New National Center Promotes Mental Health In Rural Schools
It’s the middle of summer but Harrisburg Middle School is a hive of activity. Between summer school classes and renovations, it’s a little chaotic for…
Why Some Parents, Healthcare Experts Worry Active Shooter Drills In Schools Do More Harm Than Good
Dianne Gordon, a mom who lives in Champaign, knew something was wrong with her daughter Rory the minute she stepped off the school bus one afternoon in…
FDA To CBD Retailers: Don’t Make Unfounded Health Claims
Federal agencies are scrambling to establish regulations for hemp and hemp products as farmers in the Midwest and around the country start growing the…
Federal Lawsuit Claims Granite City’s Crime-Free Housing Rules Are Unconstitutional
The city of Granite City in the Metro East is facing a lawsuit claiming its crime-free housing rules are unconstitutional. Attorneys with the Institute for Justice , a libertarian, public interest law firm based in Arlington, Virginia, filed the lawsuit in the Southern District of Illinois’ U.S. District Court in East St. Louis Thursday on behalf of…
Reporter’s Notebook: Knowing What’s In The Heart(land)
Reporting any story means having to learn more about myself, what I care about and what I want to do next. For example, I once talked with John Gruidl of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs. He said a lot of younger folks now choose a place to live before they choose a job, and…
Ohio Opens School For Students With Addiction
Bouncing on a purple exercise ball, Alyssa talks to her new teacher about what classes she needs to graduate. “There’s a Psychology 1 as an elective, I…
Reports Highlight Problems with Illinois’ Department of Children and Family Services
In late March, a child welfare worker visited the family home of 9-year-old Byron Casanova in Johnston City, Illinois. he social worker expressed…
Abortion Stories: Mother, Daughter And A Clinic
“This is the spot,” Marilyn Evans says, standing in the empty parking lot of the Women’s Med Center in Kettering, Ohio. The Women’s Med Center is the…
Abortion Stories: Woman Counsels Others On Regret
Nicole Dempsey remembers crying in a pew at church, watching a video of a woman with long dark hair and deep brown eyes. The woman was talking about her…
The Corn Belt’s Traditional Summer Job Of Detasseling Delayed By Weather
Every summer, thousands of Midwestern kids as young as 13 load onto school buses early in the morning to do one of the hottest, dirtiest temporary jobs…
Why This Group Hands Out Free ‘Morning After’ Pills
Rows of silver and pink plastic packages sit on the bathroom counter inside Bean, a Louisville coffee shop. Each package carries these words: emergency…
IDOC Director On Book Removal: Lack Of Policy, Oversight At State Prisons
The new director of the Illinois Department of Corrections said during a legislative hearing in Chicago on Monday that the agency plans to revise its…
Hemp And The Challenges Of Farming’s Frontier
There’s millions of dollars to be made from growing hemp, which for years was lumped in and vilified with its sister plant, marijuana. With the…
For Hospital Designers, Domke Is A Very Big Name
It’s humid spring morning in the woods of central Missouri and Henry Domke is lining up a shot. His target? The vibrant petals of a red buckeye bloom. …
JBS A Big Winner In USDA Trade War Relief Contracts
A Brazilian-owned meat processing company undercut its competition by more than $1 per pound to win nearly $78 million in pork contracts through a federal program launched to help American farmers offset the impact from an ongoing trade war. As a result, JBS USA has won more than 26 percent of the $300 million the…