Photo by: Rick Danzl/The News-Gazette

A good samaritan tries to push a motorist back on the road near Cunningham Avenue and Interstate 74 in Urbana on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. The driver slid off into the median, made several attempts to get back on the road and finally did, then slid off in another ditch where a tow truck would be needed to get the car out.

PESOTUM Lane blockages on Interstate 57 near I-72 west of Champaign and on I-74 near Lincoln Avenue north of Urbana have been cleared following early morning accidents, as has an accident in northwest Champaign.

News-Gazette photographers report seeing several cars sliding off I-74 westbound into the median near Lincoln Avenue.

Illinois State Police troopers are handling multiple crashes and vehicle slide-offs, especially on or near bridge decks on the interstates. A truck/camper trailer jackknifed on I-74 near Danville mid-morning, blocking the westbound driving lane.

About 7:48 a.m., Sabrina K. Tucker Hinton, 19, of Bement, was driving a pickup truck west on I-74 when she hit a patch of ice, struck the median, then went back across the westbound lanes and was struck by a UPS tractor trailer truck. Both vehicles came to rest blocking the lanes of the bridge deck over the railroad tracks.

Hinton was ticketed for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

Meantime, Mattis Avenue north of Bradley in northwest Champaign was shut down for about an hour Wednesday morning as Champaign police dealt with a head-on collision that sent two women to the hospital.

Sgt. Tom Frost said the accident happened about 8:28 a.m. on Mattis at Williamsburg Drive.

A southbound Honda Accord driven by Lola Ratliff, 62, of Champaign, apparently lost control on the slick road and went into the oncoming lane of traffic. The car collided head-on with a northbound Kia Sedona van driven by Imee Smith, 33, of Champaign.

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Interstate bridge decks treacherous

How We Made It: Printed Midi DJ Decks: Novalia for DJ QBert
Find us: http://www.novalia.co.uk Follow us: @novaliainfo Like us: http://www.facebook.com/novalialtd Novalia worked with DJ Qbert to create the world #39;s first interactive DJ Decks in an album cover. ...

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How We Made It: Printed Midi DJ Decks: Novalia for DJ QBert - Video

Hearthstone Constructed - Tinkering /w new Decks in GvG
So I #39;ve decided to try and go do some more constructed again, instead of arena and to be honest I #39;ve been enjoying it more then I though I would. At 8:40 I start talking about the deck I decided...

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Hearthstone Constructed - Tinkering /w new Decks in GvG - Video

London: Seen from some angles, tilting at a crazy angle in shallow water, it might almost resemble a huge plaything discarded by capricious giants.

Since the weekend, a 57,000-ton, 590-foot car transporter, the Hoegh Osaka, has been aground on Bramble Bank, a well-marked sandbank off the British port of Southampton, beached deliberately by its crew to prevent the vessel from capsizing after it began to list on Saturday.

The crew was then plucked to safety by rescue ships and a helicopter, the British maritime authorities said.

The sight of the leviathan lying low has drawn crowds on the shoreline and in small boats, as well as speculation as much about the vessel as about its cargo: heavy construction equipment and 1,400 cars, mostly high-end, bound for Germany.

Its fate offered a counterpoint to that of another ship that encountered trouble in British waters over the weekend, the Cyprus-registered Cemfjord, a 272-foot bulk-cement carrier that capsized and sank during a violent storm off northern Scotland.

Rescuers said Monday that they were no longer searching for the Cemfjord's eight-person crew. The cause of the sinking was not known, the ship's operators said.

How the Singapore-registered Hoegh Osaka came to its current resting place, by contrast, was a tale of maritime resourcefulness in the face of looming disaster, at least as described by Ingar Skiaker, the chief executive of the ship's owner, Hoegh Autoliners.

"Our vessel developed a severe list shortly after she left port, and the pilot and the master took the decision to save the vessel and its crew by grounding her on the bank," Skiaker told reporters. "This showed great skill and seamanship on behalf of our crew when faced with such challenging circumstances."

"Right now we have serious work ahead of us in order to free the vessel from the Bramble Bank without disrupting the flow of traffic in and out of the port of Southampton," he said Sunday.

By Monday, the ship was said to be canted at an angle of more than 50 degrees. Of the cars in its hold, around 1,200 were made by Jaguar Land Rover, which manufactures sport utility vehicles and sports cars, the company said.

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Decks Tilting, Crew Grounded Ship to Save It

Ron, I love wood decks!

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Ron, I love wood decks! - Video

Quantum of the Seas: Complete Ship Tour - Part 2: Upper Decks
This is a complete ship tour of Royal Caribbean #39;s Quantum of the Seas. The first ship in the new Quantum class of ships. A design built on the Celebrity Solstice class of ships with the purpose...

By: Derek Picone

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Quantum of the Seas: Complete Ship Tour - Part 2: Upper Decks - Video

Published January 05, 2015

Firefighters spray water in the charred Norman Atlantic Ferry in Brindisi's port on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015. For a second day, fierce heat from a slow-burning blaze kept firefighters and other investigators on Saturday from searching the hold and vehicle decks of a Greek ferry for more bodies. At least 11 people perished in the pre-dawn blaze on Dec. 28 aboard the Norman Atlantic, on a voyage between Greece and Italy. Authorities fear more bodies might be inside the vehicle deck where the fire began. (AP Photo/Roberta Grassi)(The Associated Press)

Firefighters and investigators work on the Norman Atlantic ferry after it was towed into the port of Brindisi, southern Italy, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015. Wearing gas masks against the smoke, Italian firefighters and investigators boarded the charred Norman Atlantic ferry on Friday and retrieved a data recorder they hope will help them discover what caused a deadly blaze. Some parts of the ferry are still burning making difficult the search for any more bodies in the maritime disaster that has already killed 11 people. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)(The Associated Press)

Smoke billows from the Italian-flagged Norman Atlantic ferry after that was towed into the port of Brindisi, southern Italy, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015. For a second day, fierce heat from a slow-burning blaze kept firefighters and other investigators on Saturday from searching the hold and vehicle decks of a Greek ferry for more bodies. At least 11 people perished in the pre-dawn blaze on Dec. 28 aboard the Norman Atlantic, on a voyage between Greece and Italy. Authorities fear more bodies might be inside the vehicle deck where the fire began. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)(The Associated Press)

BRINDISI, Italy Italian firefighters and forensic experts searching for bodies inside a fire-damaged ferry are braving fierce heat and thick, black smoke for the third straight day.

Brindisi Coast Guard Capt. Mario Valente said Monday that searchers are trying to reach lower decks near the Norman Atlantic ferry's car deck, where a pre-dawn blaze began Dec. 28 while the ferry sailed from Greece toward Italy.

The fire has claimed at least 11 lives. Greece says as many as 19 people might be unaccounted for; Italy says that figure might be higher. There are fears some drivers might have been sleeping in their trucks when the blaze began or that illegal migrants might have stowed away inside vehicles.

Since the onboard search began Saturday, high temperatures have thwarted entry into the vehicle deck.

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Searchers brave searing heat of Greek ferry, looking for more bodies in blaze that killed 11

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's persuasive pitch to railway employees unions has cleared the decks for more FDI inflows and private capital in national transporter that may be reflected in the rail budget.

After Modi's statement that there would be no privatization of railways, the workers' unions have softened their stand over several issues including FDI in the transport behemoth. However, the unions are sticking to demands relating to scrapping of new pension scheme (NPS) and DA mergers.

The PM has said that he had a "deep connection" with the railways. "I love railways. My life is what it is because of railways," Modi said. "The government will not go in the direction of railway privatization ... People are spreading rumours about privatization of railways. It is not true," Modi had said.

READ ALSO: Cash starved railways sets up body to speed up FDI

The change of heart came after railway minister Suresh Prabhu's reassurance that FDI or public-private partnership (PPP) will not affect the ownership of railways. During the meeting of general managers last week where union representatives were also present, the minister argued that the government wants to attract private investment in cash-strapped railways and it was not for privatization of railways.

After PM Narendra Modi's assurances, railway employees unions has cleared the decks for more FDI inflows and private capital in national transporter that may be reflected in the rail budget. (File photo)

After Modi's categorical assurance, Prabhu's persuasive skills worked in convincing the union leaders, said a senior railways official. The union representatives were also satisfied with the minister's assurance that the railways would not sell any piece of land but instead try to exploit the land commercially.

Shiv Gopal Mishra of All India Railwaymen Federation said, "Our opposition is not politically motivated. We demanded that there should not be privatization of railways and the issue of FDI must be discussed with full transparency."

At the same time, Mishra warned the minister and railways official that the transporter should not invite FDI or money from national resources which could harm the railways because of overcapitalization or payment of interest on the borrowed capital.

A goods train carrying containers for shipping passing through an area near Navi Mumbai.

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Railway unions soften stand on FDI after PM Modi's assurance

BRINDISI, Italy (AP) Italian firefighters and forensic experts searching for bodies inside a fire-charred ferry braved fierce heat and thick, black smoke Monday for the third straight day but still did not reach the crucial site where the blaze broke out, authorities said.

The experts have been trying to get into the Norman Atlantic ferry's car deck, where a pre-dawn blaze began Dec. 28 while the ship sailed from Greece to Italy, Brindisi Coast Guard Capt. Mario Valente said. High temperatures generated by a slow-burning fire, however, have kept them away.

With strong winds blowing Monday, workers attached cables to make the ferry's mooring at the dock more secure.

The ferry fire has claimed at least 11 lives. Greece says as many as 19 people might be still unaccounted for; Italy says that figure could be higher. There are fears that some drivers were sleeping in their trucks when the blaze began or that illegal migrants might have stowed away inside vehicles.

Italy says 477 people on the ferry were rescued. Nine bodies were recovered; two bodies were spotted in rough waters in the Mediterranean Sea but weren't able to be recovered.

Some relatives, including those of a missing Italian trucker, waited anxiously for news from a coroner's office in Brindisi. But the autopsies, which they hope might help identify loved ones among the bodies, have been delayed until Jan. 12 for technical reasons.

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Fierce heat on charred Greek ferry slows search for bodies

January Deck Requests
My Twitter: Remster101 for updates or to tweet me! My Skype: Remster1000 My DN: Remster1 (For Deck Making Only) My Steam: Remster (See what games I #39;m playing) My YGOPro/Devpro: Remster ...

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