urban legends and false news reports from the winter storm that hit Illinois on December first 2006

On December first 2006 La Salle Illinois saw one of the worst major snow storms in quite a while go through the area. The town of Utica had fifteen inches of snow and other areas around La Salle county were equally hard hit. I 80 which is a major interstate runs just north of La Salle Peru. During the stom traffic was backed up from Geneseo in the west to Ottawa at the eastern end of La Salle county. Several Chicago tv stations including WMAQ TV the NBC affiliate in Chicago began reporting that I 80 had been closed due to the traffic back up. The story even made the associated press wire and was read on several local radio stations. Shortly after the stroy was read on Q97.7 Streator Illionis/Q103.3 Spring Valley Illinois at 6:30 the evening of December first the station recieved a phone call from the Illinois state police saying that in fact I 80 was not closed. TRavel was not recomended buty the interstate was still open. At ten o clock when I turned on the NBC five news they were still saying that I 80 was closed. Now don't you think that a big station owned by a major network would have somtime in the four hours from the local radio station finding out that the hiway was not closed found out the same thing and gotton the story correct by ten pm. Nice to know the big guys do such a good job checking their facts. It was not just Channel five. Channles seven, two, nine, and thirty two were also saying on their late news casts that the interstate was closed four hours after it was announced by the state police that it was indeed open. Just because travel is not recomended does not mean it is closed. There is a difference which you would think someone at a major network TV station would be able to figure out.

An urban legend has also sprung up involving the major traffic back up on I 80. There were some reports that the air national gaurd was air lifting stranded moterists off of the interstate. There is no offical report of this taking place. There were quite a few helicopters flying over I 80 but those were news helicopters from verious TV stations taking arial shots of the back up to be shown on the news. There are no verifiable reports of anyone being air lifted from the interstate by helicopter.

There is one true urban levgend to come out of the back up on I 80, a group of snow mobilers were infact taking food and water to stranded moterists. No word on if they were bringing porta pottys but theywere in fact taking food and water to moterists stranded on I 80. I'm sure in the comming days more stories about what happend on the interstate during the traffic back up will be told. Just keep in mind that some may be false and before repeating them you might want to double check to make sure what you are hearing is indeed what really heppend. .