Demand for abortion pills spiked in Illinois, countrywide after Trump reelection
Calls to Planned Parenthood Illinois surged 15% in the days immediately after the election, with wait times doubling to as much as 20 minutes.
How Illinois will decide on spending $40M opioid settlement with Kroger
Part of a national agreement that requires grocery chain to pay $1.4B nationwide.
The Checkup: What could a second Trump term mean for Medicaid?
A big question for many people on election day will be how a new president could impact health care –– particularly Medicaid, the public health insurance program for low-income adults. Much has been made of Project 2025, a nearly 1,000-page blueprint for if former President Donald Trump were to win the upcoming election. It’s authored by the…
Hospitals brace for IV fluid shortages after Hurricane Helene closes N.C. manufacturing plant
Hospitals across the U.S. are bracing for a potential shortage of intravenous fluids, also known as IV fluids, after Hurricane Helene brought the country’s biggest manufacturing plant –– responsible for nearly 60% of IV fluid supply –– to a halt. It’s the latest example of a natural disaster’s impact extending well beyond its immediate human…
ADM stops carbon injection as its Decatur facility remains under federal scrutiny
Company identified ‘anomaly’ in monitoring well After identifying an underground carbon dioxide leak earlier this year, agribusiness giant ADM found a further “anomaly” in one of the wells at its Decatur carbon dioxide sequestration plant in recent weeks. ADM has temporarily paused carbon dioxide injections as it conducts additional testing, according to company spokesperson Jackie…
Whooping cough cases in Illinois nearly five times higher than last year, CDC reports
As of Sept. 21, 1,058 cases of the highly contagious respiratory disease have been reported in the state this year, nearly five times higher than the 230 cases reported in 2023. Cases of whooping cough spike in the fall, alongside RSV and COVID-19, experts say. Whooping cough cases are up in Illinois and across…
Chicago dance group teaches U of I community new steps to improve mental health
URBANA – A group has Champaign-Urbana residents dancing away with new moves by teaching them a beloved Chicago tradition. The Era Footwork Collective came to Champaign-Urbana on September 7 to teach people how to do “footwork” at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. The organization’s mantra is “Footwork Saves Lives”. Sterling “Steelo” Lofton is…
Agriculture | Economy | Health
Bird flu outbreaks made egg prices more expensive. Here’s what to know
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is projecting that egg prices will decrease in the coming months. But experts said that all depends on whether there are any further bird flu outbreaks. Outbreaks of bird flu earlier this year are making eggs pricier. The wholesale price for eggs peaked at $3.30 per dozen in recent months,…
McKinley Health Center wants UIUC students to get flu shots so that they’ll ‘never miss a memory’
URBANA – With students resuming school, coughs and sneezes have become more prevalent across campus at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. And the number of flu cases has been surging ever since, according to Awais Vaid, executive director of McKinley Health Center. In response to the surge, McKinley will be providing free, walk-in flu shots…
Senate Republicans again block legislation to guarantee women’s rights to IVF
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have blocked for a second time this year legislation to establish a nationwide right to in vitro fertilization, arguing that the vote is an election-year stunt after Democrats forced a vote on the issue. The Senate vote was Democrats’ latest attempt to force Republicans into a defensive stance on women’s health issues…
No ‘threat to public health’: ADM responds after violation notice from EPA on carbon sequestration project
DECATUR- Agribusiness giant ADM is responding after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found last week that the company violated federal regulations, a federal permit and the Safe Drinking Water Act earlier this year when a monitoring well at their carbon sequestration site in Decatur leaked liquified carbon dioxide into “unauthorized zones.” ADM says it has…
ADM carbon sequestration project violated Safe Drinking Water Act, per EPA
Leak in monitoring well being addressed by company, regulators DECATUR – Agribusiness giant ADM violated federal regulations, a federal permit and the Safe Drinking Water Act earlier this year when a monitoring well at their carbon sequestration site in Decatur leaked liquified carbon dioxide into “unauthorized zones,” according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. …
Health officials recall eggs after a salmonella outbreak that includes Illinois
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 65 people in nine states, including Illinois, were infected by a strain of salmonella.
Massey’s death underscores state delay in launching mental health response program
Law aimed at helping people experiencing crisis was originally set to go live in 2022 An Illinois law intended to help people with mental illness avoid confrontations with police had been on the books for three years when Sonya Massey was shot by a Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy. The Community Emergency Services and Supports Act,…
As Illinois receives praise for its cannabis equity efforts, stakeholders still working on system’s flaws
New entrants to marijuana market still struggle against entrenched businesses Medical marijuana patients can now purchase cannabis grown by small businesses as part of their allotment, Illinois’ top cannabis regulator said, but smaller, newly licensed cannabis growers are still seeking greater access to the state’s medical marijuana customers. Illinois legalized medicinal marijuana beginning in 2014,…