217 Today: Local food advocates try to patch supply chain gaps after the USDA cuts programs

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Kitchen staff at the Clear Lake Middle School in northern Iowa slice local apples as one of the fruit options for lunch.
  • Photo: Rachel Cramer / Iowa Public Radio

Friday, April 11, 2025

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Today’s headline:

  • WTTW, the PBS station in Chicago, reports JB Pritzker is evaluating a request to appear before Congress about the state’s laws designed to protect undocumented immigrants.
  • Illinois is joining 15 other states and the District of Columbia in suing the Trump administration to restore access to federal pandemic relief funding for schools.
  • Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill that would reestablish parole. But a new documentary shows it’s not an easy path out of jail.
  • A pause in federal funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services has worried library advocates around Illinois.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn how food advocates are trying to patch supply chain gaps after the USDA cuts programs.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting today contributed by Reginald Hardwick, Emily Hays, Kulsoom Khan and Rachel Cramer.

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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.