Man Charged With Stealing Donated Tornado Relief Supplies In Fairdale
Richard Burtch is accused of stealing six to seven pickup loads worth of supplies, from tarps and tubs, to wheelbarrows and rakes, DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said.
Watch CBS News
Richard Burtch is accused of stealing six to seven pickup loads worth of supplies, from tarps and tubs, to wheelbarrows and rakes, DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said.
In the face of disaster, a Chicago boy's acts of kindness continue to grow. Samuel Love is organizing another toy drive, this time for the victims of last week's deadly tornadoes.
A week after a deadly tornado devastated the small town of Fairdale, there already have been signs of major progress, but lots more work is needed as survivors recover from the storm.
Last Thursday's severe weather created a total of 11 tornadoes in Illinois, including the rare EF-4 storm that destroyed much of two small towns west of Chicago.
For nearly a week now, WBBM Newsradio traffic reporter Kris Habermehl has been in the tornado zone near Rockford, serving as a volunteer firefighter.
Video posted on YouTube shows a North Carolina man's close encounter with one of the powerful tornadoes that hit Illinois near Rockford last week.
A photo from the home of a Fairdale tornado victim was found 35 miles away, reports WBBM's Mariam Sobh.
Tom Ciciora has been involved in amateur radio, or ham radio, for more than 40 years. He said, when thunderstorm or tornado warnings are issued by the National Weather Service, amateur radio enthusiasts will head toward areas where it might be worst, using smartphone app radar as a guide.
Neighbors in Fairdale and Rochelle have been rallying together to pick up the pieces, and get through this difficult time, after Thursday's devastating tornado. Survivors and volunteers spent the entire weekend cleaning, but there's still a lot of work left to do.
At least one animal shelter near tornado-ravaged Fairdale is housing several pets, but not because they can't find the owners.
Volunteers and donations continue to pour into Fairdale, days after much of it was destroyed by a tornado. WBBM's Nancy Harty spoke with a volunteer on the ground.
Missy the German shepherd had been spotted in video following Thursday's devastating tornado, but was apparently traumatized by the event and was on the run, a family member says.
Residents of the town of Fairdale were escorted back to their homes Saturday, two days after an EF-4 tornado ripped through the town, killing two people.
After Thursday's tornado and the devastation it brought, Emily Dickow wasn't asking for much. CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports.
Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle says he got a call from Woodstock Police, who found some of his mail – 60 miles away. CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports.
Both Geraldine Schultz, 67, and 69-year-old Jacklyn Klosa were friends and lived in Fairdale, which was leveled Thursday evening by an EF-4 tornado that reached 200 mph.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot talks with Erin Johnson of Rochelle, whose home was ripped off its foundation Thursday.
Authorities in the tornado zones in Rochelle and Fairdale have asked people wanting to help the victims not to get in their cars to make the trip, but do what they can from home instead.
After touring the damage left by powerful tornadoes that killed two people and injured nearly two dozen others, Gov. Bruce Rauner declared two counties disaster areas.
A zoo in Belvidere, Illinois, took a direct hit from one of the two tornadoes that touched down in north central Illinois on Thursday.
Dozens of families in two towns in north central Illinois were left sifting through the rubble, after tornadoes leveled their homes.
Daylight brought a harsh reality in the tiny town of Fairdale: The tornado that hit the night before essentially spared nothing.
The Salvation Army and the American Red Cross have set up shelters for victims, served hot meals to first responders, and provided other relief supplies as residents dig out, and begin the slow recovery process.
Residents of an Illinois community devastated by a tornado in November 2013 were coming together Friday to help the victims of Thursday's deadly tornado in Fairdale, Illinois.
At least one person was killed in Fairdale, Illinois, on Thursday, when a massive "wedge" tornado ripped through the tiny hamlet of 200 people. A second tornado also hit nearby Rochelle. No fatalities were reported there, but at 12 people were trapped in the basement of a restaurant when it was leveled.
Chicago helped shape the nation in so many ways, including the pioneering of skyscrapers – the big, beautiful buildings the city of big shoulders introduced to the world.
A Chicago bus driver is out of a job after he was caught on camera with his hands off the wheel and his eyes glued to his cell phone.
Police in Chicago's south and southwest suburbs are teaming up to target thieves targeting video gambling machines, which have become an increasingly popular target for burglary crews.
An eagle-eyed drone pilot helped spot a missing foster puppy who had been out in the cold for more than two weeks in Chicago's northwest suburbs.
The city of Aurora is kicking off Black History Month by honoring a living legend, one of the last remaining Negro Leagues baseball players.
The footage is included in a video that promotes false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against Mr. Trump.
The FBI has arrested "one of the key participants" behind the attack on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012 that killed four Americans.
A new push to pass a GOP elections bill known as the SAVE America Act is underway in Congress, but Democrats warn the proposal could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.
As immigration sweeps expand nationwide, the work of justifying detentions is overwhelming federal prosecutors, who are being forced to sideline a range of other cases in order to keep pace.
Marimar Martinez, the Chicago woman shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in October, plans to attend President Trump's State of the Union address to Congress later this month, according to her attorney.
This week marks Identity Theft Awareness Week, and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza emphasized some safety tips Monday for avoiding and dealing with identity theft.
A controversial data center in Naperville, Illinois, could be the cause to pack a city council meeting there on Tuesday night.
Police in the west Chicago suburb of Geneva are warning of a scam involving spoofed phone numbers.
Protesters on Tuesday were cranking up the heat on Peoples Gas over a recently proposed rate hike that would add an additional $10 to $11 a month to utility bills.
A lawsuit filed late last month took Chicago-based McDonald's to task over the McRib sandwich, calling its name a form of false advertising.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital announced this week that it is planning to open a new pediatric hospital in the west Chicago suburb of Downers Grove.
It has been nearly six years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and one of the many questions doctors are still working to answer concerns the long-term effects.
Leaders from Cook County, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository denounced changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Wednesday.
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center has received a grant from The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation for a new cancer center.
Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital said Tuesday that it is no longer initiating gender-affirming medical treatment for minors.
A Near West Side diner known for drawing in Blackhawks fans and players is up for sale.
January may be the coldest time of the year, but Chicago is already looking forward to summer farmers' markets.
A development proposal issued this month calls for the replacement of a building housing a Giordiano's pizzeria in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood with a new mixed-use building with 28 residential units.
United Airlines flight attendants picketed outside Chicago's Willis Tower Thursday morning as they fought for a new contract.
WSCR-AM, 670 The Score, will begin a simulcast on 104.3 FM next month.
Gamers across the world can now recreate drone strikes in Ukraine from the comfort of their own home, with this newly released game.
The members of Ratboys were teenagers when they met by chance, and now in their 30s, the Chicago band formed by two college friends almost two decades ago appears to be on the brink of something big.
Chuck Negron, a founding member of Three Dog Night whose lead vocals powered a string of hits for one of the top rock acts of the late 1960s and early '70s has died. He was 83.
Bad Bunny used his Grammy acceptance speech on Sunday to denounce U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and call for the end of the ongoing immigration crackdown.
The 2026 Grammy Awards recognized the best of the best in music from last year, with big wins for Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny. Here's the full list of winners and nominees.
Meteorologist David Yeomans has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
Chicago helped shape the nation in so many ways, including the pioneering of skyscrapers – the big, beautiful buildings the city of big shoulders introduced to the world.
A Chicago bus driver is out of a job after he was caught on camera with his hands off the wheel and his eyes glued to his cell phone.
Police in Chicago's south and southwest suburbs are teaming up to target thieves targeting video gambling machines, which have become an increasingly popular target for burglary crews.
An eagle-eyed drone pilot helped spot a missing foster puppy who had been out in the cold for more than two weeks in Chicago's northwest suburbs.
Police in Chicago's south and southwest suburbs are teaming up to target thieves targeting video gambling machines, which have become an increasingly popular target for burglary crews.
An eagle-eyed drone pilot helped spot a missing foster puppy who had been out in the cold for more than two weeks in Chicago's northwest suburbs.
A source close to the investigation said the woman worked for the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
A federal judge in Chicago has ruled key evidence in the Marimar Martinez shooting, including bodycam video and text messages, can be released.
Chicago helped shape the nation in so many ways, including the pioneering of skyscrapers – the big, beautiful buildings the city of big shoulders introduced to the world.
Fewer Chicago kids are getting the dental care they need, and some dentists are blaming Chicago Public Schools.
Cynthia Eason recounted the moment Chicago police officers raided her family's home in 2018.
Water bills could be going up in several Chicago suburbs and other parts of Illinois, as Illinois American Water seeks a rate increase to fund infrastructure improvements.
The case involves a Chicago grandmother, her daughter, and her four grandchildren, who all said that Chicago police officers pointed guns at them during the botched raid.
Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel no longer will have to testify about an alleged "code of silence" at the Chicago Police Department, after a federal judge reversed an earlier ruling that would have allowed him to take the stand in a lawsuit over a botched police raid.
Two west suburban high schools have something extra to celebrate Sunday, when alumni from their schools make their Super Bowl debuts.
The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are underway after the lighting of the Olympic cauldrons and the Parade of Nations at the opening ceremony.
Caleb Williams certainly had plenty of big throws to celebrate in 2025, but it wasn't hard to pick his most memorable one after he launched a 46-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore to beat the Packers in overtime in Week 16.
Brandon Ingram scored 33 points, Immanuel Quickley had 24 and the Toronto Raptors beat the new-look Chicago Bulls 123-107.
Chicago Bears guard Joe Thuney was named the NFL's top offensive lineman of 2025 on Thursday, winning the inaugural Protector of the Year Award.
A South Side community came together on Friday, hoping for justice after a woman was shot and killed while her baby was in the back seat of their car earlier this week.
A Chicago city employee was found shot to death Friday morning inside an apartment in the West Ridge neighborhood.
Actor Timothy Busfield has been indicted on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child, officials said Friday.
A burglary crew smashed into a restaurant in Chicago's southwest suburbs, leaving the owner cleaning up a big and frustrating mess.
Six months after a well-known charter boat captain was found dead at DuSable Harbor in downtown Chicago, a man has been charged with his murder.