One man died in Iowa after a tree fell on him as nearly 700 severe weather events were recorded over three days

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An Illinois man whose home was destroyed by a tornado on Thursday was pulled from the rubble by a police officer and a photojournalist, who captured the terrifying storm and subsequent rescue in dramatic video footage.

Scott Lasker, who describes himself as a storm chaser, recorded the tornado ripping through the town of Streator and was filming the damage it inflicted when he came across the man trapped in the debris of his house.

Police released photos of person of interest in Tuesday’s cross burning, often linked to white supremacy and racism

Chicago authorities are searching for a suspect after a cross was burned in Grant Park earlier this week.

At about 2.30pm on Tuesday, Chicago’s fire department responded to reports of a cross set ablaze in the park. No injuries were reported and firefighters quickly extinguished the flames.