Briefs: 598 flights canceled

A major winter storm that blasted the nation's midsection created icy conditions in portions of northern and western Illinois Tuesday, canceling flights, downing power lines and causing massive salt shortages. Some areas reported up to a quarter-inch of ice. Another cold front moving through northern Illinois was expected to turn rain into ice and sleet by late Tuesday and overnight, said National Weather Service Meteorologist Charles Mott. Some areas could expect up to two-tenths of an inch of ice by Wednesday, Mott said. The wintry mix caused headaches for air travelers. About 560 flights were canceled Tuesday at O'Hare International Airport and flights were delayed 15 minutes to two hours, said Chicago Department of Aviation spokeswoman Karen Pride. About 38 flights were canceled at Midway International Airport. No delays were reported Tuesday evening, Pride said.

The Illinois Department of Transportation had about 1,000 crews, mostly in the northern half of the state, salting roads and highways, said spokesman Mike Claffey. Crews would work overnight as temperatures were expected to dip, Claffey said.

County objects to request

The Will County state's attorney's office on Tuesday filed paperwork objecting to Drew Peterson's request to have his cars and other possessions returned, ABC 7 Chicago reported. His wife, Stacey Peterson, has been missing for several months. The items were taking during a search of the Petersons' Bolingbrook home Oct. 31. The state's attorney's office did not object to returning two iPods and music CDs.

Terror plot jury undecided

Jurors considering the guilt or innocence of seven men accused of plotting to blow up Chicago's Sears Tower completed a seventh day of deliberations Tuesday without reaching a verdict or announcing an impasse. The six men and six women have twice told U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard they are deadlocked in the case of the so-called "Liberty City Seven." But they did not send any notes to the judge Tuesday, a day after Lenard ordered them to try again to reach a decision. Jurors will resume their work this morning. The men are accused of plotting with al-Qaida to destroy the Sears Tower and bomb FBI offices in Miami and elsewhere. They face up to 70 years in prison if convicted of four terror-related conspiracy charges in a case trumpeted by the Bush administration as a prime example of the strategy of preventing future terror attacks.

Power plant cleanup ahead

Exelon Nuclear is seeking federal approval to decommission a shuttered northern Illinois power plant about a decade earlier than scheduled. The facility in Zion closed in 1998. Its 257 acres are 40 miles north of Chicago on the Lake Michigan shore. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has to approve Exelon Nuclear's plan to contract with Utah-based EnergySolutions to dismantle the facility, including removing its two nuclear reactors. If approved, the decommissioning would be done by 2018. Exelon owns the electric utility ComEd. Exelon Nuclear spokeswoman Krista Lopykinski says the plan won't cost any additional ratepayer dollars. She says the company hasn't decided what will be done with the land when the cleanup is complete.