March 1, 2021 By David Murray
Barge traffic resumed on the Illinois Waterway as temperatures rose and the country’s midsection recovered from the polar vortex. Jeff Lebeau, assistant lockmaster at Starved Rock Lock and Dam, said February 24 was the first day that temperatures went above freezing.
According to Lebeau, floating pack ice at his lock and dam is still thick enough to require transiting towboats to use an assist boat. “The winch isn’t strong enough to pull cuts against the ice,” he told
The Waterways Journal.
The lock removed its 105-foot width restriction February 24 and went back to a 108-foot width.
Ron Jenkins/ Getty Images News
Pike Electric service trucks line up after a snow storm on Feb. 16, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas. Winter storm Uri has brought historic cold weather and power outages to Texas as storms have swept across 26 states with a mix of freezing temperatures and precipitation. Energy shortages, transportation constraints, and winterkill damage plague ag industry amid Arctic blast.
For the second time in the past year, the agricultural supply chain has been partially upended in many parts of the country. But instead of the pandemic, this time Mother Nature is to blame. While the current cold snap is on its way out the door, it has caused dramatic industry upheaval along the way.
February 15, 2021 By David Murray
The arctic temperatures and icing that surged into the midsection of the country closed the Illinois River. Beginning February 8, American Commercial Barge Line notified its customers that it was suspending movement in the Illinois River “due to the developing ice conditions.”
The National Weather Service’s North Central River Forecast Center said in a February 9 statement, “After a few months of above average temperatures, the last week has seen a push of arctic air that has promoted ice formation on the Mississippi and Illinois riverways. Much of the Illinois riverway is experiencing some degree of ice formation.”
December 18, 2020 By David Murray
In the top story of 2020, an invisible virus has, to date, caused more than a million and a half deaths worldwide, sickened tens of millions more, overwhelmed the health care facilities of many countries at times, and upended the global economy, completely reshaping some industries. It is a story that is far from over, but whose end may be in sight.
After crash development by an emergency team under the aegis of Operation Warp Speed, two vaccines have been developed, one by Pfizer-BioNTech and the other by Moderna. Pfizer’s has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration after encouraging testing indicating an effectiveness of more than 90 percent. Moderna’s vaccine was awaiting approval at press time, with 6 million doses ready for immediate allocation.