The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Tuesday Feb. 23, 2021

Brian Moline
 
As of early February, Iowa farmer Kelly Garrett has made about 115,000 off of the carbon that his plants remove from the air.

As of early February, Iowa farmer Kelly Garrett has made about 115,000 off of the carbon that his plants remove from the air. Katie Peikes/Harvest Public Media

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Tuesday Feb. 23, 2021

Today's headlines:

  • Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has resigned from his role leading the state's Democratic Party.

  • Nearly 1,300 Champaign Unit 4 teachers and staff members got their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine earlier this month. This week, they come back for their second dose.

  • As more people get COVID-19 vaccines, scientists expect the rate at which new coronavirus variants emerge to slow down.

  • Tuesday is primary election day for local governments in Illinois, although early voting has been going on for weeks. There are competive primary races in Urbana, Champaign, and Decatur.

In today's deep dive, some farmers are getting paid for the carbon that their plants naturally remove from the air, but there are still a lot of questions about how carbon markets fit into the larger picture of reducing greenhouse gasses.

217 Today is produced by Olivia Butts. Reporting today contributed by Hannah Meisel, Lee Gaines, Christine Herman, and Katie Peikes.