217 Today: America’s favorite pollinator species is experiencing its biggest loss in history. What’s the buzz?

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Rena Wilson-Jones and her husband Drew Jones capture honeybees in a colony swarm outside their home in Urbana. Wilson-Jones is the co-president of the Eastern Illinois Beekeepers Association.
  • Photo: Kaitlyn Devitt/Illinois Student Newsroom

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Today’s headlines:

  • Illinois preschool providers say they’re struggling to deal with federal office closures for the early childhood education program Head Start.
  • Illinois plans to once again sue the Trump administration.
  • An Illinois legislative committee is green-lighting the end of a program that provides healthcare coverage for immigrant adults without legal status.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn what’s causing bees across the country to die at record-high rates.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting today contributed by Emily Hays, Mawa Iqbal, Alex Degman and Kaitlyn Devitt.

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Stephanie Mosqueda

Stephanie Mosqueda is a senior majoring in journalism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with minors in Spanish and public relations. She is the 217 Today producer and a reporter for the Illinois Student Newsroom.