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Story category: economy
France's Ambassador on the Economy, the EU and the US
Story air date: Tuesday, October 21, 2008
This month the International Monetary Fund released a bleak outlook for economic growth in the United States and many European countries in 2009. The IMF estimates the US economy will grow by only 0.1 percent -- and for countries like Spain, the United Kingdom and Italy, it projects a probable recession. Under the current EU presidency of France, the European Union is working to get its economies back on track. AM 580's Michael Koliska talked with France's Ambassador to the US, Pierre Vimont, as he visited the UI. Vimont says currently, Europe is working on three fronts.
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Story categories:
economy • government • United States • politicsRural Issues and the Campaign: Small Town Entrepreneurs
Story air date: Thursday, October 09, 2008
Rural America has seen an exodus of residents and businesses for decades. But now it’s evolving into a garden spot for entrepreneurs. Many don’t have much of a choice – jobs in large companies or farms are drying up, and self-employment helps pay the bills. Still others (like Becky and Freddy Smith, left) get into business for love of their communities – they’re helping small-town storefronts spring back to life. What can government do to help them out? AM 580's Tom Rogers reports on the challenges these rural entrepreneurs face, and what the presidential candidates want to do about it.
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business • community life • economy • government • United StatesPossible Answers for Problems Facing Black Men
Story air date: Wednesday, October 01, 2008
The words “at risk” are often pinned on African-American males for several reasons. They’re considered less likely to finish high school, more likely to have been in prison, and subject to greater health problems and shorter life spans. Now, recently signed legislation has set up a state task force to study these problems and report on possible solutions. And for the past four weeks, Illinois’ Task Force on the Condition of African-American Males has been gathering community input at town hall meetings around the state. The task force held one of its meetings in Urbana. AM 580’s Jim Meadows reports.
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Story categories:
civil rights • community life • economy • government • Illinois • politics • race/ethnicityThe Water We Rely On: A Series
Story air date: Thursday, September 25, 2008
Bill Hammack has been doing a lot of thinking about east-central Illinois’ water supply. You may know him as WILL’s “Engineer Guy,” bringing complex scientific issues closer to home. All this week, Bill is taking a look at how we use water, how much we have and how we manage it for the future. The different ways we use water at home may seem obvious – but in Part 4, Bill finds some ways we may never have suspected.
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Part 1: Bill Hammack begins the first part of his journey not far from his front door:
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Part 2: Bill Hammack treks through the new Illinois-American well field near Bondville in Champaign County and asks whether these wells will suck dry the Mahomet Aquifer. To get a closer look at the situation, he pays a visit to a house right near where the well field is supposed to be drilled:
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Part 3: Bill Hammack examines what it may take to use the area’s massive underground water supply -- the Mahomet Aquifer – responsibly:
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business • economy • environment • water resources • government • science • urban planningNew Energy Worries, New Vehicles
Story air date: Monday, August 04, 2008
In small towns across the country, many people have decided that a cheaper way to get around is to leave the car in the garage and pile into the golf cart. Golf carts and other small slow-speed vehicles are becoming more appealing to people living in areas where traffic is low, but gas prices are high. In Illinois, several small towns are allowing golf carts on their streets --- while others are holding back. AM 580’s Jim Meadows reports.
