217 Today: Peaches are in short supply this year after weather pitfalls in the Midwest and South

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Jose Alfredo Rosas Luly works on packing up peaches as Napoleon Caromla builds cardboard bushel boxes at Flamm Orchards in Cobden, Illinois. A cold spell in late December damaged peach crops across southern Illinois, with some orchards estimating nearly a 90% loss.
  • Photo: Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio

August 14, 2023

Today’s headlines:

  • Today is the first day of school for many children in central Illinois — and some are walking into new classrooms. 
  • Democratic state officials are applauding the Illinois supreme court for its ruling on Friday upholding the state’s ban on semi-automatic firearms.
  • U.S. Senator Dick Durbin says the latest revelations about luxury trips for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should compel Congress to pass ethics reforms.
  • The Piatt County Zoning Board has set August 28 for its first hearing on a new wind farm proposal from Apex Clean Energy.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn more about how poor weather is leading to a peach shortage across the country.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting contributed by Emily Hays, Mawa Iqbal, Eric Stock, Jim Meadows and Will Bauer.

 

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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.