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Weather Alert

Weather Alert

...The Flood Warning is extended for the following rivers in
Illinois...

Big Muddy River near Murphysboro affecting Jackson County.

...The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers in
Illinois...

Big Muddy River near Plumfield affecting Franklin and Williamson
Counties.

.Levels on the Big Muddy River will continue to fall, dropping below
flood stage near Plumfield and Murphysboro late Sunday or Monday.

For the Big Muddy River...including Plumfield, Murphysboro...
Moderate flooding is forecast.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Caution is urged when walking near riverbanks.

Additional information is available at www.weather.gov.

&&

...FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL EARLY MONDAY MORNING...

* WHAT...Minor flooding is occurring and minor flooding is forecast.

* WHERE...Big Muddy River near Plumfield.

* WHEN...Until early Monday morning.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...
- At 10:30 AM CDT Wednesday the stage was 24.3 feet.
- Forecast...The river is expected to fall below flood stage
late Sunday evening.
- Flood stage is 20.0 feet.


&&

House Human Services Committee approves “Colton’s Task Force� to combat domestic violence

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domestic violence hearing
By Mandy Robertson

SPRINGFIELD (ILLINOIS CAPITOL BUREAU) -- State lawmakers are moving forward with a proposal to create a Domestic Violence Task Force. The group would review current domestic violence laws in place and identify gaps in enforcement. Rep. David Welter (R-Morris) was inspired to file the proposal honoring the life of a toddler murdered by his father last fall. Colton Miller would have been two years old Wednesday. His mother says the man who killed him was "a monster."

Cassandra Tanner-Miller tried to get help from police and court officials, but never received the protection she needed. She says this proposal needs to pass to honor domestic violence victims and ensure others won't suffer.

"I realized as I held my son for the last time, cold in a funeral home, that I had to be the voice for so many who have fallen before me in the hands of an abuser but did not have a voice anymore," Tanner-Miller said.

"My son was not just a number that people tallied on a sheet"

Rep. Welter has been advocating for the bill since he met Tanner-Miller. The Grundy County Republican held a moment of silence after a death resolution was read on January 28 to remember Colton, with family watching from the House Speaker's Gallery. Tanner-Miller hopes "Colton's Task Force" can be one step in the right direction.

"I needed to make sure that my son was not just a number that people tallied on a sheet of statistics when there are things that we can be doing in the state of Illinois to protect, to serve and to ensure that Illinois has a future for families," explained Tanner-Miller.

Over 80 members of the House have already joined Welter as co-sponsors for the plan. According to Welter, the task force would establish specialized protective networks and identify treatment options for victims. Members would also review special considerations for conditions of bail in domestic violence cases.

The Illinois Attorney General would chair "Colton's Task Force" consisting of judges, lawmakers and survivors of domestic violence among others. The group would have to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by September 1, 2022. The bill now heads back to the House Floor for a second reading.