News Progress

•September 13, 2023•

By Carlos Ballesteros

Injustice Watch

This article  is an update to the original story, which was produced by WBEZ, Chicago’s NPR news station, and Injustice Watch, a nonprofit news organization in Chicago focused on issues of equity and justice in the court system.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker defended the number of dying and disabled prisoners released under a landmark law that went into effect early last year at a news conference Thursday.

“The Coleman Act is, in fact, being carried out as it should be,” Pritzker told reporters in response to an Injustice Watch and WBEZ investigation, which found only 52 prisoners had been granted release under the law — far below the hundreds of terminally ill and incapacitated prisoners advocates say could have been released by now. Read More

•September 13, 2023•

More letters will be published in next week's edition.

Cami Badman‘s SHS letters provided this special section for News-Progress readers in partnership with Sullivan Community School District 300. Thank you to Sullivan Schools for expecting excellence and to these letter-writing students for delivering.
Letters to the Editor written by Cami Badman‘s Honors English III students at Sullivan High School explored controversial subjects with maturity and logic.
Badman opened the school year challenging these 20 students to present well-rounded arguments for student-selected controversial subjects and letters to the editor.
Throughout history, letters to newspapers about important topics have crafted public opinion into pivotal changes in society in an age of electronic dominance and sound-bite arguments. Exploring topics in depth brought some interesting and convincing results.
Students explored a wide range of topics ranging from discontinuing the penny to gun control. Read More

•September 13, 2023•

By Cheri Burcham, 

Family Life Educator

Ideas for youth to explore and connect with nature

This year, I have been working with other family life educators and horticulture educators to explore and create programs and materials that support the fact that spending time in nature is beneficial to our health and well-being. So, I wanted to share this article written by Extension Educator Brittnay Haag about this topic – especially for youth! Brittnay says: spending time in nature can improve our mood, make us feel more relaxed, help us be more active, and even connect us with our community. For children, time playing in nature is needed for healthy development. Don’t let the benefits of time outdoors end with summer. As youth return to school, help your family unwind and connect with nature, using one of these activities. Read More

25 Years Ago This Week

A 25 year family tradition came to a close when the late Charles Elder’s three sons and other friends gathered Sept. 4 to bale the family’s 12 acres of hay. Elder started his hay baling business for his three sons, Kevin, Steve and Tom in the spring of 1973. The three brothers, using an old gas baler, ran the business until the summer of 1977 when they went their separate ways. Their father upgraded to more modern equipment and continued the business for 21 more years with his sons helping out occasionally. However, Elder had many other helpers during those years and baled hay for many customers in Moultrie and surrounding counties.  Read More

•September 6, 2023•

Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association (IFCA), alongside several agricultural partners, announced on Tuesday, August 29 the preliminary findings from the first-ever Illinois Ag Retail Survey, setting a new baseline to track nutrient management practice adoption and quantify nutrient loss reduction achieved at retail locations and on farms across the state.

The 2022 IL Ag Retail Survey was designed to collect accurate, science-driven data to track nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) fertilizer use and application methods throughout the state as part of industry efforts to meet state Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) goals. Read More