Rural Illinois

Districts finding creative solutions to persistent shortage

Chris Vallillo is a musician who combines history and sense of place in much of his work. Forgottonia is an Illinois Humanities Council funded performance project combining music and photography into a memorable take on western Illinois and rural places.

Illinois is in a precarious position when it comes to the 2020 census. The count determines congressional representation, and the state is at risk for…

Small internet service providers in Illinois are optimistic after the farm bill – which President Trump recently signed – included more money for…

A recent study completed by the Illinois Rural Health Summit Planning Committee found that 1.5 million Illinoisans who live in rural parts of Illinois…

Gary Smith has worked at the grain elevator at Okaw Farmer’s Co-op in Lovington, Illinois, for forty years. On his desk sit two computer screens, where he…

Farm towns in Illinois could get access to high-speed internet with the help of new federal funding.Nine companies are getting nearly $100 million from…

Farm towns in Illinois have been shrinking for decades, and the trend doesn’t show signs of reversing.By 2025, rural counties with populations of less…

The national conversation around gun violence generally centers around mass shootings, school shootings and gang activity. These problems need to be…

Analysis: What should be done to respond to loss of rural population?Stark County in central Illinois has lost population every decade since 1880 and now…