Farmers who were promised funding through the federal Regional Food Business Centers have been left in limbo after the Trump administration shut down the program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it will honor grants the program already approved, but it’s unclear when.

A federal grant could help pay for clearing away the rubble at the former pottery plant.

The triangular park in the 1200 and 1300 blocks of East Pierce St. will include a walking path lined with storyboards about William Thorpe’s life.

The group will receive the Illinois Library Association Illinois Academic Librarian of the Year award.

Years of drought conditions in the Midwest and Great Plains have opened the door for pests and diseases that are killing trees. Now people working in parks and forests are planting new species they hope can survive the changing conditions.