Central Illinois remained in the middle of a blizzard Tuesday that may have contributed to a 12- to 15-vehicle accident on southbound Interstate 55 near Atlanta.

Elsewhere, police were handling reports of up to 60 accidents as businesses and schools - including State Farm Insurance Cos., Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University - closed because of heavy snow and zero visibility in some spots because of high winds.

Events and meetings continue to be canceled for Tuesday. Check pantagraph.com for updates at any time. Below is a list of cancellations.

Businesses, transportation

State Farm may close Wednesday, said spokesman Fraser Engerman. He said workers should check pantagraph.com and radio broadcasts for updates.

Country Insurance & Financial Services sent workers home about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday and will monitor the weather to determine whether or not to open Wednesday, said spokeswoman Chris Anderson. Employees can call Country's weather hotline at 866-888-0740 to see if the company will be open Wednesday.

All afternoon flights due to arrive or depart from the Central Illinois Regional Airport have been cancelled except AirTran scheduled to arrive from Orlando at 4:18 p.m., according to Fran Strebing, deputy director of marketing. Travelers should check the airport Web site and with their airlines for the latest information.

Amtrak has cancelled its northbound train scheduled to leave St. Louis at 3 p.m., according to spokesman Marc Magliari. Because that train is cancelled, so is the 7 p.m. southbound train from Chicago. The 2 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. trains still are scheduled to run. Magliari said trains are seeing some delay because of the weather.

Meanwhile, Bloomington-Normal Public Transit is taking its buses off the street at 2:30, said spokeswoman Melanie Overlander. Buses are expected to return to their normal schedule Wednesday.

Bloomington issued a traffic collision alert just after 8:30 a.m. The collision alert means motorists involved in a traffic crash where no injuries have occurred and in which both vehicles are driveable, drivers should exchange names, addresses, telephone numbers and insurance information at this time.

Drivers are required to report the crash together and in person to the front desk of the Bloomington Police Department, 305 S. East St., within five business days of the crash.

Bloomington and Normal both have parking bans in effect on snow routes.

Utilities

Power has been restored to almost all of the more than 3,500 Ameren/IP Twin City customers and 2,000 served by Corn Belt Energy who were without power this morning. Corn Belt spokesman Dave Hawkinson said an Ameren transmission line feeding a Corn Belt substation in Normal went down, causing customers in that area to be without power.

Cancellations

- The Pantagraph spelling bee in Logan County, originally set for Wednesday. It has not yet been rescheduled.

- All Bloomington Parks & Recreation programs

- Miller Park Senior Center

- Pepsi Ice Center

- Red Cross of McLean County

- Libraries in Bloomington, Towanda, Normal, Carlock and Hudson

- Peoria County Courthouse

- A traffic enforcement program on College Avenue in front of Northpoint School, now scheduled for the week of Feb. 19.

- Trash pickup in the City of Chenoa has been postponed to Thursday.

- Chris Vallillo's performance of "Lincoln in Song" has been rescheduled for 2 p.m. Feb. 24 at the McLean County Museum of History.

- A presentation by historian and author Paul F. Boller Jr. has been rescheduled for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27 at Eureka College. For ticket information, call (309) 467-6420.

- The McLean County Board's Executive Committee has cancelled its 4:30 p.m. meeting today. It has been rescheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday.

- Heyworth schools will be closed Wednesday, said Superintendent Randy Merker. He said conditions Tuesday night were "brutal" and the township had pulled some plows in so some roads were impassable.

- District 87 and Unit 5 schools will be closed Wednesday. District 87 school board's Wednesday meeting also has been canceled.