Illinois General Assembly Has Long History Of Leadership Fights
Last weekend, lawmakers elected Don Harmon to be president of the Illinois Senate. It’s been described as a bitter fight, but it has nothing on some of…
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Local TV Stations Changing Frequencies To Accommodate Wireless Carriers
Television stations around the country are moving to different broadcast frequencies including multiple stations throughout Illinois. An important note: even though stations are changing how they send out broadcasts, the channels viewers use to reach them on their TVs will still be the same. For example, WCIA-TV, the CBS affiliate based in Champaign will remain…
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School Closings For December 17, 2019
The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning for parts of Central Illinois. One round of snow fell Sunday night closing many schools on Monday morning. And another round came through the area on Monday evening. The warning expires Tuesday at 12:00 a.m. SCHOOLS CLOSED on TUESDAY CHAMPAIGN COUNTY COLES COUNTY Charleston…
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School Closings & Delays For December 16, 2019
The National Weather Service in Lincoln issued a Winter Storm Warning and Winter Weather Advisory for many counties in Central Illinois. Several inches of snow fell Sunday night forcing many schools to close or delay opening on Monday morning. Another round is in the forecast for Monday night. SCHOOL DELAYS/SERVICE ISSUES Champaign Unit 4 School…
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Farmers Receive Record Payments For The Crops They Couldn’t Plant
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has paid out a record $4.24 billion in claims for acres farmers couldn’t plant this year. The “prevented planting”…
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Why It’s Hard To Help Children Through Mental Health Challenges In Rural Communities
While local 4-H groups are known for summer programming, educator Julie Kreikemeier works with hundreds of students year-round across Colfax and Cuming…
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A New Law Allows More Farmers To Qualify For Bankruptcy, And Some Are Thinking About It
It’s a difficult year for many farmers in the United States. A wet spring flooded crops and delayed planting across the Midwest, while trade conflicts…
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Reporter’s Notebook: Knowing What’s In The Heart(land)
Reporting any story means having to learn more about myself, what I care about and what I want to do next. For example, I once talked with John Gruidl of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs. He said a lot of younger folks now choose a place to live before they choose a job, and…
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The Corn Belt’s Traditional Summer Job Of Detasseling Delayed By Weather
Every summer, thousands of Midwestern kids as young as 13 load onto school buses early in the morning to do one of the hottest, dirtiest temporary jobs…
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Hemp And The Challenges Of Farming’s Frontier
There’s millions of dollars to be made from growing hemp, which for years was lumped in and vilified with its sister plant, marijuana. With the…
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Durbin Regrets Voting To Take Pell Grants Away From Prisoners
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is cosponsoring legislation that would rollback one of the provisions of the 1994 crime bill. It’s called the Restoring…
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Food Hubs Connect Small Farmers To Communities In Need Of Produce
Between the growing warehouse district and the south side of Peoria, Illinois, sits 1312 SW Adams Street. The city-owned building looks like a great…
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Use Of Controversial Weed Killer Glyphosate Skyrockets On Midwest Fields
Farmers have been using the weed killer glyphosate – a key ingredient of the product Roundup – at soaring levels even as glyphosate has become…
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One Person’s Trash Fish Is Another Town’s Treasured Delicacy
Summer festivals are ubiquitous (especially across the Midwest), and often highlight the local food specialty, be it corn, apples or beef. But when the…
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Illinois Farmers Delay Planting Crops Amid Wet Weather, Low Crop Prices And Trade Uncertainty
Floodwaters on the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers may be going down, but rain has continued to soak farmland around much of the state. More rain could…
