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A powerful tornado ripped through southwest suburban Coal City on Monday, leaving massive path of destruction in its path. Residents have been picking up the pieces ever since, and on Friday they were getting much needed help.
It has been a tense 24 hours in tornado-ravaged Coal City, with residents bracing for another onslaught of rain Wednesday night and early Thursday. There were heavy downpours overnight, but not nearly as much as had been expected, allowing residents to breathe a small sigh of relief Thursday morning.
It's a race against Mother Nature in Coal City as residents there try to clean up as much tornado damage as possible before severe weather rolls in once again.
The tornado that tore through the town of Coal City on Monday evening was the strongest such storm to hit the Chicago metro area in 25 years.
With lots of cleanup ahead in Coal City, after Monday night's tornado, a special volunteer effort has been planned for Friday.
More bad weather on Wednesday could hamper recovery efforts in Coal City, which was hit by an EF-3 tornado Monday night. It was the most powerful tornado to hit the Chicago metropolitan area in nearly 25 years.
One of Monday night's tornadoes narrowly missed Exelon Nuclear's Braidwood plant. But the utility insists no one was endangered.
Governor Bruce Rauner toured the damage in tornado-ravaged Coal City first from the air and then on the ground, reports CBS 2's Derrick Blakley.
Survey teams with the National Weather Service have confirmed at least two tornados touched down Monday night, when powerful damaging storms swept through the western and southwestern suburbs.
For the second time in 19 months, southwest suburban Coal City was digging out from the rubble, after a powerful tornado tore roofs of houses, and reduced many other buildings to kindling.
Only a few hundred people live in the tiny hamlet of Sublette, about 100 miles west of Chicago, but it's a good bet each and every one of them felt the sting of Monday's storms, after a tornado hit the village.
A tornado ripped through Coal City, Illinois, on Monday. It was the second time in less than two years that the small town was devastated by a tornado.
Al Steinz was driving to Troy Grove, Illinois, when he spotted a tornado to the north, near Sublette.
National Weather Service crews were headed out Tuesday to try to confirm reports of up to six tornados touching down Monday in Grundy, LaSalle, Lee, and Will counties, including three already confirmed in Ottawa, Sublette, and Coal City.
The tornado reportedly touched down in the community of Sublette shortly after 8 p.m.
The congressional delegation for Illinois is asking President Barack Obama to make a disaster declaration allowing small businesses to get loans in recovery from severe storms and tornadoes in northern Illinois in April.
A tornado was the likely cause of the storm damage on Tuesday in south suburban Summit.
DeKalb County officials have said they're committed to making sure everyone who wants to rebuild after last month's tornado in the small town of Fairdale can clear any legal hurdles that might be in their way.
Fairdale residents whose homes were lost or severely damaged in last month's tornado have been learning rebuilding is not going to be so easy.
This weekend marks one month since a deadly tornado devastated the small town of Fairdale, and while cleanup efforts continue, most volunteers who showed up in the wake of the storm have moved on.
CBS 2 has hundreds of Weather Watchers across the Chicago area and many of them are real weather enthusiasts.
CBS 2's Jeremy Ross reports from northern Illinois, which was hit by tornadoes two weeks ago.
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.
Inspectors last week shut down Stella's Diner in Chicago's East Lakeview community after finding a cockroach infestation and other health code violations.
Four people were injured after a crash involving a Chicago police squad car in Humboldt Park on Tuesday morning.
Lower gasoline prices slowed inflation in June, though many household costs remained stubbornly high.
Small business owner Liam Stanton has entered Chicago's 2027 mayoral race.
Of the 162 employees, 82 were from central office positions and the remaining 80 were from those citywide positions, CPS said.
The City Council Finance Committee on Monday backed a plan to spend $425 million in taxpayer funds for new roads, utilities, and other infrastructure supporting Chicago Fire FC's new South Loop stadium in the megaproject known as The 78.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced his pick to fill the vacancy left by Sen. Lindsey Graham's death.
Sen. Mitch McConnell released a statement on his health on Sunday along with a photo of himself and his wife, Elaine Chao, after questions swirled about his condition.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) issued a statement honoring the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), who died this weekend.
President Trump paid tribute to the late senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, who had just returned from a trip to Ukraine.
Chicago remained the most bed bug-treated city in the country, according to Orkin's latest annual rankings covering a full year of residential and commercial treatment data.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul this week warned residents cleaning up from last month's storms to be on the lookout for scams.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday signed several new consumer protections into law, including a ban on junk fees.
CBS News Chicago has learned that Illinois home insurance premiums are not only higher than the nation's average, but going up faster too.
As an alternative to legalizing video gambling terminals citywide, Bally's offered to open slot machine lounges at O'Hare and Midway, saying the move would replace the $6.8 million the city budgeted from VGTs.
In a major turnaround in the opioid crisis, overdose deaths are falling across Chicago and Cook County.
The north Chicago suburb of Glenview became the latest Illinois municipality this week to confirm mosquitoes testing positive for the West Nile virus this year.
Environmental and community groups are suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to act on a petition challenging U.S. Steel Gary Works operating permit renewal.
In the four years since Roe v. Wade was overturned and Illinois became a destination for abortion care, Illinois providers and advocates have rebuilt the state's infrastructure to support the tens of thousands of people who travel to the state for abortion services every year.
June is National Aphasia Awareness Month, raising awareness of a disorder that affects a person's ability to speak, write, and understand both spoken and written language.
Illinois American Water and Aqua Illinois are both seeking rate increases that would raise monthly bills by as much as $28, while their parent companies seek regulatory approval to merge — a deal a consumer watchdog says would give one company control of nearly all regulated water customers in the state.
The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from several states secured a right-to-repair settlement Wednesday with agriculture equipment giant Deere & Co. — commonly known as John Deere — that requires the company to let farmers and independent shops fix their own equipment.
Chicago Soul Café opened Monday at 6248 S. St. Lawrence Ave.
The Chicago Bears this weekend said they are assessing land at Wolf Lake Terminals in Hammond, Indiana, for a possible new stadium.
As an alternative to legalizing video gambling terminals citywide, Bally's offered to open slot machine lounges at O'Hare and Midway, saying the move would replace the $6.8 million the city budgeted from VGTs.
New Zealand actor Sam Neill, known for "Jurassic Park" and "The Piano," died Monday at 78, his family says.
The 46th Taste of Chicago is cashless for the first time, accepting only credit cards, with a drone and fireworks show scheduled for approximately 9:15 p.m. Friday near Buckingham Fountain.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra's summer home in Highland Park reopened after a $70 million gut renovation that redesigned the stage to reduce sound levels harmful to musicians.
Bonnie Tyler, the Welsh pop star best known for singing the chart-topping power ballad "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in 1983, has died. She was 75.
The nominations for the 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced Wednesday morning in Los Angeles, with the final season of HBO Max's "Hacks" setting a new record for the most nominations in a single year for a comedy series.
Inspectors last week shut down Stella’s Diner in Chicago’s East Lakeview community after finding a cockroach infestation and other health code violations.
Video from the scene at Division Street and Hamlin Avenue shows a squad car with damage to the front of the vehicle and debris on the roadway.
Small business owner Liam Stanton has entered Chicago's 2027 mayoral race.
Chicago Public Schools on Monday announced that it laid off 162 employees from its central office and citywide positions last week.
Meteorologist Laura Bannon has the extended forecast.
Of the 162 employees, 82 were from central office positions and the remaining 80 were from those citywide positions, CPS said.
It comes after the office said that its Marine Unit was assisting fire personnel in the search for a missing swimmer in Myers Bay, who went under earlier in the evening.
Inspectors last week shut down Stella's Diner after finding a cockroach infestation and other health code violations.
Small business owner Liam Stanton has entered Chicago's 2027 mayoral race.
Chicago is bracing for another heat wave, less than two weeks after the last one. This time, the heat comes with air quality concerns.
Chicago is bracing for another heat wave, less than two weeks after the last one. This time, the heat comes with air quality concerns.
The university released what it's called a strategy statement about the impact it's already seeing artificial intelligence make on higher education and the legal profession.
New Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke is fighting innocence claims more often than her predecessor, Kim Foxx, and hiring outside counsel to help.
On Tuesday evening, CBS News Chicago reported on wild weeds taking over a property in the South Side's Washington Heights neighborhood, and neighbors who said they spent months trying to get help.
Kevin Jackson was wrongfully convicted of murder and spent 22 years in prison before he was freed. Now he has realized his dream by starting a landscaping business. But his quest to be declared innocent continues.
The Cliburns are one of 10 sets of twins in MLB history to reach the major leagues.
Paige Bueckers had 22 points and 11 assists, Jessica Shepard added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the Dallas Wings beat the Chicago Sky 96-91.
Chicago (50-45) swept the three-game series by outscoring the A's 24-2 after getting swept in three games against Boston.
Chicago took two of three from the Reds and entered the All-Star break at 54-42, in position for an NL wild card and five games back of NL Central-leading Milwaukee.
Michael Busch had three hits and Carson Kelly also went deep for the Cubs, who improved to 3-2 on their six-game trip before the All-Star break.
Burglars smashed into a gas station minimart in the south Chicago suburb of Calumet City, Illinois, early Monday.
Armed robbers held up a restaurant in Chicago's Roseland community early Monday morning, police said.
Burglars tried unsuccessfully to take an ATM from a store in Chicago's West Town community early Monday, police said.
A person was shot early Monday morning on Interstate 57 in Chicago's south suburbs in what a source said was a road rage incident.
A woman has been charged after a burglary and standoff in Aurora, Illinois, this weekend.
