This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Lee Enterprises, along with Capitol News Illinois. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker called patient abuses at the Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in rural Anna “awful” and “deeply concerning,” and he said the future of the facility depends on correcting poor conditions. Pritzker’s comments at…
Blue-green algae appears in lakes all over the Midwest during the summers and can make both people and animals ill. Few states have routine testing programs to check for the toxic algae, but some local and volunteer groups are stepping in to fill that gap. LAKE WAWASEE, Ind. — Living on Lake Wawasee, Cindy Peterson…
Wednesday, September 7, 2022 Today’s headlines: Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey continues to blame Governor J.B. Pritzker for crime in the state, but Bailey says he can fix it. Governor J.B. Pritzker made a stop in Decatur yesterday to announce state funding for electric vehicle manufacturing. Undergraduates at the University of Illinois tested positive…
CHICAGO — A kinesiology professor at the University of Illinois recently explored how Latin Dance can benefit the memory of older Latinos. Susan Aguiñaga is a kinesiology professor at U of I. Along with a team, she explored how Latin Dance can benefit the memory of older Latinos. Aguiñaga explained that there were two groups…
SPRINGFIELD – The state on Tuesday announced the award of the first electric vehicle manufacturing-targeted tax incentives made possible by a law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker last year. The incentives come from the Reimagining Electric Vehicles Act, which passed nearly unanimously and became law in November, and will provide an estimated $2.2 million in value…
Tuesday, September 6, 2022 Today’s headlines: On Monday, Governor J.B. Pritzker told Rock Island County Democrats that Illinois is “the most pro-labor state in the country, and it will remain that way” during the Democrats’ annual Salute to Labor in East Moline. The Inflation Reduction Act revived the national conversation around insulin prices. A kinesiology…
Student debt has soared in the 21st Century. It went from $520 billion in 2006 to now over $1.7 trillion. The Biden administration recently announced a student loan forgiveness program. Some borrowers could have as much as $20,000 forgiven. The White House estimates that around 43 million borrowers could be eligible for some debt forgiveness. Of those, close to half could…
WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending updated COVID boosters, for people ages 12 and older. These newly authorized shots are reformulated versions of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines and they’re available at pharmacies, clinics and doctors’ offices around the country. Listen to this story here. The boosters target both…
LONDON — Liz Truss will be the U.K.’s new prime minister, after the Conservative Party named her as its next leader on Monday, replacing the outgoing Boris Johnson. Truss, who currently serves as the foreign minister, has spent the summer campaigning against her opponent for the party leadership, the U.K.’s former finance minister, Rishi Sunak….
President Biden is switching up his climate team at the White House. On Friday, Biden announced his national climate adviser, Gina McCarthy, will step down. Her deputy, Ali Zaidi, will move into her role. And John Podesta, a chief of staff for former President Bill Clinton and a climate adviser to former President Barack Obama,…
This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Capitol News Illinois and Lee Enterprises . As Blaine Reichard rose from a breakfast table at the Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in southern Illinois, a worker ordered him to pull up his sagging pants. A 24-year-old man with developmental disabilities, Reichard was accustomed…
Friday, September 2, 2022 Today’s headlines: The CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois says they’re working hard to keep abortion care legal in the state. Illinois lawmakers working to pass gun laws say it will take some time before they reach a consensus. The University of Illinois is under attack by one gubernatorial challenger for…
Mount Rushmore and the Great Lakes are a couple of the Midwest’s tourism magnets, but some states have to work against their reputations to attract visitors. They’re getting creative by highlighting amenities that can be a bit off the beaten path. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s60/audio/2022/08/underdog-tourism-states-web.wav Listen to this story here. Climbing into a cattle water tank and floating…
President Biden is giving a rare prime-time speech on Thursday on what he calls the “battle for the soul of the nation” — including threats posed by a faction of the Republican party tied to former President Donald Trump. It’s a message that comes just two months ahead of the midterm congressional elections, where Democrats…
CHAMPAIGN — Illinois’ 13th district congressional race is heating up as November approaches. The newly redrawn district stretches from the Champaign-Urbana area to the Metro East suburbs near St. Louis — including much of Decatur and Springfield. This week, the Illinois Farm Bureau’s political action committee endorsed 13th district Republican candidate Regan Deering. The news…