AM-580 News Features
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 July
through September 2003
listen to these stories in RealAudio
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required)
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The Farm Progress Show Arrives
Billed as the "Super Bowl of Agriculture," the
Farm Progress Show runs through Thursday, September 25 in
Vermilion County, Illinois, a few miles east of the site of
the first Farm Progress Show 50 years ago. AM 580's Jim Meadows
previews the show that has become a Midwestern farming
institution.
 Listen
to story
 Farm
Progress Show web site
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Changing Payday -- a UI Controversy
Thousands of faculty and academic professional employees at
Urbana-Champaign get smaller paychecks for September.
The UI is moving to a common pay date for all three campuses,
but because the pay date comes five days earlier than before,
September paychecks are smaller by five days. AM 580's
Ali Kawa reports the change is causing confusion and tension
on campus.
Listen
to story
the
UIUC Council of Academic Professionals FAQ
a
newsletter from the Association of Academic Professionals
stating the union's position
(PDF file)
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Hello, Mars
Mars reached its opposition on August 27 -- the point at
which it was closer to Earth than it's been in about 60,000
years. AM 580's Ali Kawa spoke with UI astronomy
professor Jim Kaler about why we're so captivated with the
planet.
Listen
to interview
additional
viewing opportunities with the UI and Champaign-Urbana
Astronomical Societies
tips
on viewing Mars (from Sky & Telescope magazine)
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Puccini on the Prairie
The opera recently came to the seat of Iroquois
County. The small town hosted a festival
featuring a violin recital, a string concert --- and a
full-scale production of “La Boheme” in the middle school
auditorium/gym. "Sugar Creek
Symphony and Song" is the brainchild of Watseka natives
Helen Todd (pictured) and John Whitman, who decided they
wanted to give something back to their home town -- and their
home town has given them a lot of support. AM 580’s Jim
Meadows has this report.
Listen
to story
the
official festival website
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Voters
May Decide on an Election Commission
Voters may decide if Champaign County will have a special
commission handle election duties now managed by the county
clerk. The county board has voted to support placing a
referendum on the ballot, but members abandoned the idea of
setting up an election commission themselves. AM 580's
Jim Meadows reports.
Listen
to story
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As
School Begins, Cuts Become Evident
Parents may be surprised to find larger classes, fewer
extracurricular activities and fewer specialized courses like
art or foreign languages. A group called "Students
First" is urging parents to contact their elected
officials if they're upset. Illinois State Board of
Education member Ron Gidwitz created the group. He tells
AM 580's Ali Kawa how education fared in the statehouse this
year.
Listen
to interview
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photo: Paul Wiegand
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A
New Angle for Suicide Intervention
People who talk about or attempt suicide are often
described as making a "cry for help." But a UI
counselor says people who are suicidal are often not seeking
help but find the very idea of suicide attractive or
empowering. That's why Dr. Paul Joffe's (pictured)
system of handling suicidal students differs from others --
and he says it's why the UI's suicide rate has gone
down. AM 580's Jim Meadows talked with Joffe.
Listen
to interview
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Getting
to Know the West Nile Virus
Under a federal grant, he UI and the Illinois
Departments of Natural Resources, Public Health and
Agriculture will help detect and survey mosquitoes while
investigating the virus itself. Robert Wiedenmann, the
director of economic entomology for the state Natural History
Survey, spoke with AM 580's Ali Kawa about the importance of
this kind of research.
Listen
to interview
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One
Year Down for Champaign's School Superintendent
Arthur Culver arrived to the Unit Four schools from Texas
one year ago. In that time, the district has faced tough
contract negotiations, critical reports on curriculum and
educational equity, and personnel upheaval. AM 580's Tom
Rogers asks Culver about what progress he and the schools have
made on the year.
Listen
to interview
 Champaign
Unit 4 website
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When
School Funding Goes Down, Volunteers Step Up
The Blue Ridge School District is broke. Voters in
the rural central Illinois district voted down a tax
referendum last spring, and the school board has been forced
to cut staff and programs. But district residents in
towns such as Farmer City (pictured) are pitching in to help
Blue Ridge get through its present hard times. AM 580's
Jim Meadows reports.
Listen
to story
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Smile Healthy: Improving Dental Access and Oral Health in Champaign County
AM 580, WBCP Radio and the Champaign County Health Care Consumers
continue a six-month project to examine the need for better dental care, and what's being done about it.
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Part
21: If a healthy mouth is so critical to a healthy body, why
don't we go to doctors with our dental problems? Why do
we have dentists who are completely separate from
physicians? And why do those of us with insurance have
separate policies for medical care and dental care? Tom
Rogers wondered about that...and to find out why, he delved
into history.
Listen
to story
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Part
22: Lobbyists for Illinois dentists and hygienists will try to
reach and agreement next month that would give hygienists
greater work independence. Current state law says
hygienists cannot work unless a dentist is physically
present. Dave Dickey reports that some change in the law
may be coming.
Listen
to story
smilehealthy.org
-- listen to more stories from this series
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