Statewide

Reporting from in and around Illinois.Listen to Statewide on WNIJ Saturdays 6-7 a.m. and Sundays 6-7 p.m.

Statewide: Gambling Update; Wet Spring Brings Out The Bugs; Is Steak n Shake On The Brink?

NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS | By Sean Crawford

Published June 6, 2019 at 4:58 PM CDT

The heavy and frequent rains across the midwest has resulted in flooding here in Illinois and farmers being unable to get crops in the field. But there has been another impact: bugs. Specifically, flying insects like gnats and mosquitoes. We talk with an entomologist about the swarms and how long they might last.

More casinos and legal sports wagering. That's the result of a gambling package the General Assembly approved.

And Steak n Shake, founded in Normal 85 years ago, is facing problems that put the future of the chain in doubt. That and more on this week's Statewide.

This week's lineup:

* Ryan Denham from WGLT reports on the troubles facing the iconic Illinois-founded restaurant chain Steak n Shake.

* Sean Crawford talks with entomologist Nick Seiterabout the rainy weather and what that has meant for the flying insect population.

*Dusty Rhodes has our Illinois Issues report. She looks at how education legislation fared in the recently completed legislative session.

* Sean Crawford talks with Daisy Contreras, who covered the major gambling package that won approval. It will mean more casinos and legal sports betting.

* We listen backto some of the voices from the final days of the legislative session.

* Breanna Grow with WGLT follows along with a group of students visiting a cadaver lab in LeRoy.

* Peter Medlin from WNIJvisits a high school in Paw Paw in its final days before the school is decativated.

Statewide for the week of June 7, 2019

Statewide, which brings you reports and conversations from in and around Illinois, is a production of NPR Illinois with help from other Illinois public radio stations. Find all our episodes online at Statewideshow.com. Drop us a line at Scraw1@uis.edu

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Carbondale – WSIU 91.9 (Sundays 6-7 a.m.)
Mount Vernon - WVSI 88.9 (Sundays 6-7 a.m.)
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Pittsfield - WIPA 89.3 (Fridays 11 a.m. - Noon, 11 p.m. - Midnight, Saturdays 9-10 a.m.)
Urbana/Champaign – WILL 580 (Fridays 11 a.m. - Noon, 7-8 p.m.)