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217 Today: Welcome to Morton, Illinois — the bite-sized town that produces a whole lot of canned pumpkin

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Joe Deacon / Harvest Public Media
  • Photo: Morton, Illinois — population 17,400 or so — prides itself on producing tons of pumpkins each year. Most of those pumpkins are pureed and canned at the Libby's plant, which has been in the town for nearly 100 years.

Thursday, Novemeber 7, 2024

Today’s headlines:

  • Every harvest season means the movement of huge amounts of grain. But for those dealing with grain on farms and at elevators, it can be dangerous.
  • Illinois Republicans are bullish on a second Donald Trump presidency.
  • Around 70% of Urbana residents voted “Yes” on a ballot question asking if the U.S. should end its military funding for Israel.
  • In Urbana election news, voters approved a ballot question asking whether the city should refuse to invest in companies that produce fossil fuels.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn how Morton, Illinois is the epicenter for pumpkins in the U.S.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting today contributed by Jim Meadows, Alex Degman, Anulika Ochuba and Joe Deacon.

 

 

 

 

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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.