Click Here for details.
Save Save Save Save
Published in The Earlville Post on December 13, 2024
By Terri Dee, Illinois News Connection
and
Stu Bloom, The Earlville Post
The days of thumbing through a community newspaper are retreating into history in many communities, especially small towns in rural areas.
A Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism report published this year showed fewer that than 5,600 newspapers are still in business in the United States, and that 80 percent are weekly publications.
Since 2005, more than 3,200 print newspapers have vanished. Newspapers continue to disappear at a rate of more than two per week; in the last year alone, 130 newspapers have shut their doors. In addition to those closures and mergers, papers are reducing their print coverage, including shifting from dailies to weeklies or ending print publishing altogether.
Illinois has lost more newspaper journalists, 85 percent, than any state in the nation over nearly two decades, the report says. The state also has lost 36 percent of its newspapers, among the 10 highest losses in the United States. Illinois has four counties that are "news deserts" with no source of local news, and 33 counties are down to one news source.
The report shows four papers still in publication in LaSalle County. Two are weekly newspapers, the Earlville Post and the Mendota Reporter. The daily papers are the Times, published in Ottawa, and the News-Tribune, published in LaSalle.
DeKalb County also has four remaining papers, and Lee County has two.
Zachery Metzger, director of the State of Local News project at Northwestern, said news access nationwide will vary.
"I think that the crisis within newspapers, traditional print newspapers, is going to continue to deepen," Mr. Metzger observed. "A lot of those are going to continue to disappear. I think that the crisis of local news and the loss of news is not limited to rural areas."
He pointed out that few news options remain beyond nationally syndicated TV news from understaffed, overworked stations with limited coverage. He said that social media chat groups like Facebook are platforms that "amplify misinformation and disinformation."
According to the study, people living in "news deserts" tend to be older and less educated, and 16 percent live below the poverty line.
Several locally based independent news ventures have started in the last few years to broaden access to underserved communities. Mr. Metzger reported that since 2019, 95 percent of philanthropic donations to the outlets have focused on heavily concentrated and centralized urban metro areas.
"That doesn't mean that they're not producing a really valuable resource for people within those areas, but those areas have the most news already," Mr. Metzger stressed. "While these new startups are providing really great services, they're often not addressing the needs of people in smaller, more rural or less affluent communities."
Mr. Metzger said he believes that the existence of for-profit and nonprofit news outlets "is always going to be a good thing." He added that there are still some smaller papers doing good work and neighborhoods that are engaged in keeping their local news sources active.
He said he thinks that local newsrooms need state legislative action, greater philanthropic diversity, and donations to survive.
The Illinois General Assembly last spring passed a bill to provide $25 million in tax credits over the next five years for local news organizations to hire and retain journalists.
The General Assembly also passed two other components of a larger package designed to address the local news crisis. One provision deems that a local news organization cannot be sold to an out-of-state company without 120 days' advance notice. And a separate measure creates a scholarship program for students who choose to work at an Illinois local news organization for at least two years after graduation.
The legislation represents "nothing but good news for local newspapers and local broadcasters to be able to take advantage of this tax credit for hiring bright, young journalists," said Don Craven, a long-time media attorney who is now the Illinois Press Association's president and CEO. "I think getting anything passed is a victory. The devil will be in the details as this gets rolled out with the tax folks, but hopefully this will be a way to infuse some new sparks into local journalism."
The General Assembly has under consideration the Illinois Journalism Preservation Act, which if passed and signed by the governor would require big tech companies such as Google and Meta to compensate news organizations for the content that they share, display, or link to on their platforms.
View all Illinois public notices 24 hours a day - publicnoticeillinois.com
Member Log-In + Contact Us + Events + PressLines + Job Bank + Advertising Toolbox + Upload Pages
+Regular Member Newspapers
Subscribe to RSS headline updates from: Powered by FeedBurner
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 7, 2025 Contact Information: Contact: Alison Maley, government & public relations director Phone: (217) 299-3122 Email: alison@ilprincipals.org
Dr. Angie Codron named president of the Illinois Principals Association
The Illinois Principals Association (IPA) is proud to announce that Dr. Angie Codron, principal of Normal West High School in Normal, Illinois, will serve as president for the 2025–2026 school year. The IPA’s theme for the year is “TeamWorks,” which will be celebrated at the Education Leaders Annual Conference in October 2025. “TeamWorks means we can accomplish more together than we ever could alone," Dr. Codron said. "My leadership philosophy is rooted in building strong systems that help teams work effectively toward big goals. I’m grateful to the IPA for the chance to highlight how both our personal and professional teams make a real difference in the lives of those we serve." Dr. Jason Leahy, executive director for the Illinois Principals Association, said, “Dr. Codron is an exceptional leader. Her vision for teamwork will continue to propel the IPA forward as we strive to effectively serve school leaders together.” Dr. Codron has been an active member of the IPA since 2016. She serves on the IPA Board of Directors representing the Corn Belt region and has previously held roles as the region’s diversity & equity chair and treasurer. Now in her 10th year at Normal West High School, Dr. Codron served as associate principal for seven years before becoming principal three years ago. Over her 25-year career in education, she has held various leadership roles including science teacher, assessment coach, basketball coach, and member of several district strategic planning committees. Her work is driven by a passion for building effective, trust-based systems that support team accountability and high achievement. Dr. Codron earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry Education and a master’s degree in Athletic Administration from Eastern Illinois University, where she was also recognized as a Women’s Basketball Academic All-American. She later completed her Type 75 and Superintendent Certificates, as well as her Doctorate, at Illinois State University. She is also a proud mother of two sons: AJ, a Golden Apple Scholar and incoming freshman at Illinois State University studying elementary education and coaching; and Carson, who will be entering eighth grade at Bloomington Junior High. The Illinois Principals Association is a professional organization serving more than 6,700 educational leaders across Illinois. Learn more at www.ilprincipals.org.
###
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 1, 2025 Contact Information: Contact: Alison Maley, government & public relations director Phone: (217) 299-3122 Email: alison@ilprincipals.org
Illinois Principals Association names new executive board and board members
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Principals Association, which serves more than 6,600 educational leaders throughout the state of Illinois, announces the following school leaders to serve as the Executive Board for the IPA, effective July 1, 2025.
Other new board members include:
For information about other board members and IPA regions, please visit www.ilprincipals.org/board and www.ilprincipals.org/regions. The Illinois Principals Association mission is to develop, support, and advocate for innovative educational leaders. For more information about the IPA, please visit www.ilprincipals.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 4, 2025 Contact Information: Media Contact: Garth Reynolds, executive director Illinois Pharmacists Association Phone: (217) 522-7300 Email: greynolds@ipha.org Website: ipha.org | @ILPharmacists
IPhA applauds historic passage of HB1697: The Prescription Drug Affordability Act
IPhA applauds historic passage of HB1697: The Prescription Drug Affordability Act comprehensive PBM reform law strengthens patient protections and supports community pharmacies statewide
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Pharmacists Association (IPhA) celebrates the General Assembly’s passage of HB1697, the Prescription Drug Affordability Act, a landmark achievement in the fight to protect patients, enhance transparency, and preserve access to pharmacy care across Illinois. This legislation was a central focus of Governor JB Pritzker’s 2025 State of the State address, where he emphasized the need to confront harmful pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) practices that have driven up drug costs, jeopardized local pharmacies, and strained patient access to care. HB1697 now delivers on that call to action with sweeping, enforceable reforms. “I am thrilled that this legislation will finally reverse the alarming trend of pharmacy closures across our great state,” IPhA President Dave Bagot said. “HB1697 represents not just a policy victory, but a commitment to preserving access to essential health care services in communities throughout Illinois.” IPhA extends its sincere gratitude to Senator David Koehler and Representative Natalie Manley for championing this legislation. Their leadership has resulted in one of the most significant PBM reform packages in the country, built on transparency, accountability, and patient-centered care. HB1697 directly targets systemic failures in the prescription drug marketplace. The law eliminates spread pricing that has diverted millions away from patient care, ends PBM steering practices that restrict pharmacy choice, and mandates 100 percent rebate passthrough to ensure savings are returned to patients and health plans. It also institutes robust regulatory oversight through required annual transparency reports, plan audits, and market conduct examinations. The bill also provides vital financial relief to the state’s most vulnerable pharmacies. HB1697 allocates $45 million annually to sustain critical access pharmacies and invests an additional $25 million to enhance pharmacy access. These provisions are designed to stop the ongoing wave of pharmacy closures and restore access in both rural and urban areas. “This bill is a turning point. Illinois is making it clear that we will no longer allow corporate middlemen to undermine patient care and community health,” said Garth Reynolds, executive director of IPhA. “HB1697 restores transparency, puts patients first, and gives independent and community pharmacies a fair chance to survive and serve.” HB1697 would not have been possible without the relentless advocacy of pharmacists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and patients across the state. As the legislation now heads to Governor Pritzker for signature, IPhA remains focused on supporting its full implementation and defending its critical protections. “We reached this moment because our profession stood united and refused to accept the status quo,” Reynolds added. “This law is a meaningful step forward in building a health care system that works for Illinois patients.” About the Illinois Pharmacists Association The Illinois Pharmacists Association (IPhA) is dedicated to enhancing the professional competency of pharmacists, advancing the standards of pharmacy practice, improving pharmacists’ effectiveness in assuring rational drug use in society, and leading in the resolution of public policy issues affecting pharmacists.
Click Image to Find the IPA Disaster Checklist!