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…
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…