A combine unloads hundreds of bushels of corn into a grain cart on a farm near Greenfield, Illinois, last September. Agriculture lending is up as farm incomes have dropped.
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Farmers are taking on more debt. Some worry more financial stress could be ahead

Farmers continued to take on more debt through the first quarter of 2025, prolonging a trend from last year. That’s as farm incomes have shrunk over the last couple of years, and some worry President Trump’s tariffs could make economic conditions tougher.

President Donald Trump berated Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
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Zelenskyy leaves White House without signing minerals deal after Oval Office blowup

During his visit with Trump, Zelenskyy had planned to attend sign a deal allowing the U.S. greater access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, then hold a joint news conference. Instead, Ukraine’s leader left the White House shortly after Trump shouted at him, showing open disdain.

A group of people playing instruments for a crowd.
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WILL Call: What’s Happening in Champaign-Urbana Jan. 23 – Jan. 26

Listen to Kimberly Schofield and Steve Morck talk about weekend events on IPM News AM 580 and FM 90.9 – Wednesdays at 6:45 and 8:45 a.m., and Thursdays at 5:44 p.m. Thursday, January 23 Backyard BBQ Band     Time: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.     Location: Rose Bowl Tavern, Urbana     Details: Part of Americana…

Luigi Mangione trial
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Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to murder and weapons charges in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s death

The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare pleaded not guilty on Monday to state murder and terror charges while his attorney complained that comments coming from New York’s mayor would make it tough to receive a fair trial.

Nakba
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Chapter Four: Fallout-The Past is Never Dead

Nobel Laureate William Faulkner once wrote that “The past is never dead.  It’s not even past.” Nowhere are Faulkner’s words more true today than in the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. This week’s chapter of Fallout considers the long durability of injustice and violence and asks what it might take to…

Madigan court documents
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‘My client is the speaker’: Jury hears wiretapped calls of Madigan co-defendant, longtime friend

Prosecutors paint picture of Mike McClain’s extreme loyalty to ex-Illinois House speaker CHICAGO – By early 2019, Mike McClain had been a fixture around the Statehouse in Springfield for the better part of 50 years, first as a Democratic lawmaker in the 1970s and then for decades as a high-profile contract lobbyist. And though he…