ROCKFORD — Copi is the new name for an old problem in Illinois waterways. Now chefs around the state are taking a stab at making the fish formerly known as “Asian Carp” taste good. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s528/audio/2022/06/0630copif-mixdown.mp3 Listen to this story here. Dining on Copi Dom Romano is heating up the grill at The Norwegian, a west…
The invasive fish species known as Asian carp now goes by “copi,” in an effort to get more of them out of Midwestern waterways and onto the dinner table. Asian carp, the invasive fish species which, since the 1990s, has flourished in Midwestern waterways and crowded out native populations, has a new name: copi. The…
URBANA – The National Weather Service says heat indices in Central Illinois will hover around 105-110 degrees Monday through Wednesday of this week. The NWS office in Lincoln placed Champaign, De Witt, Piatt, Sangamon, Vermilion, and many other central, east-central, and southern Illinois counties under a Heat Advisory, starting Monday at noon until Wednesday at…
URBANA – As the temperatures warm and people head out to local waterways, you are warned to avoid algal blooms. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and Illinois Department of Public Health say you, your family, and your pets should avoid touching, swimming, inhaling, or drinking water that looks like the following: looks like spilled, green…
LOUISIANA, Mo. — In the small community of Louisiana, Missouri, it’s not uncommon to see what looks like massive white wings traveling down the road, strapped to flatbed tractor-trailers. Once a bustling commercial port, the historic Mississippi River town 90 miles north of St. Louis has become a hub for an unusual commodity: used wind…
https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s60/audio/2022/05/kernzawebaudio.mp3 The perennial grain can produce an annual crop even as it stays in the ground for up to four years. Its deep root system helps pull carbon out of the air and makes it more resistant to floods and drought. This story was produced in partnership with the Food & Environment Reporting Network Carmen…
Most of Illinois has had plenty of rain, but even with a few recent rains, much of the Great Plains are in a drought. Wildfires have swept across the grasslands and farmers are worried about how they’ll make it through the growing season. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s60/audio/2022/05/drought-in-plains-hpm-web2.wav Listen to this story here. Randy Uhrmacher is in his tractor,…
This story was produced in partnership with the Food & Environment Reporting Network Climate change is not a big concern for Lin Warfel. Sure, he’s noticed the increasing rainfall over the 60 odd years he’s been farming corn and soybeans in central Illinois — especially when ponds form in his soybean fields. But he’s pretty…
When the push for the University of Illinois to divest from fossil fuels began thirteen years ago, many students said they were hopeful that administrators would listen to their concerns. But students who gathered at the Alma Mater statue on Friday for an Earth Day climate strike on April 22 said they’re still fighting for…
Rivian is turning to someone outside the automotive industry to become its first chief sustainability officer. Anisa Kamadoli Costa officially joined Rivian on Monday. She will be responsible for the electric automaker’s sustainability roadmap for both the business and its products. Costa spent nearly two decades at Tiffany & Co., where she aligned the company’s…
The nearly 4 million square feet of space at Rivian’s Normal plant is lined with some of the most advanced manufacturing equipment in the world. It has some of the biggest robots in the automotive manufacturing world too – capable of moving something as humongous as the side panel of a soon-to-be Amazon delivery van….
Illinois Public Media News is monitoring a threat of severe storms on Wednesday that is forecasted by the National Weather Service in Central Illinois and other meteorologists. Tornadoes, high winds, and large hail are possible in East Central Illinois. We will update this post with the latest forecast information. Updated Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. Forecasters…
Ford is electrifying its best-selling F-150 pickup. The F-150 Lightning is a pitch to rural drivers that you don’t need to be an early adopter or environmentalist for an electric vehicle to make sense. Cole Brodine’s been driving a Chevrolet Bolt around rural central Nebraska for about a year. He’s gotten some comments about the…
Farmers till their land to prepare soil for planting, but a new study published in the journal “Earth’s Future” found topsoil in the Midwest is eroding on average nearly 2 millimeters per year. A few years ago, Isaac Larsen attended a wedding at a pioneer church in Minnesota. After the ceremony, he wandered around a…
AMES, Ia. — In recent weeks, producers and hobbyists across the Midwest have been tapping their trees and making maple syrup. They were waiting for just the right conditions for the sap to run: temperatures above freezing during the day that dip below freezing at night. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s60/audio/2022/03/0316maplesyrupweb2.mp3 Listen to this story here. “This is kind…