217 Today: What are the best trees for homes in the Midwest? Here’s what experts recommend

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A bur oak leafs out on the grounds of the Kansas Forest Service headquarters in Manhattan, Kansas. Bur oak grows across most of Kansas and Missouri, and does well in dry spells.
  • Photo: Celia Llopis-Jepsen / Kansas News Service

August 7, 2023

Today’s headlines:

  • Abortion rights advocates in Illinois are slamming a federal judge’s ruling in a case over crisis pregnancy centers.
  • Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has signed three measures to support Native Americans.
  • Using electronic cigarettes in public spaces is now prohibited in Illinois under a new law.
  • The criminal trial of a top aide to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan starts Monday at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn more about what some people in the Midwest are doing about the lack of tree diversity in their communities.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting contributed by Mawa Iqbal, Alex Degman, Camryn Cutinello, Dave McKinney and Celia Llopis-Jepsen.

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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.