U of I hopes a new greenhouse will be an incubator for bioenergy crops.
|

U of I hopes a new greenhouse will be an incubator for bioenergy crops.

University of Illinois officials held ceremonial shovels Wednesday morning, for a groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of construction on a new greenhouse. It will open next summer in the Urbana-Champaign campus’ Research Park and be used for research into bioenergy crops.

Fish in Illinois lakes & streams will no longer be tested for DDT
|

Fish in Illinois lakes & streams will no longer be tested for DDT

Illinois is joining a growing list of states that will no longer test fish in lakes and rivers for DDT and other related pesticides.  Illinois began testing fish for organochlorine pesticides in the 1970s, a few years after the best-known one, DDT, was banned in the U-S. Up until the ban, the chemicals had been…

A state program helps farmers donate the food they raise to food banks.
|

A state program helps farmers donate the food they raise to food banks.

Now, farmers in Illinois can contribute some of the food they produce to food banks though a centralized donation program. This month, Governor J-B Pritzker signed HB2879, which turns a two-year, USDA-funded Farm to Food Bank pilot program into a permanent, state-funded operation.

A survey of farm households finds that the stress of farm life is felt by teens as well as adults.
|

A survey of farm households finds that the stress of farm life is felt by teens as well as adults.

When farm life causes stress, young people feel it along with the adults. That correlation was noted in a survey of farm families, conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois and the Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin.

Young people and their horses opened the Champaign County Fair
|

Young people and their horses opened the Champaign County Fair

URBANA – Cattle, sheep and swine are being shown off in agricultural competitions this week at the Champaign County Fair in Urbana. But this past weekend belonged to the horses, with three different horse shows on the schedule. The horse show on the fair opening day (Friday, July 21) was organized by 4-H, and featured…

Recent shootings in the C-U area are a prime topic at a Community Coalition meeting.
|

Recent shootings in the C-U area are a prime topic at a Community Coalition meeting.

Meetings of the Champaign Community Coalition include regular reports from local police departments. And at Wednesday’s meeting, those reports were dominated by reports of shootings. “I think it’s fair to say that it’s been a sad and busy couple of weeks, leading up to today,” said Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Heuerman, addressing the gathering local…

Urbana’s Canaan Baptist Church is designated a local historic landmark.
|

Urbana’s Canaan Baptist Church is designated a local historic landmark.

Canaan Baptist Church in downtown Urbana is now a local Historic Landmark. The city’s Historic Preservation Commission recently granted the designation at the church’s request. Local architect Joseph Royer designed the building, which was built in 1909-1910 as the home of Urbana’s First Christian Church. Canaan Baptist Church moved into the building in 1977. Rev….

Gov. Pritzker stopped in Champaign to promote his budget, especially its spending for early childhood programs
|

Gov. Pritzker stopped in Champaign to promote his budget, especially its spending for early childhood programs

Governor J-B Pritzker and other state officials visited Champaign’s International Prep Academy Wednesday, part of the governor’s tour of the state to promote education spending in the new state budget.