Lyndsay Jones
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I cover local news for Bloomington-Normal's only locally owned and operated broadcast media outlet. WGLT is an NPR affiliate and service of Illinois State University.
Formerly @WGLTnews, an @NPR affiliate | Emmy winner | Hoosier forever | PoliSci graduate student @IllinoisStateU | Doer of other things at other places
Articles by Lyndsay Jones
U.S. declines to renew USMCA in current form
The United States decided not to renew the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), setting the stage for annual reviews of the trilateral trade agreement.
Thompson unveils new ag labor reform bill
Newly proposed legislation seeks to revamp the federal program that allows farmers to hire foreign workers. U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson on Tuesday introduced the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act, which was widely praised by farm groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation. “We are grateful to Chairman G.T. Thompson for listening to America’s farmers.
ALOT graduate hopes to spur 'culture shift' after injury
On a hot August day nearly four years ago, Oliver Kragelund expected to walk away from his job at an Atlanta (Logan County) grain elevator like normal. There wasn’t much left to do inside the soybean bin he and a few other workers had been cleaning that day, Kragelund recalls, but in the last few minutes, his life changed forever. “I made a mistake and missed a step in our safety processes that left the sump holes of the grain bins uncovered,” he told FarmWeek.
Rollins outlines ag economy positives
The Ag Department will open a 45-day comment period for feedback on its data collection and reporting, Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Friday.
AI pushing pace of seed development
Advances in artificial intelligence are accelerating how new crop varieties are developed, moving the plant breeding process from prolonged trial-and-error toward faster, data-driven design, researchers said during the USDA Ag Outlook Forum. "As far as ag and AI [artificial intelligence] are concerned, there's been quite a bit of activity over the last 18 months, trying to explore where it has value," Aaron Hummel, senior vice president of research and development at Pairwise, said.
Grassroots strength on full display at GALC
The strength of grassroots organizing was on full display Tuesday as nearly 500 Illinois Farm Bureau members gathered in Springfield for the Governmental Affairs and Leadership Conference. The annual daylong event brings IFB members together for sessions aimed at equipping attendees with the ability to advocate for policies they care about, as well as learn how IFB is advocating at the state, federal and local levels on their behalf.
IFB hosts 2026 Governmental Affairs and Leadership Conference
BY LYNDSAY JONES The strength of grassroots organizing was on full display Tuesday as nearly 500 Illinois Farm Bureau members gathered in Springfield for the Governmental Affairs and Leadership Conference. The annual daylong event brings IFB members together for sessions aimed at equipping attendees with the ability to advocate for policies they care about, as well as learn how IFB is advocating at the state, federal and local levels on their behalf.
Muirheid nominated for IBCA Hall of Fame
What began as a small opportunity to help a grade school basketball team is now a decades-long legacy for Mat Muirheid. The longtime score and timekeeper for Cerro Gordo High School and Macon County Farm Bureau president is part of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Hall of Fame class of 2026. “I’m very proud and very excited — I was surprised to get that nomination,” Muirheid told Jim Taylor during an appearance on the RFD Radio Network.
Cold air, possible storm to hit Illinois after Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving travelers in Illinois may want to keep an eye on the weather this weekend as a storm system is poised to hit the state. Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford said it's too soon to make any calls about potential snowfall, but a blast of cold air will come in Friday, dropping temperatures to the low teens or low 20s in southern Illinois. "Certainly what we can bank on is that it will be very cold on Friday," Ford said in an interview with Jim Taylor of the RFD Radio Network.
Comptroller warns of QR code scams
The Illinois Comptroller is warning people of a scam that uses QR codes — those scannable barcodes that look like a cluster of dots within a square — to send users to malicious websites that then seek to extract personal or financial information illicitly. “Every few months, it seems, there’s some new hacks going around,” Susana Mendoza said during a recent interview with RFD Radio Network’s Jim Taylor.
'Learn from my mistake': Congerville farmer shares his near-fatal accident story
To this day, Henry Brockman, 61, isn’t sure what, exactly, went wrong before a one-and-a-half-ton tractor rolled over his body and nearly killed him in Congerville last year. After 30-plus years of farming, there are habits etched into the organic grower’s brain like muscle memory. He doesn’t think about them. He just acts. But in March 2024, something didn’t take.
Nontraditional farm family carries on tradition
Max Biehl was born in South Korea. But it’s a southern Illinois farm he calls home. For five generations — ever since George Biehl bought the first pieces of farmland in 1859 — the St. Clair County farm has been a Biehl family legacy, owned, operated and passed down from generation to generation. Soon, it will be Max Biehl’s turn.
Q&A: Matthew Vann says he's ready to lead U of I Extension
The new associate dean and director of University of Illinois Extension says he got an early start on preparing for the role he’s set to assume later this month. “I had the good fortune to be born into a family where my father was a county Extension agent,” Matthew Vann told Jim Taylor of the RFD Radio Network. “I was at a young age when he took that position and I was able to watch him have a long career, from 1990 to about 2020, as our local Extension agent.
Proposed railroad merger raises competition concerns
By LYNDSAY JONES FarmWeek Some transportation groups are skeptical and some ag groups are seeking more information about the implications of a planned merger between rail rivals Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. DTN reported both companies’ boards of directors unanimously agreed to a deal July 29 in which Union Pacific will acquire Norfolk Southern for $85 billion, resulting in a combined enterprise worth $250 billion.
Proposed rail merger raises competition concerns
By LYNDSAY JONES FarmWeek Some transportation groups are skeptical and some ag groups are seeking more information about the implications of a planned merger between rail rivals Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. DTN reported both companies’ boards of directors unanimously agreed to a deal July 29 in which Union Pacific will acquire Norfolk Southern for $85 billion, resulting in a combined enterprise worth $250 billion.
Proposed rail merger raises competition concerns
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above. Username Password Lost your password? Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link. Email ← Back A train moves across central Illinois earlier this summer, prior to a proposed merger in the industry between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern.
Proposed rail merger raises competition concerns Original
Some transportation groups are skeptical and some ag groups are seeking more information about the implications of a planned merger between rail rivals Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. DTN reported both companies’ boards of directors unanimously agreed to a deal July 29 in which Union Pacific will acquire Norfolk Southern for $85 billion, resulting in a combined enterprise worth $250 billion.
Proposed rail merger raises competition concerns
Some transportation groups are skeptical and some ag groups are seeking more information about the implications of a planned merger between rail rivals Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. DTN reported both companies’ boards of directors unanimously agreed to a deal July 29 in which Union Pacific will acquire Norfolk Southern for $85 billion, resulting in a combined enterprise worth $250 billion.
IFB leaders advocate in D.C.
HOME Resources IFB In Action IFB leaders advocate in D.C. Published Wednesday, July 23, 2025 | Source: By Lyndsay Jones The American Farm Bureau Federation's Council of Presidents event last week in Washington, D.C., provided Illinois Farm Bureau leaders an opportunity to continue ongoing advocacy related to the farm bill, the Make America Healthy Again [MAHA] report and more.
Corn and soybeans progress ahead of average as conditions vary
The agency rated the corn crop 3% very poor, 5% poor, 22% fair, 54% good and 16% excellent. But while the corn may be rough in Raber's southeastern part of the state, he said soybeans seem to be faring better. "Beans have looked good all year round," Raber said.
Grant expands rural pharmacy camp for teens
Elise Wildeman always knew the city life wasn’t for her. An aspiring pharmacist from Lovington in central Illinois, Wildeman was drawn to the Rural Pharmacy Education Program — or RPHARM — at the University of Illinois Chicago Retzky College of Pharmacy shortly after it was founded in 2010. RPHARM is an educational supplement to pharmacy degree programs that trains future pharmacists for careers in rural areas, where they may sometimes be the only health care provider for miles.
Bremmers' future in ag stems from their past
When Ethan Bremmer took the stage at the Illinois FFA State Convention as a newly elected state officer recently, he walked well-trodden Bremmer ground. His brother, Ben Bremmer, had stood on the same stage before him after being chosen to serve as a state officer. And long before that their parents, too, had stood onstage at an Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leader Conference to accept their own agriculture accolade, the 2008 Young Leader Achievement Award.
Shifting weather patterns moving 'tornado alley' east
Tornado alley — the loosely defined U.S. region where tornadoes occur most frequently — is shifting eastward as atmospheric conditions favorable to tornadoes become more common in states outside of the Great Plains, a CBS Chicago meteorologist told ag professionals last week. And not only are tornado-producing conditions becoming more common in the deep South and upper Midwest, David Yoemans said, but the number of tornadoes that occur in a given outbreak has also increased.
Morton lawmaker joins efforts to regulate kratom usage and sales in Illinois
Megan Hanley hadn't heard of kratom prior to last year. An epidemiologist for the Tazewell County Health Department, Hanley was working on researching trends in the county's overdose deaths as part of a state grant program. Her goal was to identify various trends that would aid the county's overdose prevention efforts — tracking things like demographics or what substances were involved in reported overdose deaths.
Illinois Wesleyan among institutions targeted by DOE for investigations into 'antisemitic discrimination'
Illinois Wesleyan University is among 60 higher education institutions that have been urged by the U.S. Department of Education [DOE] to cooperate with ongoing investigations into alleged actions of "antisemitic discrimination and harassment." The DOE's Office for Civil Rights [OCR] sent the letter on March 10 to colleges and universities under investigation for potential Title VI violations.
Animal rights group files federal complaint against Illinois State University
Share An Ohio-based animal rights watchdog has filed a complaint against Illinois State University , hoping the federal government will impose fines after multiple "emaciated" sheep were observed on a university-operated farm last year. Stop Animal Exploitation Now [SAEN] filed the complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA] in late February. The complaint stems from a noncompliance report ISU filed with the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare [OLAW] in July.
Catherine Popovitch is now at the helm of Illinois State Archives
When Catherine Popovitch was a student at Normal Community West High School, she imagined herself someday following in the footsteps of the history and social science teachers she admired. But as an undergraduate student at Millikin University in Decatur, Popovitch quickly learned while student teaching that the profession wasn't for her. It took a pair of internships at Illinois State University's Milner Library for Popovitch to really find her niche.
Faculty file unfair labor charge against Illinois State University
Share Amid nearly a year of ongoing contract negotiations with Illinois State University , the union representing tenure and tenure-track faculty filed a charge against ISU on Thursday with the state Educational Labor Relations Board [IELRB], alleging ISU has violated the Illinois Labor Disputes Act. The charge comes after a demonstration United Faculty of ISU [UFISU] members held nearly a month ago, ahead of the first day of contract negotiations held in the presence of a federal mediator.
Woman dead after two-vehicle collision in Woodford County
An El Paso woman is dead after a two-vehicle collision in Woodford County early Monday. Woodford County Coroner Tim Ruestman said in a news release the office responded to the scene of a collision on Illinois 251 south of Kappa around 7 a.m. Donna Guenther was the driver of a southbound Jeep that collided with a northbound GMC pickup truck. The 62-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene and autopsy showed the cause of death to be multiple instances of blunt-force trauma.
A new position at Eureka College speaks to evolving challenges in higher education
A few years ago, when staff at Eureka College were in the midst of identifying areas where their students needed some extra help, there was sort of a light bulb moment. Some students who'd been identified as having trouble with college-level writing weren't only struggling with that discipline. They were also struggling to read at the same level.
A new position at Eureka College speaks to evolving challenges in higher education
A few years ago, when staff at Eureka College were in the midst of identifying areas where their students needed some extra help, there was sort of a lightbulb moment. Some students who'd been identified as having trouble with college-level writing weren't only struggling with that discipline. They were also struggling to read at the same level.
Appeals court rules resentencing in fatal Woodford County DUI crash
A state appeals court has ruled that a woman involved in a Woodford County crash should be resentenced after a judge failed to properly consider her level of impairment when sentencing her to prison. Kaitlyn Scott, now 36, could be resentenced after the three-judge panel from the Fourth District Court of Appeals made the ruling earlier this month.
Sharon Chung looking to retain 91st House seat in race against challenger Desi Anderson
Two candidates who made their first bids for elected office in 2022 are vying for the same House seat this election. Republican Desi Anderson, who launched an unsuccessful bid for state senate in 2022, is seeking to unseat Democratic incumbent Sharon Chung in the race for Illinois' 91st House seat. The district includes much of Bloomington-Normal and stretches northwest through parts of Peoria and Bartonville.
B-N leaders speak at panel in support of state tax credit for affordable housing
Share A years-long effort to spur more affordable housing development across the state came to Bloomington-Normal on Tuesday morning. The Illinois Housing Council and the Illinois Manufacturers' Association organized a panel highlighting an ongoing, statewide lack of affordable housing — and how a legislative effort pending in the General Assembly could ease that crisis. "It's a very needed bill. But just a warning, though, this is going to be a tough budget year," state Sen.
As ISU welcomes its largest first-year class, some students say campus feels crowded
This story was jointly reported by WGLT and The Vidette. As Illinois State University celebrates its largest incoming class of first-year students, some students say they feel a disconnect between the positive messaging and their experiences on a crowded campus. The annual enrollment report following the 10th day of classes showed 4,285 first-year students came to ISU this fall. Total enrollment is also up by 2.7% at 21,546.
Authorities: 18-year-old from Chicago suburb was the person killed in ISU homecoming weekend shooting
An 18-year-old from a Chicago suburb has been identified as the person who died in a shooting at Illinois State University following what police called a large "pop-up party" early Sunday. McLean County Coroner Kathy Yoder said Randall Glass, of Oak Lawn, died from multiple gunshot wounds. Glass was one of two 18-year-old males who were shot around 3:30 a.m. Sunday; the second 18-year-old remains hospitalized in critical condition and was not identified in a news release Monday morning.
A new Illinois bill would allow only accredited surgical techs in operating rooms
To lay upon an operating table is to put a lot of trust into other people’s hands — willingly or not. Trust that medication has been dosed correctly. Trust that the surgeon will get the job done right. And trust that everyone in the room is educated and accredited appropriately.
A new Illinois bill would allow only accredited surgical techs in operating rooms
To lay upon an operating table is to put a lot of trust into other people’s hands — willingly or not. Trust that medication has been dosed correctly. Trust that the surgeon will get the job done right. And trust that everyone in the room is educated and accredited appropriately.
Eureka College says first-year student enrollment hit a record this year
This year's incoming class at Eureka College represents the largest number of freshman (159) enrolled at the private liberal arts school. And nearly half of 242 new students at the Woodford County-based college are both first-generation and low income, the college said in a news release earlier this week.
Rep. Sorensen says call for Biden to step aside was 'not a political decision'
U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen says conversations with his constituents prompted a decision to join a growing pool of Democratic leaders who are calling upon President Joe Biden to end his campaign for reelection.
Government, economic leaders push back on state plan to move Logan Correctional Center
State and local leaders who represent Logan County and its county seat are pushing back against a state plan to rebuild the Logan Correctional Center two hours north of its current location. Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Corrections [IDOC] announced in March the state intended to tear down and rebuild two prisons in poor conditions: the Stateville Correctional Center for men in Crest Hill, outside of Joliet, and the Logan Correctional Center for women outside of Lincoln.
State authorities are looking into release of voter data that includes McLean County
A series of websites with ties to a conservative political activist has published the full names, addresses and birthdates of thousands of Illinois voters, including those residing in McLean County. The McLean County Times, one of more than 30 websites owned by Local Government Information Services [LGIS], has published a series of articles that purportedly examine “who voted” or “how” a given precinct voted in the 2020 presidential election.
During Heartland Ag Complex Tour, Rep. Eric Sorensen Talks Farm Bill and Foreign Aid
By Lyndsay Jones U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen said he will not support a version of the farm bill that does not include funding for a federal nutrition program. The Moline Democrat representing the 17th Congressional District told reporters during a tour of Heartland Community College's agricultural complex Wednesday that plans to eliminate funding for the USDA's Thrifty Food Plan in the farm bill are a "non-starter" for him.
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