217 Today: At Colorado meatpacking plant, a vulnerable workforce braces for Trump 2.0

Tiktok Instagram Facebook-f
Semi-trailers waiting to offload cattle or pick up processed beef idle along U.S. Route 85 outside the JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colorado.
  • Photo: Photo by Mary Anne Andrei

Friday, January 17, 2025

Audio Player

Today’s headlines:

  • Wintry weather is changing part of Monday’s MLK celebration in Danville.
  • The Illinois State Board of Education has voted to recommend a budget that includes a $350 million increase in evidence-based funding for school districts.
  • Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is launching an online portal for children’s behavioral health care.
  • The Fighting Illini women’s basketball team won on the road last night against Indiana.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn how Donald Trump’s immigration policy might impact the meatpacking industry and the price of our food.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting today contributed by Isabela Nieto, Mawa Iqbal, Reginald Hardwick, Colin Hislope and Ted Genoways.

WILL and the Illinois Newsroom are committed to bringing you in-depth, relevant coverage that keeps you informed and engages you with our community and state. Join with thousands of others to keep this important public media-based resource available to all. Donate today >>

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.