Winter Weather

Authorities in southern Wisconsin say dozens of people were injured in a massive traffic pileup amid snowy conditions. The crash blocked Interstate 39/90 for hours Friday. WIFR-TV reports that Beloit Memorial Hospital said at least 27 people were treated for injuries sustained in the crash. The extent of their injuries was not immediately clear. The State Patrol said the crash occurred around noon between Janesville and Beloit. The southbound lanes reopened just after 8 p.m. State Patrol officials said snow, ice and whiteout conditions were factors in the crash. Most of southern Wisconsin remained under a winter weather advisory Friday afternoon with more snow expected Saturday.

A Democratic senator is calling for federal investigations into possible price gouging of natural gas in the Midwest and other regions following severe winter storms that plunged Texas and other states into a deep freeze that caused power outages in millions of homes and businesses.

While Illinois is accustomed to temperatures well below freezing for extended periods of time, the area of the country that supplies natural gas for many Illinois towns is not, and it's leading to massive price increases on utility bills.

When parts of Texas’ independent power grid went offline this week due to unusually extreme cold weather in the south, the amount of expected energy production lost was equivalent to the amount of electricity used to keep the lights on in the entire state of Illinois.