Tagged: snow

The Ill. Dept. of Transportation (IDOT) and Ill. State Police want drivers to be prepared for winter weather. Both agencies have launched the annual "Ice and Snow-Take it Slow" campaign.

Joe Monroe, operation engineer with IDOT, says during a winter storm drivers should use common sense and postpone trips that aren't necessary. If you do have to get out, allow plenty of time to get to your destination and stay behind plows.

It's been an above-average winter for snowfall in St. Louis, and that's wreaking havoc with the schedules for area school districts.

By state law, Missouri students have to be in class for at least 174 days and 1,044 hours. Most districts build a few extra classroom days into the schedule in order to be able to call school in case of bad weather.

Good morning! Here are some headlines to start your week:

• Missouri is bracing for a winter storm that could dump as much as a foot of snow on the ground before it's over. Doug Tilly, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service says the brunt of the storm is going to be Tuesday into Tuesday night and much of Missouri and Illinois are going to get some part of the storm.

We would strongly suggest not planning to get out of your home for a couple days after this storm." - Doug Tilly, National Weather Service meteorologist

The weather service says roads will become snow covered and travel will be difficult to extremely dangerous on Tuesday. Forecasters say the storm has the potential to bring travel to a halt over much of Kansas and Missouri on Tuesday and Wednesday. Winds are expected to pick up on Tuesday and cause near blizzard conditions on all major highways.

• Republican attorney Ed Martin is getting into Missouri's U.S. Senate race. The St. Louis Republican announced his challenge to Democratic Sen . Claire McCaskill today on YouTube. He is the second Republican to enter the primary, and several others are still considering it. Martin narrowly lost a race last year against Democratic U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan. He previously served as chief of staff to former Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt. McCaskill will be seeking a second six-year Senate term in 2012. Former Republican state Treasurer Sarah Steelman already has announced her candidacy for Senate.
• Governor Pat Quinn today will make civil unions legal in Illinois. He will sign the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act at a a ceremony in Chicago. Couples who enter into a civil union will be able to make health care decisions for their partners, be allowed hospital visitation rights and will have inheritance protections. But Bob Gilligan, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois, says allowing civil unions is a step in the direction of legalizing same-sex marriages:

Our concern is the nature of marriage really isn't debatable because it is by definition a union between one man and one woman and when the state passes such a law of civil unions it creates a concern because it goes against the natural law." - Bob Gilligan, executive director, Catholic Conference of Illinois

Civil unions will be legal starting June 1. Illinois becomes the sixth state to take the step.