53-year-old Robert Long, of Winston-Salem, died in a crash that originated after a recliner fell off a trailer and onto highway U.S. 421 in NC

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (WTVD) -- The man who was killed in a three-car wreck on northbound U.S. 421 Wednesday after a recliner fell off a trailer and onto the highway has been identified.

The wreck happened at about 10:30 a.m. at mile marker 246, west of Lewisville.

Troopers say a black truck was towing a trailer with a recliner on it when the recliner fell off the trailer and onto the highway.

The driver of a red truck saw the chair in the road and stopped. A van rear-ended the red truck, skidded off the road and overturned.

The driver of the van, identified as 53-year-old Robert Long, died as a result of the crash, according to Trooper Dewey Hamby.

After the van hit the truck, a woman driving a car also hit the red truck. The woman, identified as 35-year-old Jessica Houston, of Yadkinville, and her two children in her vehicle were taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Houston suffered several broken bones and multiple fractures. The children were treated for minor injuries.

The driver of the pickup truck, Leonel Palacios, 57, and passenger, Wallace Compton, 47, were treated for neck and back injuries.

Troopers say the driver who lost the recliner returned to the scene to pick up the chair, but saw all the accidents happening and took off.

Authorities are currently searching for the person who owned the recliner and are asking the public to speak up if they know anything.

The person with the recliner could face a misdemeanor failure to secure load charge, among other charges.

Anyone with information on the wreck can call Highway Patrol at (336) 761-2441.



====================



FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. -- The man who was killed in a three-car wreck on northbound U.S. 421 Wednesday after a recliner fell off a trailer and onto the highway has been identified.

The wreck happened at about 10:30 a.m. at mile marker 246, west of Lewisville.

Troopers say a black truck was towing a trailer with a recliner on it when the recliner fell off the trailer and onto the highway.

The driver of a red truck saw the chair in the road and stopped. A van rear-ended the red truck, skidded off the road and overturned.

The driver of the van, identified as 53-year-old Robert Long, died as a result of the crash, according to Trooper Dewey Hamby.

After the van hit the truck, a woman driving a car also hit the red truck. The woman, identified as 35-year-old Jessica Houston, of Yadkinville, and her two children in her vehicle were taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Houston suffered several broken bones and multiple fractures. The children were treated for minor injuries.

The driver of the pickup truck, Leonel Palacios, 57, and passenger, Wallace Compton, 47, were treated for neck and back injuries.

Troopers say the driver who lost the recliner returned to the scene to pick up the chair, but saw all the accidents happening and took off.

Authorities are currently searching for the person who owned the recliner and are asking the public to speak up if they know anything.

The person with the recliner could face a misdemeanor failure to secure load charge, among other charges.


Anyone with information on the wreck can call Highway Patrol at (336) 761-2441.
=======================








FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. -- A man was killed in a three-car wreck on northbound U.S. 421 Wednesday morning after a recliner fell off a trailer and onto the highway, according to Highway Patrol.

The wreck happened at about 10:30 a.m. at mile marker 246, west of Lewisville.

Troopers say a black truck was towing a trailer with a recliner on it when the recliner fell off the trailer and onto the highway.

The driver of a red truck saw the chair in the road and stopped. A van rear-ended the red truck, skidded off the road and overturned.

The driver of the van, identified only as a man from Winston-Salem, died as a result of the crash.

After the van hit the truck, a woman driving a car also hit the red truck. The woman and two children in her vehicle were taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

The driver of the red truck was also taken to Baptist.

Troopers say the driver who lost the recliner returned to the scene to pick up the chair, but saw all the accidents happening and took off.

Highway Patrol is now looking for the driver of the black truck that was towing the trailer.

"It all could have been prevented if the gentleman would have secured the recliner,” Trooper Dewey Hamby said. “If you're hauling something, whether it be on the back of a pick-up truck or on a trailer, it needs to be secured.”

Troopers say charges are pending against that driver.

The conditions of those taken to Baptist have not been released. Anyone with information on the wreck is asked to call Highway Patrol at (336) 761-2441

50,000 gallons of crude oil leaked out of the ruptured Magellan Midstream Partners pipeline in Bastrop County, Texas after a a maintenance contractor struck the pipeline

BASTROP, Texas (KTRK) -- Authorities in Bastrop County have issued a precautionary evacuation order after a crude oil line rupture.

The order extends a mile around the site of the rupture at 417 FM-20. The roadway is expected to remain closed into Friday as authorities work to contain the spill.

According to local emergency management officials, a maintenance contractor struck the pipeline just before 9 a.m. Thursday. An estimated 50,000 gallons of oil leaked out of the ruptured pipeline.

PHOTOS: Oil spill in Bastrop County










Magellan, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has shut off the pipeline and cleanup has begun at the site.

Nobody has been injured in connection with the incident.

A shelter for those impacted by the evacuation has opened at the River Valley Christian Fellowship at 1224 Highway 71. The shelter is not accepting pets.

===============




HOUSTON (Reuters) - A crude oil pipeline operated by Magellan Midstream Partners ruptured near Bastrop, Texas, on Thursday morning, spilling an estimated 1,200 barrels of oil and prompting an evacuation, the company said.

No injuries were reported, Magellan said in a statement.

Magellan's Longhorn Pipeline, which transports crude oil from Crane, Texas to Houston, ruptured about 4 miles (6 km)southwest of Bastrop. The company shut the pipeline and isolated the affected segment, it said.

People within a two-mile (3-km) radius of the spill were advised to remain indoors, the sheriff's department and local emergency officials said. Several families near the site of the pipeline break were temporarily evacuated, and part of a nearby road was closed, the company said.

The pipeline was ruptured when a contractor doing maintenance work hit a fitting, Magellan said. The line was in service at the time.

Emergency responders, company representatives, environmental agencies and clean-up crews were at the site, the company said.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) said in an email that it had dispatched an inspector to the site.

The Longhorn Pipeline has the capacity to transport to transport 275,000 barrels of day of oil from West Texas to the Houston area.

Crude oil prices in West Texas slid following news of the event. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) at Midland, Texas, fell to about a $1.45 a barrel discount, off around 15 cents a barrel from Wednesday, traders said. 

==============

More than 50,000 gallons crude oil spills in Bastrop County

KVUE 4:37 PM. CDT July 13, 2017



BASTROP COUNTY, Texas -- Authorities say an excavator cut a crude oil pipeline four miles southwest of Bastrop on Thursday morning, forcing nearby residents to evacuate or shelter in place.

County officials said the line was ruptured sometime after 8:30 a.m. July 13 near 417 FM 20, which is just south of Shiloh Road. In a statement, Magellan Midstream Partners, the company that owns the Longhorn pipeline, said a contractor was conducting maintenance on the system when it ruptured.

The company's preliminary estimate is that 1,200 barrels or 50,400 gallons spilled in the release. KVUE's Tina Shively reported the pipeline carries oil from Port Aransas to El Paso.

FM 20 has been closed in both directions, and authorities said residents within one mile of the rupture have been asked to evacuate. Those evacuated can go to the River Valley Christian Fellowship Church located along Texas 71.

The pipeline company said efforts are being made to minimize the environmental impact and public safety. No injuries have been reported, according to Magellan representatives.

Authorities estimated early Thursday afternoon that cleaning up the spill would take around eight hours.

Read the full statement from Magellan Midstream Partners below:


Shortly before 9 a.m. CST this morning, a contractor working on Magellan’s Longhorn pipeline system struck a fitting on the pipeline approximately 4 miles southwest of Bastrop, TX causing a release. The incident occurred when the contractor was conducting maintenance activities on the pipeline, which was in service at the time. The preliminary volume estimate of the release is 1,200 barrels. The pipeline was immediately and safely shut down and the line segment has been isolated.

Efforts are in progress to contain the crude oil release to minimize environmental impact and to ensure public safety. As a safety precaution, several families near the site have temporarily evacuated and a section of FM 20 has been closed. There are no injuries associated with the incident.

Local emergency responders, Magellan representatives, clean-up crews, and environmental crews are currently on site. All appropriate federal and state agencies have been notified. Clean-up activities will be underway this morning.

TEXAS' "FINEST": DPS trooper Michael Dwayne Fillmore, 41, arrested on a prostitution charge in Harris County, TX after he offered to pay an undercover officer $150 for sexual activities.

A DPS trooper has been suspended after he was arrested on a prostitution charge in Harris County.

Michael Dwayne Fillmore, 41, was taken into custody on July 11. DPS confirmed that Fillmore was not on duty at the time of his arrest.

According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, Fillmore offered to pay an undercover officer $150 for sexual activities.

His bail was set at $500.

While the Harris County Sheriff's Office will handle the criminal investigation, DPS says the administrative case will be referred to the Office of Inspector General.

Roofing worker Jerome B. Dean, 54, of Penns Grove, NJ electrocuted to death in Pennsville Township, Salem County, NJ after a metal ladder he was using touched charged electrical line

PENNSVILLE TWP., N.J. (WPVI) --

A roofing worker was killed after being shocked while installing a roof at a house in Pennsville Township, Salem County.

It happened around 1 p.m. Thursday on the 100 block of Highland Avenue.

Police say two workers were attempting to move a ladder when it came into contact with an electrical line.

Both were found lying on the ground when police arrived.

One of the workers, 54-year-old Jerome Dean of Penns Grove, was taken to Salem County Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

The second worker was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.




==============

1 electrocuted, 1 hurt when ladder hits power line, police say

Updated on July 13, 2017 at 2:36 PM Posted on July 13, 2017 at 1:59 PM


By Bill Gallo Jr.

bgallo@njadvancemedia.com



PENNSVILLE TWP., NJ-- One man was electrocuted and another hurt when a ladder they were handling came in contact with electric lines Thursday afternoon, police said.

The accident happened on Highland Avenue near Third Street, just before 1 p.m., according to Pennsville Chief of Police Allen J. Cummings.

Jerome B. Dean, 54, of Penns Grove and Travis Jackson, 29, of New Castle, Del., were working on a roofing job at the home, the chief said.

They were on the ground and it appears they were attempting to move a ladder when they hit the power lines and were shocked, officials said.

According to Cummings, first responders administered CPR to Dean at the scene and then took him to The Memorial Hospital of Salem County, Mannington Township.

Dean was pronounced dead at 1:47 p.m., the chief said.

Jackson suffered what were described by Cummings as non-life threatening injuries. He was taken to Christiana Hospital, Newark, Del.

Atlantic City Electric crews had been called to the scene.

SPECTRUM employee Michael Tolve, 47, was arrested at his Wantagh home and charged with the June 26 vandalism that left tens of thousands of customers without service in Queens, NYC.

Michael Tolve and his daughter

Michael Tolve's daughters, as posted by him on his Facebook page

QUEENS, New York (WABC) -- Police have arrested a striking Spectrum employee and charged with him the June 26 vandalism that left tens of thousands of customers without service in Queens.

Authorities say Michael Tolve was arrested at his Wantagh home Wednesday and charged with criminal mischief.

He allegedly cut fiber optics cables and then stole a memory card from a surveillance camera in an effort to cover up the crime, which caused more than $67,000 in damages to the equipment and left 60,000 customers without TV, internet and phone service.

Sources say Tolve, a fiber technician with the company for 14 years, was acting alone and was caught on other cameras.

Cables had also been cut at the end of April and a third time on July 11. So far, Tolve has not been linked to either of those incidents.

A spokesman for Charter Communications, which owns Spectrum, said cables have been cut 106 times total in the Spectrum network since cable technicians went on strike on March 28. They have reported all 106 cases to the police since the vandalism is criminal in nature.


UPDATE:  Some reports indicate that Mr. Tolve was released without any criminal charges at this time.  We will report of any developments.
=================

Spectrum restores service after Queens outage that affected 60,000 customers

Diana Williams has more (Photo/Shutterstock)

By Eyewitness News
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
QUEENS, New York (WABC) -- Spectrum says it has fixed a major TV, internet and phone service outage that affected tens of thousands of customers in Queens.

Charter Communications, which owns Spectrum, said crews repaired a fiber-optic cable that was damaged by vandalism. Some cable techs who have been on strike since the end of March showed up Monday night to picket at one of the repair sites.

The outage happened at about 2 a.m. Monday and immediately knocked out service for a significant number of customers in central Queens.

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz posted a message on social media about the situation:

"Per @Spectrum, at approximately 2AM today, vandals cut fiber at 4 major hubs, cutting service for 60,000 customers in #Queens."

A spokesman for Spectrum issued a statement Monday, saying service was expected to be returned by the evening evening, but that crews were still working to repair service.

"Our crews are on site and working to repair a fiber optic cable damaged by vandalism, which is affecting TV, internet and phone services for Spectrum customers in central Queens. We appreciate our customers' patience while we restore service as quickly as possible."

Downdetector.com, a website that tracks major outages, showed a significant portion of NYC without service - though the company said the outage was limited to Queens



Many former and current employees of Spectrum claim that there is no vandalism involved and that all the outages are caused by bad technicians and by Con-Ed cutting cables and so on.  You can find a lot of that stuff as has been twitted by Mr. Tolve.  Here is his twitter account:


https://twitter.com/harley524



Ofcourse Charter will blame "vandalism" deflecting from their own unqualified, replacement workers #Spectrumstrike http://abc7ny.com/amp/technology 


Spectrum is lying to their customers. Unqualified Scab replacement workers are the culprits. #SpectrumStrike #Local3 

 Ridiculous! Would never have happened with experienced #Local3 techs! #SpectrumStrike #IWantMyLocal3 #SpectrumLies #BlameGame
================

Michael Tolve Arrested in outage-causing cable vandalism

SCREENSHOT OF VIDEO BY DANIEL PINCHASOV

A man urges support for striking Spectrum technicians in Forest Hills as nearby workers work on repairing a damaged fiber optic cable that caused an outage.


Posted: Thursday, July 13, 2017 1:40 pm | Updated: 2:07 pm, Thu Jul 13, 2017.

by Ryan Brady / Associate Editor


A Long Island man has been arrested for allegedly vandalizing a fiber optic cable that caused a massive outage for Spectrum customers last month.

The NYPD told the Chronicle that Michael Tolve, 48, of Wantagh, LI, has been charged with criminal mischief. He was arrested last night around 10:45 p.m. in the 107th Precinct.   His Wantagh address is 2851 Michael Rd, Wantagh, NY 11793.
 
The outage affected around 60,000 Spectrum customers in Queens on June 26.

According to Charter Communications, which operates Spectrum, Tolve is a member of the union that has been striking against it, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 3.

"It's disappointing that one of our employees would unlawfully sabotage the infrastructure we all work so hard to maintain and inconvenience our customers in this way," Charter spokesman John Bonomo said in an email. "We intend to support the prosecution of these crimes to the fullest extent of the law, as they put our customers’ well-being in jeopardy, cause local business to suffer, and are a general inconvenience for all."

The union did not immediately return a request for comment, though this week it denied responsibility for another outage, which also affected central Queens customers, that occurred Tuesday because of vandalism.

UPDATE:

This story has been updated to include a comment from Charter Communications.

ANOTHER LATE NIGHT ATV RIDER BITES THE DUST: William McPherron, 35, died after he sustained multiple traumatic injuries to his body as a result of an ATV crash while ridding at night in Buffalo Grove

Lake County, Illinois
updated: 7/11/2017 4:30 PM

Injuries, not cardiac arrest, caused death after Buffalo Grove ATV crash


The Lake County coroner's office has determined a Deerfield man died from injuries suffered in an all-terrain vehicle crash in Buffalo Grove over the weekend, not a suspected medical episode, officials said Tuesday.

William McPherron, 35, sustained multiple traumatic injuries to his body as a result of the crash, which occurred about 12:55 a.m. Sunday, Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper said.


The injuries were to the chest region, Cooper said, which is why initial reports indicated McPherron may have suffered cardiac arrest about the time of the crash in Cahokia Woods near Lake-Cook Road.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, Lake County Forest Preserve Police Chief John Tannahill said Tuesday. Investigators are speaking with potential witnesses and awaiting toxicology results, he said.

Authorities said first responders were called to a path in the woods near the 300 block of North Riverwalk Drive shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday in response to a crash.

McPherron, who was the ATV's driver, was taken from the scene to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where he was pronounced dead, officials said.


A female passenger on the vehicle suffered minor injuries. 



================
 

ATV crash victim identified as Deerfield man

Daily Herald report


A man who suffered cardiac arrest after an all-terrain vehicle crash early Sunday at a Lake County Forest Preserve site near Buffalo Grove has been identified as a 35-year-old Deerfield resident.

The preliminary autopsy results for William McPherron were not available Monday evening, Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper said.

John Tannahill, director of public safety for the Lake County Forest Preserve District, said ranger police are examining what occurred in Cahokia Woods, just north of Lake-Cook Road.

"Right now, it looks like a regular accident on an ATV," he said. "They were in the forest preserve after hours and on a vehicle the forest preserve doesn't allow."

Authorities said first responders located McPherron suffering traumatic cardiac arrest while responding to an accident report at 12:55 a.m. Sunday on a path near the 300 block of North Riverwalk Drive.

McPherron, who officials said was driving the ATV, was taken Advocate Condell Hospital in Libertyville, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. A female passenger suffered minor injuries.

Autopsy information is expected to be released sometime Tuesday, Cooper said.

DES PLAINES RIVER, FOX RIVER TO RISE: Officials in Lake County, Ill., declared a state of emergency due to severe flooding

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (WLS) -- The rain has ended, but the water is still rising in the north suburbs and flooding problems over the next 48 hours could be very dangerous.

Officials in Lake County, Ill., declared a state of emergency due to severe flooding.

Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor signed a proclamation late Wednesday night that said flooding created a disaster in the county. It was sent to Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

Lawlor said county officials will coordinate with local authorities to get help to people who need it. He also asked the public to watch for updated on Lake County's Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/LakeCountyILGov/

Chopper 7HD flew over a sinkhole Thursday that formed on Gages Lake Road near Leonard in north suburban Gurnee.

Chopper 7HD flew over a sinkhole Thursday morning that had formed in Gurnee near Gages Lake Road and Leonard Drive, just east of Hunt Club Road. The area has been blocked off to keep people safe.

Six Flags Great America is expected to be open Thursday. The theme park closed Wednesday afternoon because of flooding in the area.

The Chicago Botanic Garden will be closed Thursday due to flooding. Check www.chicagobotanic.org to see when the garden will re-open.

PHOTOS: Flooding causes problems in north suburbs








Flooding inside Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital.

There's a state of emergency this morning in Libertyville. The city got more than 7 inches of rain. Chopper 7HD was over the area as people pumped water from their flooded homes and yards.

The mayor of Grayslake called this event a "100-year flood", since more than four inches of rain fell there in under three hours. Crews continued to clear drains and ditches Thursday as high water threatens to stall cars. Officials told motorists not to drive through standing water.

Round Lake residents used canoes to get around neighborhood streets.

DES PLAINES RIVER, FOX RIVER TO RISE

People are expected to return to the Warren Township Highs School parking lot Thursday to continue filling sandbags.

"We've had residents, even if they weren't able to help sandbag, they bought water. A group set up a lemonade stand to help everyone out," said Jack Linehan, Village of Gurnee.

The Des Plaines River reached a new record high Thursday in Lincolnshire, the National Weather Service predicts.

The previous record in Lincolnshire of 16.36 ft. was set on April 19, 2013. The river reached 16.53 ft. before 7:15 a.m. The river is expected to reach 17.5 ft. in Lincolnshire sometime between Friday evening and Saturday morning.

In Gurnee, the Des Plaines River had reached 10.87 ft. by 7:15 a.m. The record level in Gurnee is 11.9 ft., which was set on Sept. 27, 1986. The river is expected to reach 12 ft. in Gurnee sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning.

In Des Plaines, the river had reached 18.86 ft. by 7:15 a.m. The record crest in Des Plaines of 20.92 ft. was also set on April 19, 2013. The river is expected to reach 21 ft.

The Fox River is also expected to continue rising Thursday.

In Algonquin, the river had reached 10.38 ft. by 7:30 a.m. The record level in Algonquin of 12.70 ft. was set on April 23, 2013. The river is expected to reach 13.5 ft. sometime between Monday and Tuesday of next week, if more rain falls in the area.

In Montgomery, the river had reached 13.63 ft. by 7:30 a.m. The record crest in Montgomery of 15.14 ft. was set on April 18, 2013. The river is expected to reach 14 ft. on Saturday.

NORTHWESTERN LAKE FOREST HOSPITAL RE-OPENS

Power was restored Thursday morning at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital.

Power was restored Thursday morning at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital. The hospital was evacuated Wednesday as the flooding put patients in danger.

The power first went out around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, officials said. Approximately 70 patients were transported via ambulance to other area hospitals. Patients in the Intensive Care Unit were the first to move.

ComEd told ABC7 Eyewitness News crews repaired the damage and restored power just before 9 p.m.

Officials said the hospital may be back open Thursday, but as a precaution, it will be closed to clinical operations. Ambulances have been instructed to route to other local hospitals.

IMPACT ON CHICAGO AIRPORTS

The weather affected Chicago's airports Wednesday. More than 700 flights were canceled Wednesday at O'Hare International Airport.

As of 6 a.m. Thursday, 36 flights were canceled at O'Hare and two flights were canceled at Midway International Airports. Delays averaged less than 15 minutes at both airports.

ABC7 Meteorologist Tracy Butler said the weather will be warm and muggy to start Thursday, with rain possible far south of the city. The sun is expected to return gradually and the humidity will decrease slowly. High temperatures will be in the mid-80s.



====================



Rorrential rains pounded Lake County overnight Tuesday into the Wednesday morning commute, with flash flooding closing major roadways, shutting down Six Flags Great America and the College of Lake County, swamping basements and forcing the evacuation of residences from Mundelein to Fox Lake.

Flooding continued as the first wave of overnight storms was compounded by another set of storms that moved through at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday followed by a third at noon.

For some Lake County residents experiencing flooding, it wasa matter of waiting for the water to retreat, so they could take stock of the damage.

The National Weather Service maintained a flood warning during the day for southern Lake County and along the Des Plaines River, which, like the nearby Fox River, saw levels rise significantly during the rainfall.


The Des Plaines River was projected to rise above record levels Thursday afternoon, according to the NWS. The Gurnee location reached 10.5 feet Wednesday afternoon and is projected to rise another 2 feet, topping the 11.9-foot record.

An alert to Gurnee residents sent at 8 a.m. Wednesday said the village was "in an emergency flood response."

The statement added that sandbagging supplies are available to residents at the Public Works Facility, 1151 Kilbourne Road.

Riverwoods officials also warned residents who live near the Des Plaines River that a significant amount of water was expected to travel downriver as evening approached.

Sandbags were set to be delivered to Riverwoods Village Hall, 300 Portwine Road, and instructions were sent to residents with directions on how to pick up the bags.

The early morning activity included trained spotters with the NWS reporting that flooding 8 to 10 inches deep was recorded at West Division Street and North Lincoln Avenue in Mundelein at 6 a.m., with "numerous houses flooded and people rescued by rafts."

By 9:15 a.m., about 40 were at the Mundelein police station in a makeshift shelter, said Eric Guenther, Mundelein's director of public safety.

Two apartment buildings had to be evacuated with the help of a raft that carried three to four at a time, Guenther said.

An apartment building at 200 N. Lake St. that houses senior citizens was evacuated at 3:30 a.m., Guenther said, saying everyone was evacuated by raft.

Another apartment building at 361 S. Walnut St. was evacuated by 8:30 a.m., Guenther said. That building was flooded after an adjacent retention pond overflowed.

"Those people couldn't stay in their apartments because water had risen above electrical outlets and compromised the entire electrical system," Guenther said. "It created a serious safety risk."





Lake County was hit hard by torrential rain that caused flash flooding throughout the area early on July 12, 2017. (Chicago Tribune)

Nearly the entire Mundelein police and fire departments were on duty. He said the department held over overnight shifts and called in daytime shifts early.

One Mundelein firefighter was sent to Condell Medical Center in Libertyville for exhaustion. No residents needed medical aid, Guenther said.

In Fox Lake, Deputy Fire Chief Ed Lescher said a man who thought he was struck by lightning called for help in the 33500 block of Route 12 Wednesday.

"He was awake and talking. We're not sure if he was struck or it just struck near him and he felt the jolt," Lescher said, adding that the man did not have any burns.

Lescher said the lake and river levels in and around Fox Lake are at flood stage with more rain possibly on the way.

"We have gotten a lot of rain. We have sand and sand bags at the public works department, and volunteers are filling them now," he said Wednesday afternoon.

While Fox Lake reported no other injuries, first responders did rescue people from flooded homes on the north side of Long Lake and other areas. They were also assisting gas and electrical crews with shutting off power and gas to the homes where they rescued people.

Fox Lake Village Administrator Anne Marrin said while lake and river levels are rising, it's the surface water that posed a problem along Grand Avenue, Route 12 and Rollins Road.

"We are watching the lake and river levels," she said, adding that New Munster in southeast Wisconsin got 7.2 inches of rain upriver from the Chain O'Lakes. It usually can take a day or two for rainfall in Wisconsin to show up in Lake County's waterway levels.

John Hartl of C.J. Smith Resort on Grass Lake, part of the Chain O'Lakes, had to close his business Wednesday morning because his docks and boat ramp were under water.

He said in a Facebook post that he had never seen the lake levels rise so fast, and it was starting to creep toward the resort cabins on his property. The business was first established in 1929.

According to the Fox Waterway Agency, the entire waterway system of lakes and the Fox River were in a no-wake phase Wednesday, and there is a debris advisory out.

Waterway officials reported there are submerged docks on the Chain, and there have been boats that pulled free from moorings and were drifting.

Waterlogged homes

Diane O'Brien, who lives a block from the Mundelein police station, was outside when the fire department had to use boats to rescue senior citizens from a nearby facility.

"I saw them evacuated," she said. "The water came in from outside because it had nowhere to go. We tried to keep people from trying to drive through."

Her basement had 8 feet of water in it at one point y Wednesday, she said. She tried to reserve a pump at 3 a.m. from a local rental company, but when she arrived, they had rented them all.

"This is a record," said O'Brien, who has lived in Mundelein 35 years. "I've never seen this much water and rain. ... It just didn't stop. It was amazing."

She said she was thinking about going to a hotel, and her husband, out of town on business, was trying to get back home.

"Everything is gone from the basement — the furnace, hot water heater, washer and dryer. It really stinks," she said.

By 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, business at the Lake Forest True Value Hardware, 825 S. Waukegan Road, was four times what it normally is, and gear to help combat flooding was selling out, said the store's manager Chris Morgan.

"We're out of everything I can think of," Morgan said. "Floor fans, shop vacs, submersible pumps, sump pumps. I have a guy headed to my warehouse to refill my shelves. When its treacherous for everyone else, it's good for hardware stores."

The village of Gurnee warned in a Wednesday statement that anyone with flooded basements to contact the village or ComEd to have the power disconnected before entering the basement.

Traffic swamped

Flooding also snarled Wednesday morning rush hour and kept roads backed up through the morning.

A portion of Route 45 near Division Street in Mundelein was closed during the early morning and was briefly reopened before a second wave of storms rolled in at 9 a.m and closed the road again, Guenther said.

Portions of Allanson Road in Mundelein were closed, and two blocks of Division Street were under water, Guenther said, adding that "we've got disabled vehicles all over town."

In Lake Forest, Deputy Police Chief Rob Copeland said public works employees were called in at 3 a.m. to assist with closing down flooded roads.

"We're just trying to control traffic," Copeland said.

Among the most heavily flooded intersections in Lake Forest were Deerpath Road and Route 41, Owentsia Road and Poplar Court, and Westleigh Road near Woodlands Academy.

"Anywhere with low-lying areas is flooded out," Copeland said. "A lot of driveways on Waukegan Road are flooded, and people can't get back to their houses."

Two vehicles that attempted to drive through standing water flooded and stalled, Copeland said. The stalled vehicles were stuck on Route 41 near the Owentsia Road curve and Westleigh near Woodlands Academy, he said.

Farther south in Lake County, the city of Highland Park reported some roads in the Centennial Park neighborhood north of Half Day Road and just east of Route 41 were impassable as of 11 a.m.

The city also warned against using Trailway Street from Half Day Road to Parkside Avenue and closed the southern end of Summit Avenue. The area lies near the Skokie River watershed.

Other roads closed Wednesday morning in Highland Park included Tanglewood Court north of Lake Cook Road, York Lane near Berkeley and Ridge roads, and Briargate Drive, which runs along the Middlefork of the North Branch of the Chicago River, according to an alert.

The Lake County Division of Transportation reported that major road closures during the morning included Route 41 at Westleigh Road in Lake Forest; sections of Route 45 including at Peterson Road in Libertyville and at Gages Lake Road in Gages Lake; Route 120 at Hunt Club Road in Gurnee; and several sections of Route 137 including between Route 21 and St. Mary's Road in Libertyville and Green Oaks.

Weather also shut down both inbound and outbound Metra trains on the Milwaukee District North line between Fox Lake and Libertyville temporarily, according to a Metra alert. Some shuttle service was provided between Lake Forest to Chicago.

At Six Flags Great America on the west side of Gurnee, officials posted a statement on park's website Wednesday afternoon that the park had closed for the day.

"Due to flooding in the surrounding area, we made the decision to close the park today at 1 p.m." park spokeswoman Tess Claussen said in a statement. "The park is not flooded, and we plan to reopen as normal for our guests (Thursday)."

Regional flooding and the threat of more rain late Wednesday prompted College of Lake County officials to cancel afternoon and evening classes at all three campuses, Grayslake, Vernon Hills and Waukegan.

"The College of Lake County is canceling classes with a start time of 2:30 p.m. or later today at its three campuses," CLC officials said in a statement, adding that all campuses would close by 4 p.m.

Also closing its doors was the Warren Newport Library on O'Plaine Road in Gurnee, which announced that it would close at 5 p.m. Wednesday, remain closed all day Thursday and re-open on Friday at 9 a.m.