“Comptroller’s Critters” is a pet project of Illinois comptroller Susana Mendoza, though the late comptroller and treasurer Judy Baar Topinka started it.… MORE
Category Archives: Agribusiness
USDA releases first crop yield forecast for 2024 in Illinois
Illinois’ first crop yield forecast for 2024 is out.… MORE
Naturalization ceremony to be held at Illinois State Fair
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The 2024 Illinois State Fair will be unforgettable for two hundred fairgoers who will become United States citizens. It’s a first-time event for the fair. Judge Colleen Lawless said becoming a citizen is a long journey, “and this is the finish line for them, and I know they are extremely…… MORE
Twilight Parade wraps up day one of Illinois State Fair
Illinois 4-Hers are the grand marshals of the 2024 Illinois State Fair.… MORE
Illinois’ planting season enters new phase next week
There were 4.0 days suitable for fieldwork in the week ending August 4, 2024.… MORE
Meet this year’s Miss Illinois County Fair Queen
A soon-to-be college junior studying pre-veterinary is your hostess at the 2024 Illinois State Fair.… MORE
USDA crop report: Illinois’ corn and soybean crop ahead of average
There were 5.6 days suitable for fieldwork in the week ending July 28, 2024. Statewide, the average temperature was 73.6 degrees, 1.7 degrees below normal.… MORE
Antique tractor gains a permanent home at Heartland Community College
A nearly 100-year old tractor has a new home at Heartland Community College.… MORE
Latest crop report shows above average rainfall over past week
By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 4.7 days suitable for fieldwork in the week ending July 21, 2024. Statewide, the average temperature was 72.3 degrees, 4.5 degrees below normal. Precipitation averaged 1.76 inches, 0.83 inches above normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 3 percent very short, 13 percent short, 78 percent adequate, and 6 percent…… MORE
USDA crop report enjoying favorable conditions midway through summer
By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 4.0 days suitable for fieldwork in the week ending July 14, 2024. Statewide, the average temperature was 75.5 degrees, 0.9 degrees below normal. Precipitation averaged 1.93 inches, 1.13 inches above normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 2 percent very short, 15 percent short, 79 percent adequate, and 4 percent…… MORE
Blogs
Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all
By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …
Is federal mobilization the answer?
By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…
In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans
By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…
Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life
Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…