Illinois Quick Hits: At least 7 tornadoes hit Illinois last week

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – The National Weather Service says at least seven tornadoes impacted Illinois last Friday afternoon and evening.

The Stephenson County Sheriff’s office said the village of Lena suffered widespread damage, but there were no deaths or serious injuries reported.

The National Weather Service reported three tornadoes in Winnebago County as well as twisters in LaSalle, Livingston, Ford and Iroquois counties.

FIRM’S SPACE REDUCED BY CHICAGO LEASE EXTENSION

A Chicago consulting firm says its workforce is not affected by the company’s reduced square footage in downtown Chicago.

A spokesperson for Huron Consulting Group told The Center Square that the firm modified and extended its lease through 2037 to formalize adjustments made during the pandemic.

The spokesperson said the current agreement reflects a reduction in square footage, but the company has not occupied that square footage since 2020.

PENSION BUYOUT PROGRAM EXTENDED

A two-year extension of Illinois’ COLA pension buyout program is headed to the state Senate.

The voluntary program allows retirees in Illinois’ four statewide retirement systems to receive a lump-sum payment in exchange for forgoing future 3% compounded cost-of-living adjustments.

The House passed HB 5196 unanimously on Friday. Supporters say the buyouts have reduced Illinois’ pension liabilities by an estimated $2.6 billion.

MAN GETS 25 YEARS IN PRISON FOR PROVIDING MATERIAL SUPPORT TO ISIS

A Chicago man has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham by using social media to encourage attacks on ISIS enemies and to recruit ISIS members.

Prosecutors said Ashraf Al Safoo, 41, was a leader of Khattab Media Foundation, an online organization that created and disseminated threats and ISIS propaganda on social media and other online platforms.

Al Safoo, 41, has been in custody since his 2018 arrest in Chicago.