Updated September 18, 2022 at 7:23 PM ET Hurricane Fiona made landfall in southwestern Puerto Rico on Sunday afternoon, as the entire island continues to reel from the knockout of its electricity grid. Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said the damage on the island is “catastrophic in many areas,” calling it a “very delicate and…
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…
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,…
Illinois Public Media News is monitoring severe storm protentional on Monday. The National Weather Service in Central Illinois says strong thunderstorms is tracking across the region, producing strong wind gusts, rain and hail. We will update this post with the latest forecast information. Tuesday 1:30 a.m. URBANA – Destructive winds and flash flooding kept many…
HAVANA, Ill. — Federal and state agencies spend millions of dollars every year to keep destructive invasive carp out of the Great Lakes. Meanwhile, at least 25 destructive species — like water fleas and bloody red shrimp — are inching closer to the Mississippi River Basin. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s528/audio/2022/08/08.24.22.InvasivesFeature.mp3 Listen to this story here. Invasive silver carp…
LE ROY – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visited Illinois on Tuesday to announce a new investment of $100 million for biofuel infrastructure. Sen. Tammy Duckworth met Vilsack at a Casey’s General Store in Le Roy. Duckworth pointed out a new, yellow handle at the Casey’s pump – where drivers can fill up their…
EFFINGHAM — The cost of living isn’t cheap in Illinois. For many, energy costs are a particular concern this summer with hot weather and high inflation. Some constituents are looking for answers. “I had a disabled veteran call me the other day…and he said his electric bill from Ameren went from in round numbers…$200 a…
Conservation has been a popular part of agriculture for decades. But it’s become controversial since the Biden administration announced a national conservation goal. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has spearheaded a movement that likens conservation to government control. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s60/audio/2022/07/30-by-30-opposition.wav Listen to this story here. LINCOLN – Neb. — It was Earth Day 2022 in Lincoln, Nebraska….
Farmers can use far less chemical fertilizer — which can be expensive and harmful to the environment — and maintain high crop yields, according to a new study. The findings of a new, long-term academic study may lay some farmers’ fears to rest: farming regeneratively, or farming in ways that benefits soil, water and air quality, doesn’t…
NEWTON — Parts of southern Illinois are recovering after a sudden storm dropped about ten inches of rain and hail in less than 24 hours. No one was injured in Jasper County, according to the sheriff’s department. The casualties in this flash flood were the crops. Farmer Richard Ochs says he expects the remaining flood…
Illinois Public Media News is monitoring flooding on Tuesday. The National Weather Service in Central Illinois says a complex of strong thunderstorms is tracking southeast across the region, producing strong wind gusts and dumping several inches of rainfall. We will update this post with the latest forecast information. Updated at 11:15 am: WAND-TV reports several…
HAZELWOOD, Mo. — Camila Cage woke to the sound of her phone rumbling on her nightstand early Tuesday, its glow piercing the darkness as a severe weather advisory pops up on the screen. “I just thought it was normal,” the 31-year-old said. “You know, a normal severe thunderstorm warning. I didn’t think it’s going to…
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — If you take an aerial view of Jason Lay’s farm in mid-April, it would look like a green dot amid a sea of brown. That’s because while most farmers around him in Bloomington, Illinois, leave their land fallow in between harvesting and planting corn and soybeans, Jason plants cereal rye — a…
SAUGET — llinois Governor J.B. Pritzker recently signed a new law limiting the ways so-called “forever” chemicals can be disposed of in the state. But the sheer volume of these chemicals continues to present significant challenges. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s528/audio/2022/07/0712pfasf.mp3 Listen to this story here. PFAS or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are shorthand for a family of over…
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that the public has no right to boat, fish or swim in small rivers that flow across private property, but two justices are urging the General Assembly to change that law. “The legislature should redefine navigability to be more inclusive because that would promote the State’s interest…