TUESDAY 8/11/2026: The National Weather Service has confirmed Tuesday morning’s storms in the Chicago area produced at least three tornadoes.
The NWS said an EF-1 tornado was confirmed in southern Cook County near the Will County border and featured peak winds from 86-110 mph.
Another EF-1 tornado was confirmed in eastern Will County with peak winds also from 86-110 mph.
Lastly, a third EF-1 tornado was confirmed in northeast Will County near Mokena with peak winds of 86-110 mph.
Officials also said Tuesday morning’s strong storm system, scientifically known as a mesoscale convective system (MCS), has been preliminary confirmed as a derecho, with maximum measured wind gusts of 99 mph reported in Gary, Indiana, so far.
A derecho is a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of quickly moving showers and thunderstorms. Although a derecho can produce destruction similar to the strength of tornadoes, the damage typically is directed in one direction along a relatively straight swath.
As a result, the term “straight-line wind damage” is sometimes used to describe derecho damage.
Wednesday 8/12/2026: CHICAGO – Luck has certainly not been on our side in regard to thunderstorms lately, or really this year. However, at least overnight, we have missed out on what had been feared to be another round of potentially strong thunderstorms in our area.
Dangerous and destructive storms burst across the Chicago area Tuesday.
The fast-moving systems powered into the region just before 10 a.m., with the worst of the system gone by 12 p.m.
The storms forced some downtown Chicago high-rises to urge those inside to seek shelter. Popular tourist destination Navy Pier had guests and tenants sheltering in place in a parking garage during the storms.
In the wake of the storms, trees were downed, power lines were impacted and roads were blocked by debris.
The line of storms led to a severe squall line that became capable of producing both tornadoes and “extensive straight line wind damage.” Numerous reports of tornadoes, either on the ground or radar-indicated, began popping up, but arguably even more dangerous than single incidents were the widespread straight-line winds.
According to the National Weather Service, Tuesday’s derecho was among the worst ever recorded in Illinois, with widespread wind gusts of nearly 100 miles per hour reported across parts of the Chicago area.
At the peak of the storm, more than 400,000 customers were without power in ComEd’s coverage area, with more than 300,000 impacted in Indiana. Some estimates hold that 96% of customers in Lake County were without power after the storms, which have caused massive disruptions not only to the power grid but also to infrastructure, fuel supplies and food supplies.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun declared a statewide disaster emergency earlier Thursday.
“Hoosiers’ safety is my top priority. Our state response is fully mobilized, resources are moving where they’re needed, and we will continue working around the clock to support every impacted community,” Braun said in a social media post on Thursday.
I’d been waiting since 2013 to see this film Lots of nudity courtesy of Lindsay Lohan. All in all it was an unexpected unsettling delight to watch.
The Canyons is a 2013 American erotic thriller–drama film directed by Paul Schrader and written by Bret Easton Ellis. The film is set in Los Angeles and stars Lindsay Lohan, James Deen, Nolan Funk, Amanda Brooks, and Gus Van Sant. It received a limited release on August 2, 2013, at the IFC Center in New York, the TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, and on video on demand platforms. It received negative reviews from critics, but Lohan’s performance was praised.
Eternal Silence – also known as The Statue of Death.
Designed by famous sculptor Lorado Taft in 1909, it was commisioned by the descendants of Dexter Graves, an original Chicago patriarch who in 1831 led a group of settlers from Ohio to the land that two years later would become Chicago.
Today, the statue is an internationally recognized allegorical representation of “death and silence” and referred to by Graceland Cemetery as one of her most “unforgettable monuments” attracting tourists and purveyors of the supernatural throughout the year.
There are many legends surrounding the eerie obelisk, arguably the most famous being that upon looking into its eyes a person could see the nature of their own death.
Visitors have also reported a rising or lowering of the statue’s uplifted arm at various times during the day, and until the 1970s it was even believed by many that Eternal Silence could not be photographed (stemming from amateur photographers reporting malfunctioning of normally cooperative cameras, or inexplicable destruction of camera film). None of these rumors can be substantiated.
Friday August 14, 2026 Finally there was enough break in the weather that I was able to take an hour ride in Graceland and after observing massive construction all around the seven-acre Lake Willowmere which is focused on ecological restoration.
Project Details
- Method: Crews used specialized hydraulic dredging equipment directly in the water.
- Purpose: The process targeted the removal of excess organic matter and sediment.
- Benefits: Removing sediment eliminates harmful bacteria and improves local water quality.
- Impact: The work naturally restores the lake’s ecosystem to encourage beneficial native vegetation.
- Wildlife: Thicker vegetation like lily pads provides critical habitat for frogs, fish, and turtles.
After observing the construction all around the lake I rode by the Chapel which has a fountain also going under some sort of massive reconstruction phase. Then I made my usual route rounds and passed a person painting the Eternal Silence in oil paint. I was impressed and as I reached the bottom of the CTA northwest portion of the trail and paused. I thought if I don’t capture this I’ll likely never get a chance to capture such a moment again. I certainly have never seen this sort of activity in person. So I rode back up and commented to the Asian fella that I was impressed and asked if I could take a photo to which he obliged
Red skies at night……
Greg came by for round to of repairing my Fender acoustic guitar which he violently pulled the strings off from earler in the week.
FREE BEER TOMORROW is a love letter to Jack’s/Summit Station, Ohio’s longest running lesbian owned and operated bar and the hub of the local lesbian community for over 40 years. Created by first-time filmmakers Julia Applegate and LuSter Singleton, who were longtime community members and former Summit Station patrons, the documentary is like a big family reunion with lasting shared memories retold with a big dose of humor. Interviewed are bar owner Peter “Petie” Brown, a classically trained trumpeter whose part-time bartending job at Jack’s A Go-Go in 1971 led her to buy the bar and rename it Summit Station, Rhonda R. Rivera, a pioneering LGBTQ+ lawyer and legal scholar, and former patrons running the gamut of tap dancers, professional women’s football players, feminist activists, bartenders, and drag kings. The film explores lesbian culture in an era where bars were one of the few safe-havens from an oppressive and homophobic world.
So a little over a year ago I was contacted by Julia Applegate in Columbus OH at the urging of my really good friend of four decades Shushie Custer to provide from my extensive photo collection to help with content for the above mentioned documented which was documentary co-directed by Julia and LuSter Singleton. I”ve seen rough cuts and finally the final product and it brought back many many fond memories. WOW what a good time I had working as a DJ at the bar and as a regular customer. Not only did they use a bevvy of my submitted photographs but pix of me appear at least 3 x through the film. I look forward to attending in person at the Landmark to see it in person on the big screen.
Its truly an honor to be part of the legacy and history of Summit Station
Here’s goes my neighborhood
7:30 AM ON AUGUST 16, 2026
The full building permit has been issued for the residential redevelopment of 4006 North Sheridan Road in Uptown, as three demolition permits continue to pend in the Chicago Data Portal to clear space for it. After receiving a caisson permit on April 3, developer Catapult Real Estate Solutions got permission to build out the entire project that’s slated to take over the northwest corner of Sheridan and Irving Park Roads.
The caisson permit carries a reported cost of $31.5 million, and the full permit $23 million, with caissons not likely requiring that large of a figure. There is also a permit issued on July 20 for a “crane mat slab.” Exactly what type of crane will be used for construction is still unclear. There are still permits pending to tear down the three buildings that occupy the site, including the now-closed Holiday Club bar on the corner. Once those come through, Precision Excavation has been tapped to do the razing.
The full permit calls for a seven-story building, the upper six levels of which will hold its 91 dwelling units. The first floor will include parking for 38 cars, 2,000 square feet of retail space, and the residential lobby. Built Form LLC is the design architect. An express permit issued on July 21 designated Summit Design + Build as the new general contractor. There has been no indication as to when demolitions can begin, and a timeline for construction and unit delivery has not been confirmed.
91 units and only 38 parking spots WTF!
