Power Outages

The combination of ice and strong winds have a growing number of people in the Illinois Valley waiting for the power to come back on.  Cornbelt Energy reports almost 5,000 customers without power–most in the Bloomington area and west of Princeton.  Ameren says they have almost 1800 customers in the dark in Bureau County, around 200 in La Salle County and another 100 in Putnam County.  Meanwhile, ComEd is showing a spike in customers without power throughout their service areas, as well.

Some Retired Police Looking to Oversee Medical Marijuana Compliance

Some ex-cops have been swayed to join the Medical Marijuana movement.

The Associated Press has identified 17 former law enforcement officials, some of whom even quite their jobs as undercover narcotics officers, to work in the new highly regulated industry.

The Chicago Tribune says many now see the drug less as a societal harm and more as good public policy.

One of the more prominent officials is Terrance Gainer, former Illinois State Police Director.

FAA Cautions Multitude of New Drone Owners to Follow the Rules

The FAA predicts as many as a million of the unmanned aerial vehicles known as drones were sold over the holiday season.

The agency also noted about 650 incidents where aircraft pilots had close calls with drones while in flight. The FAA says all drones are considered aircraft and you are the pilot. They recommend not flying your drone over 400 feet off the ground, to always maintain sight of the drone, don’t fly within 5 miles of an airport, and, of course, don’t fly if you’re intoxicated.

As of December 21, all drones must be registered with the FAA. Governor Bruce Rauner’s Task Force on Drones is looking for your thoughts. You can weigh in at KnowBeforeYouFly.org until July 1.

Winter Storm Warning in Effect for the Illinois Valley

The National Weather service has issued a Winter Storm Warning that will last until 6pm tonight for La Salle, and 6am Tuesday for Bureau and Putnam Counties.

The National Weather Service says ice will cover roads, trees, and power lines. The ice could reach a half-inch of thickness in Bureau and Putnam counties. Wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour are forecast across the area.

A Winter Storm Warning means significant amounts of snow and ice are expected, along with strong winds, throughout the day.