Environment and Nature

Unlike young children on a car ride chanting, "Are we there yet," zoo animals can’t tell you when they’re bored to tears. Some of them don’t even have tear ducts. It’s the job of zookeepers to make sure the animals in their care stay active — mentally as well as physically.

A bill to lift a moratorium on construction of new nuclear power plants in Illinois is moving through the state legislature. But an environmental science expert said that doesn't mean there will be a rush to put up new reactors for the first time in decades.

The largest maple syrup producer in Illinois may not have a future as global climate change progresses.

Several small towns in central Illinois will get $11 million in state money to build sewer systems, or extend existing ones.

Normal Mayor Chris Koos is conditionally endorsing doing away with bus fares in the Twin Cities, but says he still wants to see a concrete proposal before fully committing.

A Bloomington family found a ring-tailed lemur in a garage, a long way from its native Madagascar.

Bloomington-Normal's next big thing in playgrounds is all but complete — a $5 million, 16-acre natural playground at Colene Hoose Elementary School in Normal.

State Farm and Rivian are both contracting with clean energy providers to reduce their carbon footprints. State Farm said it's buying enough zero emission renewable energy to power its buildings in Bloomington.

The owner of the Clinton nuclear power plant in Dewitt County is following through on its end of the deal that led to passage of the state Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. Constellation Energy is asking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend the reactor's license for 20 years. It had been scheduled to expire in 2027.

Illinois water issues are legion. They are pressing. And those who deal with those issues face serious challenges meeting them: Rapidly shifting science, a legacy of underfunded agencies, a reluctant public, and an ever-changing environment.