Decatur Water Rates Going Up
By Sean Powers
Water rates in Decatur are going up, starting this June.
Categories:
Environment,
Government
Illinois Public Media News
Bee Populations in Decline, Debate Swarms Around Pesticides
By Gerry Hadden, The World
As the spring pollination season approaches in Europe, there’s growing concern about the impact of a widely-used group of pesticides on bees–pesticides which are also used in the US.
Links:
- Science: Neonicotinoid Pesticide Reduces Bumble Bee Colony Growth and Queen Production
- European Food Safety Authority: EFSA identifies risks to bees from neonicotinoids
- Reuters: Groups sue EPA over honey bee deaths, blame some insecticides
- Syngenta: Neonicotinoid seed treatment technology in Europe
- Lousie Docker: Looking Glass Images
Categories:
Animals,
Environment
Landlocked Midwest Farmers Raise Saltwater Shrimp
By Daniel Hajek
Shrimp is the number one seafood product in the United States. While most shrimp is imported from Asia or Ecuador, some is being raised indoors in the Midwest. The challenge is to simulate an ocean environment in a barn or other structure.
Winter Storm Warning Until Monday Morning
By Sean Powers
Heavy snowfall is expected to continue throughout Sunday night in the Champaign-Urbana area and surrounding communities.
Categories:
Environment
Fracking Bill HIts Amendment Snag
Requirement Not Needed: Chamber Official
By Jim Meadows
A bill (HB 2615) to regulate the oil and gas drilling technique known as fracking is still undergoing amendments in the Illinois House --- including one that industry groups that worked on the bill say they don’t want.
Both Sides Agree on Tough New Fracking Standards
By The Associated Press
In an unlikely partnership between longtime adversaries, some of the nation's biggest energy companies and environmental groups have agreed on a voluntary set of standards for gas and oil fracking in the Northeast that appear to go further than existing state and federal pollution regulations.
Categories:
Energy,
Environment
A New Approach to Senior Living
By Jeff Bossert
A new kind of retirement community is a few months away from opening its doors in the village of St. Joseph. It's called Abbeyfield House, which was started in the United Kingdom in the 1950's.
Fracking Supporters Announce Well Fees, Tax Rates
By Brian Mackey and Sean Powers, with additional reporting from The Associated Press
Illinois legislators say they have reached a deal on the taxes and fees companies that use hydraulic fracturing must pay the state.
House Speaker Madigan Backs Moratorium on Fracking
By The Associated Press
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan says he supports a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing over legislation calling for regulations on the practice.
Sunrise Coal: No More Specific Plans with Homer Officials
By Jeff Bossert
A spokeswoman for Indiana-based Sunrise Coal Company says plans for its mine near Homer are moving forward, but there no specific plans now for meeting with village officials again.