Nearly two years into COVID, worker safety is still a concern at meatpacking plants
DES MOINES — In late October, Debbie Berkowitz, a worker safety and health expert and former senior policy advisor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, shared shocking statistics with the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis about the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on workers at meatpacking plants. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s4780019/audio/2021/12/se-plants-politics-mixweb.mp3 Listen to this story […]
I-74 bridge over Mississippi replaces one dating to 1935

SPRINGFIELD — Officials from Illinois, Iowa, and the federal government are celebrating the completion of a new bridge carrying Interstate 74 over the Mississippi River. State and local politicians and Federal Highway Administration staff members gathered on the structure recently to publicize its opening to traffic sometime this month. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says the […]
More Farmers Are Planting Cover Crops Thanks To State Incentive Programs

Last month, the Illinois Department of Agriculture opened applications for its second annual Fall Covers for Spring Savings Program — which provides a…
Midwest Hemp Is Still Getting Its Footing, But Growers Aren’t Giving Up Yet

Hemp is a hard crop to grow — just ask Jay Kata. “We were filthy and we were dirty and we were sweaty and it sucked and it was hot and it was miserable…
Are Children’s Mental Health Services Falling Short During COVID-19?

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on children’s mental health across the country. Advocates are trying to address the problem, but resources can be…
‘We Have One Earth’: Researchers Work To Boost Farm Production Without Causing More Harm

At the edge of a corn field on a clear but windy June day, microbiologist Tom Moorman lifts a metal lid and reveals a collection of bottles, tubes,…
Illinois, Ohio Give Stay-Home Orders. Coronavirus News Monday, March 23

The governors of llinois and Ohio ordered residents to stay home to halt the spread of coronavirus. It remains to be seen if other Midwest states will…
Latest Coronavirus News, Thursday, March 19

Coronavirus cases continue to climb throughout the Midwest, and American’s routines have been significantly disrupted amid the pandemic. President Trump…