Ryan Denham

Ryan Denham started his career as a copy editor and later business and city government reporter at The Pantagraph in 2006. He later worked for WJBC radio in Bloomington. He now works in website development for Illinois State University and is a freelance reporter for WGLT.

85 Years After Founding In Normal, Challenges Put Steak 'n Shake On The Brink

By • Jun 4, 2019

Greg Snodgrass started at Steak ’n Shake as a bus boy in 1979 in Bloomington-Normal.

Small Illinois Towns Hope Legalized Marijuana Bring More Jobs

By • May 3, 2019

Behind a tall security fence and countless coded keypads, the future of the Delavan economy is growing under bright lights.

Electric Truck Startup Steps In Where Other Automakers Left Off

By • Jan 22, 2019

Gas-powered pickups and SUVs now make up two-thirds of U.S. auto sales. But, until recently, truck buyers looking for an American-made electric-powered pickup would be out of luck. America's small electric vehicle fleet is just that — small, mostly cars and sedans. That's where a new startup automaker saw an opening.

Rivian plans to make battery-powered trucks and SUVs in a former auto plant in central Illinois. It's the same plant where Wade Jensen's career began three decades ago, when Mitsubishi and Chrysler teamed up there to build cars.

Fact Check: The Fourth And Final Davis-Londrigan Debate

By , & • Oct 30, 2018

Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis and Democratic challenger Betsy Dirksen Londrigan debated Monday for the last time before Election Day, accusing one another of lying about who’s funding their campaigns, whether pre-existing conditions will be covered, and who really benefits from the tax cuts.

Fact Check: Davis, Londrigan Muddy The Water On Health Care, Tax Overhaul

By , & • Oct 19, 2018

Health care, trade, and the tax overhaul are three of the biggest issues in the race for the 13th Congressional District between incumbent Rodney Davis and challenger Betsy Dirksen Londrigan.

Winners and Losers As Illinois Universities Report Fall Enrollment

By & IPR Contributors • Sep 13, 2018

Illinois’ public universities have finished tallying up their student bodies for the new school year, and once again it’s a mix of winners and losers.

Londrigan Claims Momentum After Outraising Davis Last Quarter

By • Jul 16, 2018

New campaign finance disclosures show Democrat Betsy Dirksen Londrigan outraised U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis last quarter, though the incumbent Republican still has a much larger war chest heading into the thick of campaign season.

Durbin and Duckworth: GOP Tax Bills Will Hurt Central Illinois

By • Nov 10, 2017

Illinois’ Democratic senators on Thursday blasted dueling Republican tax reform bills, saying tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy come at the expense of middle-class taxpayers.

Beyond Money, Which Democrat Has Best Chance To Unseat Rodney Davis?

By • Sep 8, 2017

Labor Day is typically seen as a turning point in an election year, the time when regular voters start paying attention. But for the 2018 election—still more than a year away—that adage about Labor Day may need to be updated.