Lake and McHenry County Scanner

Grayslake man among 3 college students killed in Oklahoma crash after storm chasing

Posted: 30 Apr 2022 05:41 PM PDT

Gavin A. Short, 19, of Grayslake. | Photo via Twitter

A 19-year-old man from Grayslake was among three meteorology students killed in a crash with a semi-truck in Oklahoma after storm chasing Friday.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol identified the victims as Nicholas K. Nair, 20, of Denton, Texas, Gavin A. Short, 19, of Grayslake, and Drake H. Brooks, 22, of Evansville, Indiana.

Nair was driving a 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan southbound on Interstate 35 near Tonkawa, Oklahoma, around 11:30 p.m. Friday.

Short and Brooks were passengers in the vehicle, which became disabled and was blocking the outside lane of the interstate, the highway patrol said in a report.

A semi-truck traveling in the southbound lanes crashed into the stopped Volkswagen.

The three men were heavily entrapped in the car and it took hours to free them. All three were pronounced dead at the scene.

The University of Oklahoma said in a statement that Nair, Short and Brooks were students at their university. “Each were valued and loved members of our community.”

The Oklahoman reported that the three students had been storm chasing a tornado near Herrington, Kansas, and were returning back to Oklahoma.

Short’s brother, Evan Short, 17, told the newspaper that Gavin “lived more in his 1.5 years at OU than in his first 18 years of life.”

“I can find solace in the idea that now he can live among the clouds which he loved so much,” Evan Short said.

The University of Oklahoma’s College of Atmospheric & Geographic Sciences said in a statement on social media that the university is in communication with the families.

“We are deeply saddened and our sincerest condolences go out to all affected families and friends. Our leadership and faculty stand ready to support each of our community members in the days, weeks, and months ahead as we all grieve this unthinkable heartbreak,” the statement said.

Federal agency releases video recreation of how massive explosion occurred at Waukegan plant that killed 4

Posted: 30 Apr 2022 04:21 PM PDT

Federal officials this week released a video recreation showing what exactly caused a massive explosion and fire at AB Specialty Silicones in Waukegan that killed four employees in 2019.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board released the video on Thursday explaining the May 3, 2019, blast at an AB Specialty Silicones plant near Northwestern Avenue and Sunset Avenue in Waukegan.

AB Specialty Silicones manufactures silicone products used in a wide variety of applications, including personal care and roof coatings. The products are distributed worldwide.

The product EM-652, which is used as a waterproofing agent, was being made using a batch process the night of the explosion, the federal agency said.

The video explained how an employee mixed two incompatible chemicals after misidentifying a drum of chemicals.

The mixture reacted and produced highly flammable hydrogen gas that ignited.

An AB Specialty Silicones plant near Northwestern Avenue and Sunset Avenue in Waukegan was destroyed following an explosion and fire on May 3, 2019. | Photo: U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board / ABS Group

The ignition caused a “massive explosion” that killed employees Jeff Cummings, 57, of Kenosha, Wisconsin; Byron H. Biehn, 53, of Brighton Township, Wisconsin; Daniel Nicklas, 24, of Beach Park; and Allen E. Stevens Jr., 29, of Salem, Wisconsin.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited the company in October 2019 for willful violations, which means “the employer either knowingly failed to comply with a legal requirement (purposeful disregard) or acted with plain indifference to employee safety.”

The company was fined $1,591,176 and OSHA placed the silicon chemical products manufacturer in the “Severe Violator Enforcement Program.”

“OSHA investigators determined AB Specialty Silicones failed to ensure that electrical equipment and installations in the production area of the plant complied with OSHA electrical standards, and were approved for hazardous locations,” the U.S. Department of Labor said in October 2019.

“The company also used forklifts powered by liquid propane to transport volatile flammable liquids, and operated these forklifts in areas where employees handled and processed volatile flammable liquids and gases, creating the potential for ignition,” the U.S. Department of Labor added.

Fire crews work to extinguish the fire after an explosion at a chemical plant in Waukegan on May 3, 2019. | Photo: Jeff Rudolph / Box Alarm Photography

“By ignoring safety and health requirements, this employer created an unsafe work environment with deadly consequences,” Loren Sweatt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of OSHA, said.

“An employer’s adherence to safety and health standards, including the proper use of electrical equipment and forklifts when handling flammable liquids, is critical to preventing fire, explosions and other incidents that can seriously or fatally injure workers,” OSHA Acting Regional Administrator Nancy Hauter said.

The explosion caused more than $1 million in damage and damaged at least five other buildings in the area of the plant.

Nine people were working in the AB Speciality Silicones plant at the time of the explosion.

Fire crews work to extinguish the fire after an explosion at a chemical plant in Waukegan on May 3, 2019. | Photo: Felipe Mujica

Of the nine employees, four were found dead in the rubble, three escaped the building but suffered injuries, and two of them escaped without injury.

Cummings, who was a supervisor at the plant, noticed a problem just before the blast and reportedly helped evacuate employees.

He went back inside the building to look for the remaining employees when the explosion occurred.

Stevens had been transported by ambulance to an area hospital and later transferred to the Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood where he died.

Residents throughout Lake County reported feeling and hearing the explosion and some even felt it from more than 15 miles away.

Debris from the explosion covered Sunset Avenue near Northwestern Avenue as over 100 firefighters from throughout Lake County and Cook County were called to the scene.

Intersection in downtown Woodstock to close for months as crews construct a roundabout

Posted: 30 Apr 2022 01:31 PM PDT

A rendering was released of what the roundabout will look like once construction is completed at the intersection of Lake Avenue, Madison Street and South Street in Woodstock. | Provided Photo

An intersection in downtown Woodstock was closed down Friday as crews begin months-long construction on a roundabout, city officials said.

The roundabout is being constructed at the intersection of Lake Avenue, Madison Street and South Street in Woodstock.

The closure is scheduled to remain in place until December 1 but could open sooner if the project finishes early.

The detour route, which includes Kimball Street and Dean Street, will be in place for the duration of the project.

The City of Woodstock previously said the benefits of constructing a roundabout at the five-point intersection include increased safety and traffic flow, reduced congestion and shorter vehicle waiting times due to improved vehicle circulation.

The City of Woodstock Public Works Department said that all residents and businesses will still have access to their properties but it will be limited.

Officials say the $2,755,453 project is being constructed by H. Linden & Sons Sewer and Water, Inc.

The project is also partially being funded through a $1,500,000 STP grant the city received from the McHenry County Council of Mayors.

Crews will also be replacing and upsizing all utilities in the area in addition to the roundabout construction.

The detour route may also be revised in the future to accommodate the reconstruction of Dean Street from Tryon Street to Route 14 which is scheduled to take place later this summer.

Governor signs bill that will require Illinois schools to report teacher sexual misconduct to board, parents

Posted: 30 Apr 2022 10:47 AM PDT

File Photo – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker | Photo: Illinois Information Service

(The Center Square) – A bill signed into law will soon require Illinois school superintendents to notify school boards and parents of sexual misconduct that happens in their districts.

House Bill 4316 was signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker after passing the Illinois legislature unanimously.

Supporters of the measure say it is a follow-up bill to Faith’s Law, which passed last year.

Faith's Law expands the criminal definition of grooming beyond electronic communications to include written communications and acts committed in person or by conduct through a third party.

State Sen. John Connor, D-Lockport, filed the legislation and called the measure a follow-up to Faith’s Law.

“HB4316 is a follows-up last year’s Faith’s Law, which expanded the definition of grooming to educator-related situations not covered in criminal law,” Connor said.

Connor said the legislation could keep those who may not have been criminally charged from ever working in another school.

“In a situation where a prosecution does not occur for a predatory teacher, this permits those school districts to track that information and share it with other districts,” Connor said.

Under HB 4316, if there is an allegation of sexual misconduct that is found to be supported, superintendents must notify school boards and notify parents.

The measure also requires schools to conduct employment history reviews on new hires to ensure that teachers with a history of misconduct do not get hired again, Connor said.

“As a prosecutor, I have encountered child exploitation situations involving educators in which teachers just went from school to school after something occurred,” Connor said. “This bill is going to address that problem.”

Now signed into law, HB 4316 goes into effect on July 1, 2023.

Severe thunderstorms could bring tornadoes, hail and heavy rain to northern Illinois, NWS says

Posted: 30 Apr 2022 08:56 AM PDT

Severe thunderstorms are possible in the Chicago and surrounding northern Illinois area Saturday afternoon into the evening, according to the National Weather Service. | Graphic via NWS

The National Weather Service says potentially severe thunderstorms could bring tornadoes, hail, heavy winds and rain in northern Illinois Saturday evening.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a hazardous weather outlook Saturday morning for northern Illinois, including Lake and McHenry counties.

Thunderstorms are expected to develop across northwest Illinois to the Interstate 39 corridor around 3 p.m. and move eastward into northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana through early evening.

Severe weather is possible with a threat of damaging hail, severe winds and a “few tornadoes,” the NWS said in the alert.

“The atmosphere is favorable for some of these to become severe. There remains some uncertainty on the coverage and duration of the severe threat,” the NWS said.

Hail up to a half dollar size and winds up 60 mph are possible. Some localized flooding in poor drainage areas is also possible.

Timing for the storms in the Lake and McHenry County area is projected to be 4-8 p.m., the NWS reported.

“Ensure you have a means to receive a warning today, and if one is issued, take prompt action to go to shelter!” the NWS said.

Officials recommend people move indoors if they hear thunder and have multiple ways to get weather warnings.