Power restored after storm pummels area with snow, ice

Photos by Louis Brems/Telegraph ComEd workers begin the task of fixing downed lines and poles Sunday near state Route 2, outside of Dixon.

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BY WIRE REPORT A winter storm partially contributed to a car accident Saturday that killed a 13-year-old Oregon girl, police said. The driver of an Oldsmobile Alero going east on Kishwaukee Road near Beltline Road lost control and struck another car. Malorie Zeigler, of Oregon, was pronounced dead at the scene. She was a passenger in the Alero, which her sister, 20-year-old Meagan Zeigler, of Davis Junction, was driving. Meagan is listed in critical condition at Rockford Memorial Hospital. The sisters were headed home after shopping in Rockford. Two people in the other vehicle, a Chrysler Sebring, were transported to SwedishAmerican Hospital with injuries. The driver, Roxanne Kurt, 43, and her 15-year-old daughter had serious but not life-threatening injuries, police said. The two-car accident occurred on a snow-packed road. Meanwhile, the lights are back on for most people who lost power during the weekend storm. In northern Illinois, more than 100,000 customers lost power at least briefly; but by Sunday night, only around 6,000 still were without power, said ComEd spokesman Joe Trost. More than 200 passengers stranded at O'Hare International Airport after hundreds of flights were canceled Saturday returned home on Sunday, said Gregg Cunningham, a spokesman for Chicago's Department of Aviation. Lingering rain and poor visibility also caused about 50 flight cancellations Sunday afternoon, Cunningham said. As a result, he said around 75 people would be forced to stay at the airport overnight Sunday. The storm apparently caused some problems with Rockford cable service, although the specific problem was not known. A recorded message on Insight Communications' call line said the company was "experiencing a cable outage in Rockford and surrounding areas," which affected phone, cable and Internet service. The Associated Press and GateHouse News Service contributed to this report. © Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. © Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.