Three companies are proposing pipelines across the Midwest that would carry carbon dioxide captured from ethanol plants to underground sequestration sites. The plan is to inject the CO2 deep into rock formations under Illinois and North Dakota, but some landowners are pushing back. This story is a part of a Harvest Public Media series…
CHAMPAIGN – The tornado that tore through Crawford County on Friday left three people dead and at least 25 homes destroyed. With windspeeds that topped 155 mph, the tornado flattened the county airport, leaving a trail of mangled planes in its wake. Residents of the county, located about 100 miles southeast of Champaign, now face…
CHAMPAIGN – If you’ve ever bought a scone or a jar of strawberry jam at your local farmers market, you’ve likely supported someone in the cottage food business. A cottage food business is just what is sounds like: food prepared in a private home for sale to the public (bonus points for quaintness if that…
CHAMPAIGN – Rising costs driven by inflation have affected nearly every aspect of daily life. From soaring grocery prices to high gas costs, budgets have been strained across the board. Electricity prices have jumped sharply over the past year, rising 15.8%. Much of that increase can be attributed to the rising cost of natural gas,…
CHAMPAIGN – Beginning this month, people who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will see a sharp reduction in benefits. As the emergency allotments enacted by Congress at the start of pandemic expire, 16 million American households will now receive less monthly assistance. In Illinois, the change is expected to affect two…
CHAMPAIGN – Ah, winter. When nature compensates for shortened days and frigid nights by enveloping the landscape in blankets of crystalline snow. When the soul is warmed by the kaleidoscopic magic of a snowflake caught on an upturned palm. When snowmen and snowball fights make children of us all. Yeah, not this year. This year,…
CHAMPAIGN – Plans have resumed for a carbon dioxide pipeline in Illinois after a brief delay. Heartland Greenway LLC refiled its application with the Illinois Commerce Commission last Friday after voluntarily withdrawing it at the end of January. The Omaha-based company is seeking a certificate of authority to construct a pipeline that would cross 13…
CHAMPAIGN – Food deserts have long been associated with urban areas where full-service grocery stores are hard to find. But rural areas also struggle with a lack of access to fresh, affordable produce, despite often being surrounded by rich agricultural land. According to the Food Access Atlas, a map maintained by the USDA, dozens of…
CHAMPAIGN – Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL15) on Monday introduced a bill that would place a five-year moratorium on U.S. land purchases by foreign nationals. The Saving American Farms from Adversaries Act is Miller’s first bill of the 118th congress. According to Miller, foreign investment in U.S. farmland has tripled during the past 10 years. She…
CHAMPAIGN – The Supreme Court ruling in June overturning Roe v. Wade did away with federal protections for abortion rights. The decision returned the power to ban the procedure to states, rendering the country a patchwork of different abortion laws. Listen to this story here. In Illinois, abortion remains legal. But the procedure is banned…
CHAMPAIGN – Plans for a carbon dioxide pipeline in Illinois have been temporarily halted. Navigator Heartland Greenway LLC has voluntarily withdrawn its Application for a Certificate of Authority to construct the pipeline that would cross through 13 Illinois counties. Navigator said it plans to refile a new application with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) next…
CHAMPAIGN – Danville has no plans to welcome a third cannabis dispensary anytime soon. The Danville City Council on Tuesday denied a special-use zoning permit to open a new dispensary in the Lynch Road corridor. That vote came after the decision to amend the city’s zoning ordinance to allow one or more cannabis…
CHAMPAIGN — Americans have felt the pain of inflation in grocery stores this year. The USDA estimates that the cost of groceries was 10.6 percent higher in November 2022 than November 2021. Prices may finally be on their way down as the Federal Reserve tinkers with interest rates, but the cost of one product –…