100 YEARS AGO: SONGS OF PRAISE FROM THE THROATS OF PARCHED FARMERS 150 Years Ago July 13, 1876 The news from all parts of the country as to the harvest and growing crops is unfavorable by reason of the incessant and continued rainfall. Here, a good deal of fear is manifest as to being able…

By Lauren Cross and Investigate Midwest Data center construction is shifting toward rural America. At the same time, rural residents report greater concern than urban and suburban Americans about what those projects could mean for their electricity costs and farmland use. That’s according to a survey released June 26 by researchers at the University of…

By Ben Szalinski An Illinois House committee will investigate actions by Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, following her indictment on 10 federal charges this week. A group of 11 House Republicans filed a petition on Friday to create a special investigating committee, a sparingly used process laid out in House rules that can be initiated by…

By Ben Szalinski Gov. JB Pritzker signed 31 new laws last Friday as he continues evaluating measures passed in the spring session, including bills banning certain ingredients from cosmetics and correct the state’s property tax laws. Access to birth control Senate Bill 3341 allows minors to receive birth control without permission from their parents or…

By BETH ZUMWALT According to Federal Aviation Agency standards, every airport must have a certain amount of planes that call that airport home. For the Penstone Airport at Pittsfield, that number is nine.

By Carmen Ensinger Greenfield is one of the few school districts in the area that actually raises a portion of the food that it feeds its students.

By BETH ZUMWALT Negotiations between the striking Teamsters at Ascend in Barry and Ascend management broke down July 9, according to Kyle Bollinger, vice president of the Teamsters.