Illinois
Illinois Valley food pantries brace for sharp demand for Christmas food help
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The road of automobiles was so lengthy and unwieldy the Illinois Valley Meals Pantry requested La Salle police to ship over a patrol officer to direct site visitors.
La Salle Police Chief Mike Smudzinski mentioned his coronary heart sunk on the process: The automobiles have been lined up for the pantry’s vacation distribution, carried out the week earlier than Thanksgiving. For Smudzinski, a 28-year veteran, this was an sad first.
“It’s form of disheartening to see one thing like that,” Smudzinski mentioned. “It goes to indicate there’s much more needy folks than we realized.”
Christmas is shaping as much as be worse. Thanks primarily to inflation – though the lifting of pandemic aid applications has not helped – meals pantries throughout the Illinois Valley are bracing for unprecedented demand for vacation meals help.
Marissa Vicich is government director of Group Meals Basket in Ottawa. She thinks this Christmas will see meals help improve by half over final yr, and possibly double. Final yr, Vicich had 443 searching for assist and already she’s inching towards 800.
“The costs on the grocery retailer have pushed folks into our line,” Vicich mentioned, “however there aren’t as many applications to assist folks as there have been final yr, both.”
And the meals pantries are certainly not immune from inflation.
“We’re spending increasingly more each single month,” mentioned Mike Paulsen, meals supervisor of the Western Bureau County Meals Pantry in Sheffield. “Our bills have gone up so much.”
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On the Mendota Christian Meals Pantry, Government Director Tracy Cooper mentioned the pantry’s meals prices have about tripled up to now 12 months – “If that’s occurring right here, think about what the common household goes by way of” – and he or she thinks new shoppers will search assist as hovering power prices push native households to the brink.
“I’m seeing increasingly more new households for weekly distributions – as many as 5 per distribution – and if you happen to add that up and that’s 40 new shoppers a month. That’s a giant leap.
“And I actually, really anticipate it to worsen over the winter months.”
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In all instances, meals pantries are searching for financial help from donors who’re able to provide. The pantries should buy meals extra cheaply from meals banks than their donors can from the shop.
However, supply-chain issues are inflicting shortages of particular gadgets. Vicich, for instance, wants paper merchandise and toothbrushes. Cooper wants sugar-free meals and dairy merchandise. Paulsen wants meat, notably vacation hams. The Bureau County Meals Pantry, which anticipates 15% to twenty% extra want, might use cereals, canned fruit and vacation facet dishes comparable to immediate mashed potatoes.
On the Illinois Valley Meals Pantry in La Salle, Government Director Mary Jo Credi has non-perishable meals — because of a drive by the Illinois Valley Auto Group — however badly wants contemporary meals to satisfy vacation demand anticipated to leap 15% over final yr.
“Meat, eggs and different perishable meals we’re actually having a tricky time with,” Credi mentioned. “The quantity of meals we get from the federal government has dropped significantly.”
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And on the Corridor Township Meals Pantry in Spring Valley, the No. 1 want merchandise is eggs. An avian flu that worn out turkeys – vacation birds surged in value, when you could possibly discover them – additionally took a toll on egg-laying chickens, which despatched egg provides tumbling and costs hovering.
Jan Martin, government director, mentioned she ordered eggs for her shoppers – she’ll want 300 dozen earlier than Christmas – and acquired zero. The distributors advised Martin she would possibly get some round Dec. 26, if then.
“I could must go with out giving eggs,” Martin mentioned, “and that can be a primary.”
Martin mentioned she’s seen “a gentle improve” every week within the variety of shoppers searching for assist. She anticipates Christmas demand could have climbed by 20% over final yr however is equally troubled by the quantity of recent faces.
“The variety of new households is simply wonderful,” she mentioned, “and it’s bigger households.”
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Illinois
Woman helps change Illinois state law to help repair damaged veteran headstones

After successfully pushing to change state law to help repair and replaced damaged gravestones of Illinois veterans, a Naperville woman is continuing her mission to preserve the legacies of local heroes.
Years ago, Staci Boyer, commander of the Judd Kendall VFW Post in Naperville, noticed many of the gravestones of veterans buried at Naperville Cemetery had become badly weathered and worn out, in some cases, left little more than a pile of rocks.
She wanted to have them repaired, but ran into a roadblock. State law required permission from a family member, but the damaged headstones were so old, tracking down relatives was difficult.
With the help of state lawmakers, she helped change Illinois law to give veterans’ organizations the authority to repair headstones that are at least 100 years old.
“Before the law, we wouldn’t have been able to do anything. We would’ve tried to find next of kin. We would not have found them, and then the graves would’ve stayed a pile of rock and debris,” Boyer said.
Since last summer, Boyer has raised enough money to replace five veteran headstones at Naperville Cemetery. She said all new headstones will be in place by the 4th of July.
“I’m proud of our community, you know, for feeling like this is important. People that don’t know these veterans but believe that they should be honored this way. That’s a beautiful thing,” she said.
Boyer had bricks engraved at Naperville Cemetery to honor all veterans with damaged headstones.
Illinois
Four-Star Defensive Lineman Includes Illinois Football Among Top Finalists

Illinois football coach Bret Bielema landed arguably his most significant recruit to date in two-sport athlete Nasir Rankin on Wednesday, but McHale Blade wouldn’t be too far behind on the short list.
Blade, an elite class of 2026 recruit, listed his top seven choices on Friday, as reported by 247 Sports – and Illinois made the cut.
Blade, a four-star defensive lineman from Chicago Simeon also included Wisconsin, Purdue, Stanford, USC, Michigan and Notre Dame among his top seven. The fifth-ranked player in the state of Illinois and No. 21 defensive lineman in the country (per 247 Sports), Blade began his high school career at Hillcrest (Country Club Hills, Illinois) before transferring to Simeon.
If Bielema and his staff have any shot of landing the 6-foot-4, 245-pound senior, they need to schedule an on-campus visit with Blade ASAP. McHale visited Purdue on Friday and is scheduled to visit Wisconsin next and USC, Michigan and Notre Dame in June.
The good news for the Illini is that they’re putting together far and away their best recruiting class in the Bielema era, and the fact that a bunch of top prospects from the state have already committed to Illinois could be a deciding factor in convincing Blade to stay home.
Blade reportedly will make schedule visits with all seven finalists and make a decision on July 4.
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Illinois
Cucumber recall Illinois: New brands added to list amid multistate salmonella outbreak

A cucumber recall tied to a salmonella outbreak in dozens of states has expanded to include more companies, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced.
In an update Thursday, the agency said the multistate salmonella outbreak tied to cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers, Inc. and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales, Inc., now includes four additional brands.
Additional recalls are being conducted by companies that used or repackaged recalled cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers, Inc.,” the FDA said in its alert.
The outbreak is linked to the same grower whose cucumbers were tied to more than 550 illnesses last year, including several in Illinois.
Here’s what to know:
What cucumbers are involved in the outbreak?
The cucumbers were grown by Florida-based Bedner Growers and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales.
They were sold to retailers, distribution centers, wholesalers, and food service distributors between April 29, 2025 and May 19, 2025.
“Cucumbers may have been sold individually or in smaller packages, with or without a label that may not bear the same brand, product name, or best by date,” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. “For distributors, restaurants, and retailers who have purchased these cucumbers, the products were labeled as either being ‘supers,’ ‘selects,’ or ‘plains.’”
In addition, the following companies have now been added to the recall:
Where were the cucumbers sold?
The full extent of where the cucumbers were sold has not yet been determined by the FDA, though an investigation is ongoing.
The recalled cucumbers were available at Bedner’s Farm Fresh Market in three Florida locations including Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and West Palm Beach between April 29, 2025, and May 14, 2025.
But beyond that, the FDA said it is “working to determine where potentially contaminated product was distributed.”
Several people who fell ill ate cucumbers on cruise ships leaving ports in Florida, according to the CDC. Organic cucumbers are not affected, officials said.
The FDA advised restaurants, retailers, and distributors that purchased potentially contaminated recalled cucumbers between April 29, 2025 and May 19, 2025 to “notify their customers of the potential health concern.”
Where have illnesses been reported so far?
In the latest outbreak, the cucumbers have been linked to illnesses in at least 26 people in 15 states. At least nine people have been hospitalized; no deaths have been reported, according to the FDA.
Illinois is among the states reporting illnesses associated with the outbreak, with three to four cases confirmed in the state so far.
Illnesses were reported between April 2 and April 28, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
How was the outbreak detected?
The outbreak was detected as part of a follow-up inspection in April to a 2024 outbreak that sickened 551 people and led to 155 hospitalizations in 34 states and Washington, D.C. In that outbreak, investigators found salmonella bacteria linked to many of the illnesses in untreated canal water used at farms operated by Bedner Growers and Thomas Produce Company.
In the current outbreak, officials found salmonella bacteria from samples on the farm that matched samples from people who got sick.
Retailers should notify consumers who may have bought the tainted produce. If consumers don’t know the source of cucumbers, they should throw them away, officials said.
What symptoms should you watch for?
Common salmonella symptoms include diarrhea, fever, severe vomiting, dehydration and stomach cramps, with symptoms beginning anywhere from six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria.
Most people infected recover within four-to-seven days without treatment, though some people, particularly children under the age of five years, adults 65 and older and individuals with weakened immune systems may experience more severe illness.
What to do if you think you have these cucumbers?
Consumers may be contacted by a retailer about the recalled cucumbers.
“If you cannot tell if your cucumber was grown by Bedner Growers, throw it away,” the FDA suggested.
The agency also suggests that when eating out over the next week, check to see if the restaurant you are dining at has cucumbers purchased from Bedner Growers or Fresh Start Produce Sales, Inc.
“Contact your healthcare provider if you think you may have symptoms of a Salmonella infection after eating potentially contaminated cucumbers,” the FDA said.
As for restaurants, retailers and distributors, he FDA recommends the following:
- If you suspect you purchased potentially contaminated recalled cucumbers between April 29 and May 19, you should should notify customers of the potential health concern.
- Carefully clean and sanitize any surfaces or containers that it touched.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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