County and the first "Fore! Wheels Golf" fundraiser coming up June 19 at Lost Nation. Like what you hear? Be sure to visit WIXN, part of Shaw Local Radio. We're also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
Shaw Local Radio Podcast: Talk-Line with Steve Marco interviews Greg Gates, Reagan Mass Transit District
Apr. 29—Listen to "Talk-Line: Greg Gates, Reagan Mass Transit District" on Spreaker. The TALK-LINE interview for April 29 featured the Executive Director of the Reagan Mass Transit District, Greg Gates. Gates discusses a transit desert study on local public transportation needs in association with Northern Illinois University, continuing work on bringing daily regular city routes to Dixon and Rochelle, and work on the new transit center for Ogle County in Oregon. Other topics include the start of transportation through RMTD for rural Winnebago County and the first "Fore! Wheels Golf" fundraiser coming up June 19 at Lost Nation. Like what you hear? Be sure to visit WIXN, part of Shaw Local Radio. We're also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NIU demonstrators protest after 5 students' visas revoked by White House
DEKALB, Ill. (WTVO) — Demonstrators at Northern Illinois University rallied Wednesday in support of five international students whose visas were revoked by the White House. The revocations come as hundreds of foreign students nationwide have had their visas revoked as part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department was revoking visas held by visitors who were acting counter to national interests, including some who protested Israel's war in Gaza and those who face criminal charges. 'We gave you a visa to come and study and get a degree, not to become a social activist that tears up our university campus. We've given you a visa and you decide to do that — we're going to take it away,' Rubio said in a news conference. But colleges say most students affected by visa revocations played no role in those protests. Many are being singled out over minor infractions such as traffic violations that occurred long ago, and in some cases, the reason is unclear, colleges say. 'International students are an essential component of our campus and DeKalb County community,' said Mark Van Wienen, professor of English and president of NIU-United Faculty Alliance. 'Our international colleagues on campus are integral to life and work at NIU. An attack upon any of them is an attack upon us all. We are taking action at this rally to protest the infringements upon their legal rights and stand in solidarity.' According to the , there are 970 NIU students who are from countries outside of the U.S. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
