Educators who helped thousands of hungry Illinoisans find food are out of a job
The workers provided nutrition education for people eligible for SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps.
-
-
Trump removes official overseeing jobs data after dismal employment report
Friday’s jobs report showed that just 73,000 jobs were added last month and that 258,000 fewer jobs were created in May and June than previously estimated. The report suggested that the economy has sharply weakened during Trump’s tenure.
-
Trump signs order imposing new tariffs on a number of trading partners that go into effect in 7 days
Trump imposed the Friday deadline after his previous “Liberation Day” tariffs in April resulted in a stock market panic. His unusually high tariff rates, unveiled in April, led to recession fears — prompting Trump to impose a 90-day negotiating period. When he was unable to create enough trade deals with other countries, he extended the timeline and sent out letters to world leaders that simply listed rates, prompting a slew of hasty deals.
-
U.S. ginseng growers and animal breeders rely on exports to China. Now they wait on a trade deal
Specialty producers exporting to China have been hit just as hard as soybeans and beef. But they often have fewer alternative markets for their crops, worsening the impact of retaliatory tariffs.
-
‘Hidden gem’: Growing number of visitors discovering southern Illinois as travel destination
Inside the state’s push to boost tourism across its inspirational southernmost region
-
Beef prices are at an all-time high. Here’s why it’s gotten so expensive
Shoppers are seeing record high beef prices at the grocery store. That’s in part because the number of cattle in the U.S. is at an all-time low, while consumer demand has remained strong.
-
Midwest pork producers hope for a profitable year, but trade tensions could complicate that
While the U.S. pork industry has grown significantly in the past two decades, producers have struggled to make a profit in recent years. Industry leaders are looking for new markets abroad and at home.
-
Champaign-based Health Alliance plans to end all coverage, eliminating more than 600 jobs
The news comes after Carle Health recently announced that Health Alliance will stop providing all types of coverage at the end of the year.
-
With electric prices going up, advocates tried — and failed — to reform the energy sector
Heading into the end of the legislative session, consumer advocates, renewable energy industry groups and environmental advocates were hopeful about a bill that would have overhauled Illinois’ energy industry.
-
Meta signs 20-year agreement to purchase nuclear power from Clinton plant
Facebook owner Meta said Tuesday that it’s signed a 20-year agreement to buy about 1.1 gigawatts of electricity from the Clinton nuclear power plant, starting in 2027, to support its “AI ambitions.”
-
Farmers are taking on more debt. Some worry more financial stress could be ahead
Farmers continued to take on more debt through the first quarter of 2025, prolonging a trend from last year. That’s as farm incomes have shrunk over the last couple of years, and some worry President Trump’s tariffs could make economic conditions tougher.
-
House Republicans pass Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and program cuts after all-night session
The Congressional Budget Office says the tax provisions would add $3.8 trillion to federal deficits.
-
Consumer advocates tell regulators to slash rate hike requests from Ameren, Nicor
Natural gas customers in the Chicago suburbs and downstate Illinois are likely to see an increase in their monthly bills next year, but it’s up to state regulators to decide how big a hike, if any, to approve.
-
Rent a chicken? More people take a crack at creating their own egg supply
People are flocking to backyard chickens this year, in part due to the sky-high cost of eggs at the grocery store.
-
Tariffs impact what crops some U.S. farmers are choosing to plant this year
Farmers are planning on putting fewer acres of soybeans in the ground this spring amid retaliatory tariffs from China and higher production costs.
