COLUMBIA – Mo. — Offshoots of the omicron coronavirus variant have driven a spike in cases in the U.S. Some scientists believe clues to how these subvariants emerge lie in wastewater, and tracking them down could help prevent the next dangerous strain of the virus. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s4780019/audio/2022/05/covidvariants-web-edit.mp3 Listen to this story here. Marc Johnson, a professor…
PORTLAND, Maine — The scene seems straight out of a movie: A young couple stands solemnly before the judge. They’ve been married just a year, and they’re here – for the second time – to ask for a divorce. A month ago, the same judge gave them a hard time, then said no. He still…
On Wednesday night, about 20 local cyclists participated in a silent bike ride to honor those who were killed or injured while biking on public roadways. The Ride of Silence began in 2003 as a tribute to cyclists who were killed by motorists. It aims to raise awareness for bikers’ safety on public roads and…
CHAMPAIGN – While the nationwide shortage of infant formula is less severe in Champaign County than elsewhere, it has hit low-income families hardest – because of state policy. Brandon Meline is the director of maternal and child health at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District. He says the relatively high number of grocery stores and pharmacies…
INDIANAPOLIS — If it wasn’t for Crystal Moore’s hoodie and car, people probably wouldn’t be able to tell her life is hanging by a thread. Her black Nissan sedan has signs plastered on the windows that read: “Kidney Donor Needed!” The signs include a picture of Moore and a QR code that leads to her…
This article is the third in a series about the access of pregnancy care for immigrants in Champaign. You can read part one here and part two here. Though a language barrier may be the most obvious barrier to pregnancy care access, experts and advocates say cultural barriers are just as big of an issue…
This article is the second in a series about the access of pregnancy care for immigrants in Champaign. You can read part one here and part three here. Teresa Rodriguez Teresa Rodriguez is another Champaign County resident who has experienced language and cultural barriers. Rodriguez is from Mexico City. She said when she started looking…
Lee esta historia en español This article is the first in a series about the access to pregnancy care for immigrants in Champaign. You can read part two here and part three here. “Why are you having more children?” That’s a question a doctor in Champaign asked Fabiola Silva during a doctor appointment. “He started…
Estas son preguntas que en general les hacen a las mujeres que están embarazadas. “¿Por qué quieres tener más hijos?” Esa es una pregunta que un médico de Champaign le hizo a Fabiola Silva durante una cita médica. “Empezó a hacerme muchas preguntas que ni siquiera eran relevantes,” dijo Silva. “En lugar de ayudarme, me…
Dr. Lisa Harris has spent the past few months helping her health system prepare for the possibility that abortion could become illegal in Michigan. When a draft document leaked on May 2 indicated the U.S. Supreme Court might overturn Roe v. Wade, she realized she needed to double down. “I realized, wow, we really need…
Kentucky lawmakers have been hard at work to erode access to abortion in the state — long before the leak of a draft opinion on May 2 indicating the U.S. Supreme Court might overturn Roe v. Wade and remove federal protections for abortion as early as June. In April, the Republican-led legislature overrode…
URBANA – A recent University of Illinois study that asks what positive aging means to Latino elders has opened a discussion on how to cater to their needs. Positive aging consists of having a healthy lifestyle going into older age, according to U of I Social Work Professor Lissette Piedra. More than 100 Latino residents,…
Abortions will still be legal in the state of Illinois if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the federal constitutional protections enshrined by the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. But Planned Parenthood of Illinois president and CEO Jennifer Welch warns the state would become an oasis in a Midwestern “abortion desert” if a draft majority opinion…
LaChelle Hope’s parents did not know they both carried a genetic mutation that, if inherited, could cause their baby to be born with a serious condition called sickle cell disease. It was only after they had their first-born child — Hope’s older sister — that they found they both carry the trait. Her sister was…
WEST DES MOINES, Ia. — A lot has changed in Jonathan Miller’s life in the past decade, but one thing that’s remained consistent is his house. The brick two-bedroom ranch-style house in West Des Moines, Iowa, is filled with Jonathan’s art, photos, puzzles and a substantial collection of University of Iowa gear, like a handmade…