SPORTS MOREHEAD STATE BEATS PANTHERS, 85-77, B1 JOURNAL GAZETTE & TIMES-COURIER MONDAY JG-TC 01/06/2014 SERVING CHARLESTON, MATTOON & SURROUNDING AREAS ||||| WWW.JG-TC.COM ||||| $1.00 TODAY’S WEATHER Clobbered -13/-14 Bitterly cold. Partly sunny. See page A4 for the four-day outlook. STATE 3 brother soldiers gather at home In Atlanta, Ill., the Combs brothers all managed to get home for holidays. A3 TOP THIS! Clicks become big business SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Celebrities, businesses and even the U.S. State Depart- ment have bought bogus Facebook likes, Twitter fol- lowers or YouTube viewers from offshore “click farms,” where workers tap, tap, tap the thumbs up button, view videos or retweet comments to inflate social media num- bers. Since Facebook launched almost 10 years ago, users have sought to expand their social networks for financial gain, winning friends, brag- ging rights and professional clout. And social media com- Ken Trevarthan/Staff Photographer panies cite the levels of Brian Hyder works to clear snow away from a neighbor's house on Reynolds Drive near Carl Sandburg School on Sunday afternoon in Charleston. engagement to tout their value. But an Associated Press examination has found a growing global marketplace Arctic blast dumps snow as it arrives for fake clicks, which tech companies struggle to police. BY DAVE FOPAY institute set for Online records, industry JG-TC Staff Writer LOG ON FOR today. UPDATES: studies and interviews show CHARLESTON — Coles Other area JG-TC.COM companies are capitalizing County was in the heart of the school closing Below-zero temps push on the opportunity to make area through which a winter announcements millions of dollars by duping storm passed Sunday, dumping were pending, though there social media. nearly a foot of snow and was already no student atten- For as little as a half cent bringing record-breaking low dance today for Charleston into Midwest, Northeast each click, websites hawk temperatures. and Mattoon schools. There everything from LinkedIn The record low temperature were teacher institutes sched- CHICAGO (AP) — Icy, connections to make mem- for today’s date was 10 below uled in both districts but stu- snow-covered roads and high bers appear more employ- zero set in 1924 and should dents aren’t scheduled to winds made travel treacher- able to Soundcloud plays to have been easily surpassed by return from the holiday breaks ous Sunday from the Dako- influence record label inter- the forecasted low temperature until Tuesday. tas and Michigan to Mis- est. overnight of 16 below, accord- A decision on school for souri as much of the nation “Anytime there’s a mone- ing to Cameron Craig, clima- Charleston and Mattoon stu- braced for the next winter tary value added to clicks, tologist with the Eastern Illi- dents on Tuesday will be made wallop: a dangerous cold there’s going to be people nois University weather center. later and depend on how much that could break records. going to the dark side,” said “We’re definitely going to hit conditions improve, officials in A whirlpool of frigid, Mitul Gandhi, CEO of a record low for the daytime both districts said. dense air known as a “polar seoClarity, a Des Plaines, high temperature,” Craig “We will closely monitor the vortex” was expected to sup- Ill., social media marketing added, explaining that today’s forecast and the weather as it press temperatures in more firm that weeds out phony high is forecast at 9 below. unfolds over the weekend,” than half of the continental online engagements. The snow that started early Charleston Assistant Superin- U.S. starting into Monday Italian security Sunday reached a half-foot by tendent Todd Vilardo said. and Tuesday, with wind chill researchers and bloggers early afternoon with another 5- The cold weather is expected warnings stretching from Andrea Stroppa and Carla 6 inches expected before it to continue Tuesday but school Montana to Alabama. De Micheli estimated in 2013 ended during the evening, officials said that alone proba- It was 5 degrees at kickoff that sales of fake Twitter fol- Craig also said. The month’s bly won’t affect attendance. Sunday afternoon inside Associated Press lowers have the potential to total will already be well above Students waiting on school sold-out Lambeau Field for a A man wears a face mask and heavy clothes while walking bring in $40 million to $360 the January average of just buses is “always a concern” playoff game between the Sunday through downtown Springfield in blowing and falling million to date, and that fake more than 6 inches, he said. and parents should take pre- Green Bay Packers and the snow as a strong winter storm moves through the Midwest. Facebook activities bring in There were several business cautions, Mattoon Superinten- San Francisco 49ers, one of $200 million a year. closings and event cancella- dent Larry Lilly said. the coldest ever played. Falls, Minn., and minus 15 in Service meteorologist Butch As a result, many firms, tions Sunday because of the Craig said an “extremely “We suited up, we brought Indianapolis and Chicago. Dye in Missouri. whose values are based on snow. strong” high-pressure system all the snowboarding gear Wind chills — what it feels Several Midwestern states credibility, have entire teams Coles County Sheriff Darrell was behind the weather sys- we use ... and added to it,” like outside when high winds received up to a foot of new doggedly pursuing the buy- Cox said he made the decision tem, which brought the snow said 49ers fan Jeff Giardinel- are factored into the temper- snow Sunday. Five to 9 inch- ers and brokers of fake to close the county courthouse and cold to a large part of the li of Fresno, Calif. “Without ature — could drop into the es fell in the Chicago area clicks. But each time they and other county offices today country. The heaviest snow the wind, which isn’t here minus 50s and 60s. North- by Sunday afternoon, St. crack down on one, another, after conferring with county was from East Central Illinois yet, we’re good. When it gets eastern Montana was Louis area had about a foot more creative scheme presiding Judge James Glenn and south to Interstate 70 with windy, we’ll be ready for it.” warned of wind chills up to of snow and northern emerges. about the weather conditions. less snow north of this area, he The forecast is extreme: 25 59 below zero. Douglas County officials also said. below zero in Fargo, N.D., “It’s just a dangerous COME BACK announced that all the coun- “All the state is impacted,” minus 31 in International cold,” said National Weather See TEMPS, A2 ty’s office will be closed today. he said Sunday afternoon. “It’s TOMORROW The Shelby County Courthouse all 100 percent covered on drier air that was the case the peratures near the average temperatures and precipitation Read about the latest will be closed. highways and roads.” last two winters. It’s been six high of 35 degrees and low of but some extreme or unusual in literature via the JG-TC’s There will be no Dial-A-Ride The flow of air from the jet years or more since the area 19 degrees for this time of conditions could return from weekly Books page. bus service in Coles County stream is from the north and and the county Council on is the “main culprit” in bring- experienced similar conditions, year, he said. time to time, he added. Aging’s LifeSpan Center will ing in the wintry conditions, he he added. There’s a chance of more “It usually is back and forth INSIDE TODAY be closed today, according to also said. The high temperature on snow later in the week and like this,” Craig said. “We’re Advice . A7 an announcement from the “We’ve got a trough of Tuesday will still be in the sin- that and temperatures will going to see frequent patterns Classifieds . B6-8 council. extremely cold Arctic air,” gle digits but temperatures mean there won’t be a lot of of snowfall and warmups.” Comics . B5 Lake Land College’s campus Craig said. will “then start to rise back up snow melting, Craig also said. Community . A6 is closed, and Charleston He said it’s “just the oppo- into reality,” Craig said. The forecast for the rest of Contact Fopay at dfopay@jg- Horoscopes . A4 schools canceled a teacher site” of the stream of warmer, Wednesday should bring tem- the winter is for near normal tc.com or 217-238-6858. Local . A3 Lottery . A4 My Amish Home . A7 Obituaries . A8 Opinions . .A5 136th Year, Number 293 G BREAKING NEWS, COMMENTARY, MULTIMEDIA AND MORE: WWW.JG-TC.COM G 217-235-5656 A2 NATION & FROM PAGE ONE G MOND AY, JANUARY 6, 2014 JG-TC | www.jg-tc.com Thousands of state Election year shapes congressional agenda WASHINGTON (AP) — Con- among these folks who are los- listen to GOP suggestions. The GOP-controlled House gress returns to work Monday ing their benefits,” he told During a separate interview, and Democratic-led Senate workers battling with election-year politics cer- reporters Friday. Reid predicted widespread spent a chunk of last year tain to shape an already limit- Senate Majority Leader inaction would be the norm wrangling over renewing the ed agenda. Harry Reid, D-Nev., has sched- “unless the Republicans in nation’s farm bill after passing Republicans intend to focus uled a vote Monday night on Congress decide they should competing versions of the five- fierce snowstorm on every facet of President legislation by Sens.