Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 1-1

(EMcaa Stibune Questions? Call 1-800-Tribune Monday, November 18, 2013 Breaking news at chicagotribune.com 'You could hear the wind going over and it just felt heavy, surrounding you." Lisa Glisson, who took shelter in Diamond, III. Tornadoes rake Illinois ZBIGNIEW BZDAKTRIBUNE PHOTO In central Illinois, firefighters search tornado-damaged homes in Washington after a twister Sunday killed at least one person and flattened swaths of the city near Peoria. Storms kill at least 6 and injure dozens By Carlos Sadovi, Rosemary Regina Sobol and Alexandra Chachkevitch Tribune reporters Rare and violent autumn storms ripped across Illinois on Sunday, spinning off tornadoes before slamming into Chicago with punishing rain and wind. As heavy gusts toppled trees and power lines and downpours swamped city streets, tens of thousands of Bears fans were evacuated from their Soldier Field seats and forced to take cover inside or huddle behind the historic stone colonnades. Earlier, in southern Illinois, severe weather decimated farms, killing at least five people, including an elderly brother and sister, when a tornado barreled through their house.

Farther north, near Peoria, a tornado flattened large swaths of Washington, killing at least one person and sending about 50 others to local hospitals. Please turn to Page 4 Survivors count their blessings in all the debris By Michelle Manchir, Bonnie Miller Rubin and Geoff Ziezulewicz Tribune reporters Jeff Siltman was blowing leaves when he heard something even louder, glanced over his shoulder and saw a funnel cloud dropping from the sky. Siltman screamed to his family, including five children, to head for the basement as the sound of shattering glass filled their home in Washington, about 150 miles southwest of Chicago. When they emerged Sunday, the house was leveled, but his family survived. Siltman considers himself among the lucky.

"It is all replaceable," he said outside a makeshift help center in a local church, a few blocks from the remnants of his home. The tornado that ripped apart Silt-man's home, along with scores of other structures just outside Peoria, was one of several twisters authorities said raked Please turn to Page 5 JOSE M. OSORIOTRIBUNE PHOTO As a storm battered the city Sunday, people at Soldier Field for the Bears game were ordered to evacuate the stands because of lightning. Page 5 Bears rally in OT win after storm delay The Bears were down 10-0 Sunday against the Ravens at Soldier Field when the game was stopped because of severe weather. Nearly two hours later, the Bears returned to the field with renewed intensity.

Robbie Gould kicked the game-winner in OT for a 23-20 victory, putting the Bears back in a first-place tie with the Lions in the NFC North. Chicago Sports Latest Ventra kinks hit transit benefit program REUTERS PHOTO 2007 TT" Nobel winner helped define early feminism Author Doris Lessing, who took on gender roles, politics and sci-fi, died Sunday in London at age 94. AE The CTA says it's looking into the Nelsons' issue. The problem appears to be a variation of the double-charging problem that some Ventra transit card customers say happened to them when they tapped their cards on Ventra fare readers on buses and on turnstiles at CTA rail stations. At the same time, several other issues, including some hidden extra costs, have come to light as the CTA and its contractor continue to try to smooth out bugs that have plagued the new fare card system.

One problem emerged with the CTA Ventra tran- Please turn to Page 12 As the nation's second-largest transit system struggles to debug the unruly Ventra fare-payment system, another apparent Ventra glitch is also testing the patience of some customers. The culprit this time is the Chicago Transit Authority's Ventra transit benefit program, which is designed to stretch the dollars that commuters spend to buy transit fares by using pretax deductions from their paychecks. CTA rider Zeb Nelson and his wife were initially pleased that their Chicago Card Plus accounts were successfully transferred over to the new Ventra system. But when Nelson's BLL CLOSETS, BEFOM aidAFTER 30 OFF transformations Rrything fjj Jon Hilkevitch Getting Around wife purchased a CTA 30-day pass through the transit benefit program, Ventra charged her for two passes, Nelson said. "They took $100 from her check for one 30-day pass and then another $100 charged to our credit card for a second 30-day pass," Nelson said.

"Clearly one person doesn't need two 30-day passes active at a time." 'I couldn't stop man says of typhoon Chicagoland man to visit his native Philippines with aid. Page 10 mm Skilling's forecast: High 44 Low 28 Weather page on back of AE section $1.50 city and suburbs, $1.99 elsewhere 166th year No. 322 Chicago Tribune 4948500001.