217 Today: Thursday March 18, 2021
Cattle farmer Darvin Bentlage on his farm near Golden City, Missouri. His livestock are tagged with metal and plastic tags, and he is opposed to being forced to use electronic identification chips instead. Jonathan Ahl/Harvest Public Media
Thurs. March 18, 2021
Today’s headlines:
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Spring officially starts this Saturday, which for many people means gardening season. However, some Illinois cities have rules that make it difficult to grow vegetables on private property.
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The new Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is beginning to make its way to Champaign County.
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University of Illinois basketball fans have been in celebration mode for the past few weeks, with the Fighting Illini making it to the NCAA tournament for the first time in eight years.
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Champaign County health officials are reminding basketball fans to exercise caution as they watch the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament this week.
In today’s deep dive, putting electronic tags on the ears of livestock might help track and contain food borne illness.– but it could come at the expense of farmers and ranchers.
217 Today is produced by Olivia Butts. Reporting today contributed by Derek Cantu, Vivian La, Dana Cronin, and Jonathan Ahl.