rochelle

Over the last few months, fake $20 bills have been used throughout Illinois and more fake money has made its way to the Rockford-area. Here's what to look for.

By now, I'm sure that you've heard that Playboy Magazine founder Hugh Hefner passed away at the age of 91 on Wednesday of this week. There are plenty of things online today that will fill you in on his background and exploits, but not many that mention where the first 5 issues of Playboy were printed starting in 1953. That would be Rochelle, Illinois.

Here in the Rockford area, we're no strangers to weather extremes, as folks in Belvidere, Poplar Grove, Fairdale, and Rochelle can attest. We've seen death and destruction up close (and personal, for many). However, we've rarely, if ever, had to face down a storm that's as big as our state.

It's been a long 17 months since that awful April 9th tornado that tore everything apart in it's path, including the Grubsteakers Restaurant at 64 and 251. Good news! The restaurant will open for business again next week.

Northern Illinois boasts a hearty list of recognizable names in film, music, architecture, sports and other areas of interest. In this edition of "In 60 Seconds or Less," we look at 10 famous people who you probably didn't know lived in Illinois.

Over the weekend the National Weather Service announced that a review of damage from Thursday's severe storms resulted in the finding of four tornadoes in the region. However, using storm chaser video, officials now say there were five twisters...

Following a storm survey on Friday, National Weather Service officials have identified four tornadoes that touched down in the Northern Illinois area on April 9 Officials also say the massive twister seen above that devastated Fairdale was a powerful EF-4 and was on the ground for at least 28 miles...

Caution: language warning on the video above By this point you're more than aware of the deadly and damaging tornadoes that ripped across the Stateline area Thursday night. Now you might be asking how to help. You can donate to the Red Cross, of course...

It was a crazy, deadly night in the stateline last night. Take a look at footage captured around the area:

@WISN12News is live this morning in Fairdale, IL after a tornado destroyed this small town. pic.twitter.com/rrQeyT25s9 — Steven Radmer (@Steven_R) April 10, 2015   A large tornado that hit the town of Fairdale has left one person dead, ten injured and more than a dozen homes destroyed. ...