By Steve Rhodes
“U.S. wheat futures approached a two-week high on Monday as the coldest weather in two decades threatened to damage dormant crops in the United States,” Reuters reports.
“Cold weather can boost demand for livestock feed because animals eat more to generate energy to keep warm.”
Who knew?
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“Conditions in Northwest Indiana are so bad that some drivers have been stuck for two days, including a FedEx driver who has been trying to get a delivery down to Alabama,” CBS Chicago reports.
“A line of truckers sat overnight near Merrillville, waiting for the roads to reopen. On Sunday night, Northwest Indiana officials declared a state of emergency, restricting travel to emergency vehicles and snowplows.”
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“It may not be snowing or icing over at American Airlines’ hub airports on Monday but extreme cold temperatures have forced the airline to cancel over 750 flights,” the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Sky Talk blog reports.
“Fuel and glycol supplies are frozen – at [Chicago O’Hare] and other airports in the Midwest and Northeast. Additionally, our employees are only able to be out on the ramp for a few minutes at a time because wind chills are as low as 45 below zero at some airports,” said American spokesman Matt Miller.
“At Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, 41 departures have been canceled, according to aviation website FlightStats.com. The airport is also reporting 105 delays for departures as aircraft need to be de-iced in the frigid temperatures in North Texas.”
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It’s not even fun to stay at the YMCA today.
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Onion or AP: Area Man Takes Refuge In Donut Shop During Cold Snap.
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“Chicago officials and others have been searching for homeless people to get them inside as temperatures plummeted to life-threatening lows,” AP reports.
“Matt Smith of the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services says workers from his office and Salvation Army and Catholic Charities volunteers tried to convince the homeless to come into shelters. He says after some would not, Chicago Transit Authority buses were dispatched to areas where the homeless were congregating so they could get on board to stay warm.”
That sounds like an excellent idea. Some homeless folk shy away from shelters for a variety of reasons, including unsanitary conditions and thievery.
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Robbie Fulks’ show at the Hideout tonight has been cancelled.
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Colder than the South Pole.
The North Pole too.
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Today’s Beachwood
* The Weekend In Chicago Rock:
Real Friends, Blue Dream, Burnside & Hooker, Call It Treason, Bobby Bare Jr., Nikki Lane, Jimmy Chamberlin & Frank Catalano, The Eclectics, and Heavy Manners.
* SportsMonday: Don’t Buy What The Cubs Are Selling:
Way too many local sports commentators have bought the company line regarding the Cubs’ finances hook, line and sinker.
* Interpretive Jazz Dance To “Roundabout:”
The second installment of our jazz dance series.
* Beachwood Photo Booth: Chicago Family Fun:
Slow and low in Pilsen.
(Our very own Helene Smith also landed this photo on Chicagoist.)
* @BeachwoodReport trended in Chicago over the weekend, and for awhile we held down the city’s top tweet. See what all the fuss is about.
* Our Facebook page is kinda like our blog. Check it out.
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Fast and high.
Posted on January 6, 2014