Good morning, troops. It's Thursday, Jan. 4.
It doesn't take a meteorological genius to figure out it's pretty darned cold outside today, again. As Nick in the Morning types this, shortly before 7 a.m., it's minus-6 degrees in Peoria. Wind chill makes it feel like minus-16.
All of it isn't dissimilar to the temperatures that inaugurated 2018. Considering it got up to 19 degrees Wednesday, Nick in the Morning was thinking bikini weather was just around the corner.
At least it's not as bad as the "bomb cyclone" (who comes up with these names, anyway?) that is crawling its way up the Eastern seaboard, bringing snow and cold to the South and perhaps 2 feet of accumulation in parts of New England.
Still, around here, the early-morning frigidness was enough to persuade many school superintendents and principals to cancel classes today.
Peoria and Dunlap public schools are closed all week because of winter break. Other schools and districts resumed classes earlier this week, albeit briefly.
School began again Tuesday at Peoria Notre Dame High School and is continuing today, sort of. Classes at the PND campus are not being held, but according to this source, today is an "online learning day."
That's something they didn't have when Nick in the Morning was off school for a week because of the Blizzard of '79. Thank God.
Canton Union District 66 reopened from break Wednesday but is closed today. Tremont District 702 was to resume classes today, but those have been canceled. So are classes Friday.
(Party time for the Turks, right?)
Pekin Community High School, which lies between Canton and Tremont, is open for business as usual, according to an official there. Although several grade-school districts that feed into the high school district, including South Pekin and Spring Lake, appear to be closed.
We've contacted Pekin High Superintendent Danielle Owens to find out her district's thought process when it comes to deciding when to close. If/when she replies, we'll update.
The best advice Nick in the Morning can give regarding school closings is to check with the district in which you reside. And maybe not watch WEEK-TV (25).
Until about 7:30 a.m., Channel 25 was telling its viewers East Peoria Community High School and Dunlap schools were open, even though they weren't and never were scheduled to be. We all make mistakes in this business. Some make more than others.
But the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band never makes a mistake. Well, except "Dirty Work." That was a big one.