Read more about the article ‘Uncharted waters:’ Illinois water use issues exacerbated by irrigation, lack of water supply planningDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Mark Pflugmacher with irrigation equipment at his farm just outside of Gifford, Ill., on November 29.

‘Uncharted waters:’ Illinois water use issues exacerbated by irrigation, lack of water supply planning

In our “Uncharted Waters” series, The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting took at look at what’s behind the recent spike in irrigation, the lack of regulations around groundwater and stalled water supply planning efforts and the impact this will have on Illinois in the future.

Continue Reading‘Uncharted waters:’ Illinois water use issues exacerbated by irrigation, lack of water supply planning
Read more about the article Lack of irrigation reporting leaves uncertain future for Illinois groundwaterDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Mark Pflugmacher with irrigation equipment at his farm just outside of Gifford, Ill., on November 29.

Lack of irrigation reporting leaves uncertain future for Illinois groundwater

Almost 1,000 pivots have been installed in counties statewide in the past four years as a result of higher crop prices and the demand of seed corn companies, an almost 20 percent increase in overall irrigation that equals the use of more than half a million people each year.

Continue ReadingLack of irrigation reporting leaves uncertain future for Illinois groundwater
Read more about the article Irrigation playing role in water issues across IllinoisDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Irrigation equipment at Mark Pflugmacher's farm just outside of Gifford, Ill., on November 29.

Irrigation playing role in water issues across Illinois

While Illinois is not currently facing a water crisis, highly populated areas with high growth — namely Chicagoland and Champaign County — are undergoing…

Continue ReadingIrrigation playing role in water issues across Illinois
Read more about the article Irrigation’s impact on agriculture during the drought of 2012Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Irrigation equipment at Mark Pflugmacher’s farm just outside of Gifford, Ill., on November 29.

Irrigation’s impact on agriculture during the drought of 2012

The drought of 2012 was the worst since at least 1988, spanning the entire Corn Belt, from Ohio to Wyoming, and costing the agribusiness industry billions of dollars.

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Read more about the article Irrigation could be one side effect of changing climateDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Irrigation equipment at Mark Pflugmacher's farm just outside of Gifford, Ill., on November 29.

Irrigation could be one side effect of changing climate

“If I was going to invest in farm ground, if some of these climate scenarios come true, then having irrigation might be something that would pay off in the long-term,” Roadcap said.

Continue ReadingIrrigation could be one side effect of changing climate
Read more about the article Thirteen restaurants fail restaurant inspections from January to MayDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Golden Harbor restaurant on Neil Street in Champaign on June 29. They failed an inspection on April 6.

Thirteen restaurants fail restaurant inspections from January to May

Altogether, from January 1 to May 31, 13 food establishments were closed or failed inspections for health code violations, according to a review of inspection records by the county health department.

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Read more about the article Illinois health departments to abandon scoring as part of changes to food codeDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Jim Roberts of the Champaign-Urbana Health District holds up a sample placard as county board members discussed whether restaurants in the county should be required to display inspection placards on August 21, 2014.

Illinois health departments to abandon scoring as part of changes to food code

Starting in July 2018, Illinois public health departments will no longer score restaurant inspections as part of sweeping changes coming to the state’s food code.

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Read more about the article Physical accessibility issues persist at University of Illinois 27 years after ADASteffie Drucker/For CU-CitizenAccess
A $60 million renovation helped Lincoln Hall become more accessible.

Physical accessibility issues persist at University of Illinois 27 years after ADA

While the University of Illinois has been called a pioneer in providing accessibility and support for students with disabilities, certain simple items — such as buttons to call and operate the elevator in Gregory Hall — remain out of reach.

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Read more about the article Despite reputation, University of Illinois struggles with web accessibilityDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess
Tim Offenstein, lead information design specialist and campus accessibility liaison at the University of Illinois, shows a page he is checking for accessibility in his office at the Digital Computing Lab in Urbana on May 16, 2017.

Despite reputation, University of Illinois struggles with web accessibility

If Tim Offenstein had to grade the University of Illinois in terms of web accessibility, he said he would give a B or C+.

Continue ReadingDespite reputation, University of Illinois struggles with web accessibility