Latest news with #WGN-TV
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘We are all affected by it': Shocked neighbors grieve sisters' killings as search continues for suspect in Streamwood
STREAMWOOD, Ill. (WGN) — Shocked residents in northwest suburban Streamwood continue to grieve Friday as the search continues for a man wanted in connection with the stabbing deaths of his sisters earlier this week. A manhunt is currently underway for 25-year-old Jalonie Jenkins, a man identified as a suspect in the stabbing deaths of a 10-year-old girl and a 21-year-old woman at a townhome in the Woodland Heights East subdivision in the 1600 block of McKool Avenue in Streamwood on Wednesday night. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Loved ones identified the victims as 21-year-old Janiya Jenkins and 10-year-old Eyani Jones, both believed to be the suspect's sisters. While authorities searched for answers Thursday morning, a car belonging to Jenkins was located about 15 miles from the crime scene at Redmond Recreational Complex in Bensenville. Following the discovery, authorities conducted an extensive search of the park, but there was no sign of Jenkins. As the search continues, residents who live near the home where the deadly stabbings occurred are shocked. The woman who called 911 was badly shaken while speaking to WGN-TV Thursday. She said she discovered the victims after being led to the scene by the victim's 7-year-old brother, who informed her that 'something very bad' had happened at their home. 'I open my door, I say 'What happened?' He gets going into detail, you know, he's only 7 years old, this is his big sister that he discovered,' the family friend said. When she finally got to the home, she recognized the weight of the tragedy. LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland 'He said, 'Can you call my mom? eyani is dead,' Head leads me upstairs, I walk up the stairs and I just see, like, blood and stuff, you know, everywhere. I see the oldest girl, you know, laid out, I see the little girl, she's laid out. I'm on the phone with the mom, so I'm telling her like 'Oh my gosh, like, you know, your kids are gone,' the woman said. The woman, who called the deadly incident 'heartbreaking,' said 10-year-old eyani was best friends with her daughter. 'She was a really sweet girl,' she said. 'They go to school down the street. They just got out of school last Thursday after a vacation. They were on their way to fifth grade.' The family friend is among several residents in the area grieving after the horrific killings. Just outside the police perimeter Friday morning, messages of love could be found. 'We are all affected by it,' neighbor Gabrielle Morales said. Mosquitoes found in Glenview test positive for West Nile Virus One of the victim's friends, Jasmine Marshall, said she knew Janiya well and described her as one of a kind. 'She was a good friend, like a friend I've never had,' Marshall said. Others who live nearby said they were distressed by the news. 'It took us by surprise, it really has. It kind of shook us,' Andres Sullivan, who also lives nearby, said. Ohio man given 30 years for sexually exploiting Chicagoland girl he met online Officers say Jenkins is believed to be armed and dangerous, and his last known location was in Bensenville. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of 25-year-old Jalonie Jenkins is asked to call the Streamwood Police Department at (630) 736-3700 or leave a message on the Streamwood Police Department Confidential Tipline at (630) 736-3719. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Major city braces for shocking heat wave as meteorologist warns of summer-like surge: 'It's going to feel like mid-July'
It was only the middle of May, but Chicago was already feeling like July. A Windy City meteorologist warned it would be the most sweltering day of the season so far. The mercury soared to a steamy 94 degrees at O'Hare Airport on May 15, setting a new record high for the date in Chicago. A WGN-TV veteran meteorologist saw it coming. "It's going to feel like mid-July instead of mid-May," meteorologist Bill Snyder predicted, per Block Club Chicago. The heat that day broke the previous record set 63 years ago by three degrees. Could this be an omen for a sizzling summer in Chicago? Per NOAA, last summer was the city's fourth warmest on record. The summer of 2024 was preceded by Chicago's seventh-warmest spring. The first two months of spring in Chicago this year ranked as the 25th-warmest March-through-April period on record. Meanwhile, the first three weeks of May have been slightly cooler than average, around one degree below normal. Other major cities this May have been much hotter. Houston climbed into the mid-90s during the middle of May, setting record highs for three straight days. Houston's nights during this stretch didn't offer much relief. The city had record warm low temperatures for five consecutive mornings from May 16 through May 20. Phoenix climbed to 100 degrees or hotter five times during the first three weeks of May. There are indications that this summer could be a scorcher. The Climate Prediction Center's summer temperature outlook favors every portion of the contiguous U.S. to have above-average temperatures this summer. Of the country's top 20 hottest summers, 15 have happened since 2000, and just over half of them have occurred since 2010. An analysis of 242 U.S. cities by Climate Central, a nonprofit group made up of scientists and communicators who study how the changing climate impacts people's lives, revealed that 97% of them have warmed since 1970. Over the past 55 years, these locations saw an average increase of 2.6 degrees. Their study also found that there has been a rise in the number of summer days exceeding the 1991-2020 average summer temperature for 97% of the locations analyzed. Heat waves elevate the risks of early and preterm deaths, especially among those most susceptible: Black and Hispanic mothers. Australian researchers warn that as global temperatures climb, deadly heat waves are becoming the new normal — especially endangering residents of urban areas. A breakthrough by researchers in Hong Kong could help people avoid the heat without harming the planet, thanks to a promising new eco-friendly cooling method. Scientists have also found a way to lower the temperature of hot surfaces that sit in the sun, like glass, and it could make buildings much cooler. The best way to cool down the planet will require a concerted worldwide effort to curb the emissions of heat-trapping gases in our atmosphere. This means moving away from dirty energy sources and embracing cleaner alternatives. Installing a heat pump in place of an old HVAC system and replacing a conventional range with a more energy-efficient induction stove are two ways homeowners can help. Adding solar panels and a battery system can boost your home's resilience during extreme weather and power outages while also cutting energy costs, in some cases to zero. EnergySage lets you compare quotes from trusted local installers, with potential savings up to $10,000. Have your AC bills gone up in the past year? Yes — majorly Yes — by a little Not really They've actually gone down Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Sunday forecast: Clouds clear by afternoon hours, but staying cool around Chicagoland
Weather Maps Interactive Radar Climate & Environment The Sunday of Memorial Day weekend should be mostly dry and sunny around Chicagoland, at least after some morning cloud cover and showers clear out. But the lengthy stretch of cool weather continues, even as we mark the unofficial first weekend of summer. WGN-TV Weather Producer Bill Snyder explains the below-average temperatures We're getting cloud cover and some scattered showers around the area early Sunday. Most areas should see clearing by later Sunday morning, though some areas in the southern part of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana could see clouds and showers linger into the early afternoon. Winds will remain calm out of the east/northeast, but the direction will once again create lakeside cooling. And it'll remain cool overall yet again around Chicagoland, with inland highs in the mid-60s and lakeside highs in the upper 50s, still well below typical Memorial Day weekend temperatures. That doesn't look to change much on Monday for Memorial Day itself, though temps could be a touch warmer than Sunday. If you're tired of the cool temps and aching for some more summer-like conditions, though, we have good news: Temps look to perk back up to more normal levels by the end of the coming work week. See more below. Believe it or not, the city's beaches have officially opened for the season, but use caution: Water temperatures are on the colder side, around 56 degrees. Those who swim in water between 35 and 60 degrees could suffer from 'cold water shock,' which is when the cold water triggers an involuntary gasp and can cause swallowing of water or drowning. We doubt many people will need to cool off in Lake Michigan from the chillier-than-normal temps this weekend, but if you do jump in, extra caution is urged. Weather Maps Climate & Environment Interactive Radar Weather Bug Cameras 7-Day Outlook Weather Center Newsletter The extended outlook for Chicagoland calls for on-and-off showers on Tuesday, with mostly cloudy skies and temps still in the mid-60s. Wednesday then calls for some light rain at times, with high temps only in the lower 60s. Finally, we're back into the seasonal 70s for Thursday and into the last days of May! The warmer temps also come with a slight chance of showers each day at the end of the coming week. And while rain dampers outdoor plans, we do need it, because Chicagoland has been mired in dry conditions recently. As the 7-day forecast shows, by next weekend we could see temps back into the mid-70s, as we flip the calendar from May to June. Climate and Environment news: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Rare Chicago dust storm reignites debates over the role of agriculture, experts say
A tall, imposing plume of agricultural sediment blew from central Illinois and over dry farmland to envelop Chicago, dropping visibility to near zero last week during a type of dust storm mostly seen in arid climates in the Middle East, North Africa and the southwestern U.S. 'It's pretty rare to have dust storms in Illinois,' said Trent Ford, the Illinois state climatologist. 'It's not unprecedented, but it's uncommon. And for a dust storm to affect Chicago is even more uncommon.' The last dust storm to hit Chicago occurred on May 31, 1985 — and the last one of this kind of magnitude in Chicago happened during the Dust Bowl in the early to mid-1930s. But Friday was the first time the local National Weather Service office in Romeoville issued a dust storm warning that included the Chicago area. An unprecedented dust storm in Chicago might raise the possibility of a strong connection to climate change, 'because we just haven't seen this before,' Ford said. 'But at the same time, the discussion of climate change often overrides what can be, in some cases, a more important discussion of land management.' Meteorologists and farming experts say these events are like 'perfect storms' of different factors: specifically dry conditions, sustained winds and, of course, dry soil that is waiting to be blown away. No matter the weather circumstances, wherever there is uncovered, open farmland — tilled or otherwise — there is an increased risk for a storm to form, Ford said. Dust storms in recent years, particularly the deadly one south of Springfield in 2023 and Friday's storm, have reignited debates over how big a role agriculture plays in what some think are just freak acts of nature. Known as a haboob — an Arabic word that translates as 'blast' or 'gust' — this kind of weather event occurs when a thunderstorm or cold front forms and collapses, sending powerful winds downward that displace loose dust like silt, clay and soil. Former WGN-TV meteorologist Tom Skilling said it has been compared to taking a running garden hose and pointing it at the ground. When the water hits the ground, it fans out in all directions like air does when it flows out of a storm system. The weather conditions were similar to a fatal dust storm two years ago that killed eight people and injured at least 36 in an 84-car pileup on Interstate 55. But that storm was not considered a haboob, given there was no large-scale organization of strong, straight-line winds around a weather front, according to Ford. On Friday, no deadly crashes were reported to Illinois State Police, which had closed some portions of I-55, I-74 and U.S. Route 136. 'The biggest difference,' Ford said, 'is not necessarily the impact, but the actual driving factor.' It's difficult to predict whether such massive dust storms reminiscent of the Dust Bowl will become more common under a changing climate, Ford said. 'You kind of have to break it down into the individual ingredients.' On Friday, those included drought conditions during the state's windiest time of year, the start of the season when farmers are planting or actively working the soil, and when little vegetation covers their fields. Clear, sunny conditions likely also meant fieldwork was underway, loosening dry topsoil that can easily drift away, Ford added. Midwest springs are trending toward a wetter climate. But that doesn't mean the region won't experience drier years, like it has recently, due to natural variability. Illinois also isn't getting any windier — or less windy, for that matter, despite what 'everybody and their dog thinks,' Ford said. 'The data that we have does not support that.' Farm fields that are regularly tilled and left bare, without plant roots to hold soil in place, tend to be at greater risk of that topsoil being swept away by high winds or rain. Other methods don't disturb the soil as much, making it less susceptible to erosion: One-pass tillage uses tractors with a special tool that turns over the soil once, and strip-tilling turns over just the row of soil where seeds are planted, leaving the rest of the field undisturbed and covered by residue from the previous crop. 'It (isn't) just the practices, it (is) that perfect storm. But the practices fit within the storm,' said Richard Lyons, who runs a 300-acre family farm in Harvel, about 40 miles south of Springfield. He strip-tills his corn but doesn't till his soybean fields at all. Since 2014, Lyons has also planted cover crops to protect the soil against the elements, to keep a living root in the soil all year, and to add biodiversity to the state's dominant two-crop rotation of corn and soybean. Many farmers are more reluctant to change their tried-and-true methods, while others might feel pressured to keep their fields neat-looking with uniform, straight crops and no vegetation cover. Most, however, worry about the expenses associated with changing their practices. Lyons has only seen long-term benefits, however, including high crop yields and healthy soil. For instance, his cover crops recycle nutrients from lower levels and bring them closer to the surface, where most corn and soybean roots are located. 'Therefore, you reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers on the land,' he said. That also prevents nutrient runoff toward the Mississippi River and into the Gulf of Mexico. It's a win-win, he said. 'And it's an economic saving to boot.' Farming advocates also say the state and federal governments have failed at encouraging these types of planting methods through so-called conservation programs to provide financial and technical assistance. Illinois farmers, saying they face 'so many challenges as it is,' criticize USDA funding freezes Editorial: The day Chicago got a dusty taste of 'The Grapes of Wrath' As tornado season ramps up, risks rise from Trump weather service cuts, experts say Under President Franklin Roosevelt and in the wake of the Dust Bowl, volunteer-led agencies in Illinois — 97 across the state's 102 counties — popped up to help and educate farmers through local and state efforts in hopes of preventing soil erosion and subsequent similar disasters. Over the next few administrations, however, most lessons learned fell by the wayside. The districts have remained underfunded for years. 'The Dust Bowl was the largest man-made environmental disaster in U.S. history,' said Eliot Clay, executive director of the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts. 'And it was born, pretty much, out of farming and the way that it was being practiced.' With a projected state budget shortfall estimated close to $1 billion and uncertainty regarding federal funding, advocates worry about what the future holds for conservation practices in Illinois, which is three-quarters agricultural land. 'Now, especially, more than ever, with the current administration, those incentives are disappearing in a lot of ways. And farmers are being stuck with the practices that they're being told are best — even though they're likely not,' Clay said. 'I really, truly believe that funding for agricultural conservation is incredibly important for our nation's security and economy.' Some worry that the state might remain unable to step in with incentives to replace those that the federal government has taken away through Inflation Reduction Act and U.S. Department of Agriculture funding. 'As much as I don't want to see any of this happen,' Clay said, 'I hope that somebody is watching and thinking to themselves, 'What can I do about this when I get back to Springfield?'' Friday in Chicago began sunny and warm, with a high of nearly 80 degrees and a gentle breeze. It was a perfect day for Brett Borer, a Lakeview resident, to take friends who were visiting from out of town for a Beyoncé concert on an architectural boat tour of Chicago that also goes out on Lake Michigan. But as the wind picked up, things quickly changed. The water got choppy. When the boat turned around on its way back to the river, a gray cloud was looming over the city. 'It looked like it was a rain cloud. And the forecast showed no rain,' Borer told the Tribune. 'I was like, 'I don't know what's happening.' It happened so fast. All of a sudden, everything went brown.' Passengers watched as Chicago disappeared in front of their eyes. While the boat was not engulfed in the dusty winds, it rocked violently and sprayed tourists with water. As fast as it came on, the storm soon passed and the sun came out again. After a foggy week and a tornado warning that delayed the Beyoncé show on Thursday, Borer was worried about what the weather had in store for the weekend. He didn't really expect a dust storm the likes of which he'd never seen here. 'We were (put) through hell and high water,' Borer said. A dust storm enveloping Chicago is an unusual sight. And experiencing it anywhere is frightening, Clay said. But to conventional farmers, a dust storm entails additional losses: Recently planted seeds and fertile topsoil from thousands of years of prairie can be blown away in seconds. Which also makes the issue an economic one. 'That's also money in the air, leaving,' he said. Chicago Tribune's Jonathan Bullington, Jake Sheridan, Kori Rumore Finley, Ikram Mohammed and Rebecca Johnson contributed. adperez@
Chicago Tribune
20-05-2025
- Climate
- Chicago Tribune
Rare Chicago dust storm reignites debates over the role of agriculture, experts say
A tall, imposing plume of agricultural sediment blew from central Illinois and over dry farmland to envelop Chicago, dropping visibility to near zero last week during a type of dust storm mostly seen in arid climates in the Middle East, North Africa and the southwestern U.S. 'It's pretty rare to have dust storms in Illinois,' said Trent Ford, the Illinois state climatologist. 'It's not unprecedented, but it's uncommon. And for a dust storm to affect Chicago is even more uncommon.' The last dust storm to hit Chicago occurred on May 31, 1985 — and the last one of this kind of magnitude in Chicago happened during the Dust Bowl in the early to mid-1930s. But Friday was the first time the local National Weather Service office in Romeoville issued a dust storm warning that included the Chicago area. An unprecedented dust storm in Chicago might raise the possibility of a strong connection to climate change, 'because we just haven't seen this before,' Ford said. 'But at the same time, the discussion of climate change often overrides what can be, in some cases, a more important discussion of land management.' Meteorologists and farming experts say these events are like 'perfect storms' of different factors: specifically dry conditions, sustained winds and, of course, dry soil that is waiting to be blown away. No matter the weather circumstances, wherever there is uncovered, open farmland — tilled or otherwise — there is an increased risk for a storm to form, Ford said. Dust storms in recent years, particularly the deadly one south of Springfield in 2023 and Friday's storm, have reignited debates over how big a role agriculture plays in what some think are just freak acts of nature. Known as a haboob — an Arabic word that translates as 'blast' or 'gust' — this kind of weather event occurs when a thunderstorm or cold front forms and collapses, sending powerful winds downward that displace loose dust like silt, clay and soil. Former WGN-TV meteorologist Tom Skilling said it has been compared to taking a running garden hose and pointing it at the ground. When the water hits the ground, it fans out in all directions like air does when it flows out of a storm system. The weather conditions were similar to a fatal dust storm two years ago that killed eight people and injured at least 36 in an 84-car pileup on Interstate 55. But that storm was not considered a haboob, given there was no large-scale organization of strong, straight-line winds around a weather front, according to Ford. On Friday, no deadly crashes were reported to Illinois State Police, which had closed some portions of I-55, I-74 and U.S. Route 136. 'The biggest difference,' Ford said, 'is not necessarily the impact, but the actual driving factor.' It's difficult to predict whether such massive dust storms reminiscent of the Dust Bowl will become more common under a changing climate, Ford said. 'You kind of have to break it down into the individual ingredients.' On Friday, those included drought conditions during the state's windiest time of year, the start of the season when farmers are planting or actively working the soil, and when little vegetation covers their fields. Clear, sunny conditions likely also meant fieldwork was underway, loosening dry topsoil that can easily drift away, Ford added. Midwest springs are trending toward a wetter climate. But that doesn't mean the region won't experience drier years, like it has recently, due to natural variability. Illinois also isn't getting any windier — or less windy, for that matter, despite what 'everybody and their dog thinks,' Ford said. 'The data that we have does not support that.' Farm fields that are regularly tilled and left bare, without plant roots to hold soil in place, tend to be at greater risk of that topsoil being swept away by high winds or rain. Other methods don't disturb the soil as much, making it less susceptible to erosion: One-pass tillage uses tractors with a special tool that turns over the soil once, and strip-tilling turns over just the row of soil where seeds are planted, leaving the rest of the field undisturbed and covered by residue from the previous crop. 'It (isn't) just the practices, it (is) that perfect storm. But the practices fit within the storm,' said Richard Lyons, who runs a 300-acre family farm in Harvel, about 40 miles south of Springfield. He strip-tills his corn but doesn't till his soybean fields at all. Since 2014, Lyons has also planted cover crops to protect the soil against the elements, to keep a living root in the soil all year, and to add biodiversity to the state's dominant two-crop rotation of corn and soybean. Many farmers are more reluctant to change their tried-and-true methods, while others might feel pressured to keep their fields neat-looking with uniform, straight crops and no vegetation cover. Most, however, worry about the expenses associated with changing their practices. Lyons has only seen long-term benefits, however, including high crop yields and healthy soil. For instance, his cover crops recycle nutrients from lower levels and bring them closer to the surface, where most corn and soybean roots are located. 'Therefore, you reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers on the land,' he said. That also prevents nutrient runoff toward the Mississippi River and into the Gulf of Mexico. It's a win-win, he said. 'And it's an economic saving to boot.' Farming advocates also say the state and federal governments have failed at encouraging these types of planting methods through so-called conservation programs to provide financial and technical assistance. Under President Franklin Roosevelt and in the wake of the Dust Bowl, volunteer-led agencies in Illinois — 97 across the state's 102 counties — popped up to help and educate farmers through local and state efforts in hopes of preventing soil erosion and subsequent similar disasters. Over the next few administrations, however, most lessons learned fell by the wayside. The districts have remained underfunded for years. 'The Dust Bowl was the largest man-made environmental disaster in U.S. history,' said Eliot Clay, executive director of the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts. 'And it was born, pretty much, out of farming and the way that it was being practiced.' With a projected state budget shortfall estimated close to $1 billion and uncertainty regarding federal funding, advocates worry about what the future holds for conservation practices in Illinois, which is three-quarters agricultural land. 'Now, especially, more than ever, with the current administration, those incentives are disappearing in a lot of ways. And farmers are being stuck with the practices that they're being told are best — even though they're likely not,' Clay said. 'I really, truly believe that funding for agricultural conservation is incredibly important for our nation's security and economy.' Some worry that the state might remain unable to step in with incentives to replace those that the federal government has taken away through Inflation Reduction Act and U.S. Department of Agriculture funding. 'As much as I don't want to see any of this happen,' Clay said, 'I hope that somebody is watching and thinking to themselves, 'What can I do about this when I get back to Springfield?'' Friday in Chicago began sunny and warm, with a high of nearly 80 degrees and a gentle breeze. It was a perfect day for Brett Borer, a Lakeview resident, to take friends who were visiting from out of town for a Beyoncé concert on an architectural boat tour of Chicago that also goes out on Lake Michigan. But as the wind picked up, things quickly changed. The water got choppy. When the boat turned around on its way back to the river, a gray cloud was looming over the city. 'It looked like it was a rain cloud. And the forecast showed no rain,' Borer told the Tribune. 'I was like, 'I don't know what's happening.' It happened so fast. All of a sudden, everything went brown.' Passengers watched as Chicago disappeared in front of their eyes. While the boat was not engulfed in the dusty winds, it rocked violently and sprayed tourists with water. As fast as it came on, the storm soon passed and the sun came out again. After a foggy week and a tornado warning that delayed the Beyoncé show on Thursday, Borer was worried about what the weather had in store for the weekend. He didn't really expect a dust storm the likes of which he'd never seen here. 'We were (put) through hell and high water,' Borer said. A dust storm enveloping Chicago is an unusual sight. And experiencing it anywhere is frightening, Clay said. But to conventional farmers, a dust storm entails additional losses: Recently planted seeds and fertile topsoil from thousands of years of prairie can be blown away in seconds. Which also makes the issue an economic one. 'That's also money in the air, leaving,' he said.
