Illinois
Two months after Illinois launched food program, farmers still waiting to get paid
A long-delayed state program to get fresh food from local farms to vulnerable communities in Illinois was finally launched in March. But two months later, participants are still struggling to get money from the state to pay farmers and cover program expenses.
“We started with intentions of having money earlier than this and (the farmers) trusted us,” said Brenda Stewart, who runs Run-A-Way Buckers, a community organization distributing produce in eastern Illinois’ Pembroke Township. “I’m thankful they didn’t hold it against us.”
The $30 million federally funded effort aims to rebuild the state’s local food system by connecting underrepresented farmers with communities in need. Even though farms make up 75% of Illinois’ land area, only 5% of the food grown in Illinois is purchased in-state.
When Gov. J.B. Pritzker first announced the nonprofits selected to distribute food in early March, many — including Run-A-Way Buckers — jumped at the opportunity to get started. The announcement was overdue so Black, first-generation and veteran farmers had already ramped up production in anticipation, food was spoiling and families were waiting.
Diane McDonald organizes a network of fellow small-scale Black farmers that has been giving over 100 pounds of produce to Run-A-Way Buckers per week for the last two months. They haven’t been paid for any of it yet, but she isn’t giving up on the program.
“It’s been a crunch. It’s been a lot of out-of-pocket money,” said McDonald. “But, we’re determined to continue until (the state) get(s) it together. It’s a worthy cause, and I appreciate the fact that small farmers are being acknowledged because we’re very important to the agricultural system.”
While farmers have been on the hook, the Illinois Equitable Access Towards Sustainable Systems (IL-EATS) program has been “the talk of the town” among recipients, Stewart said.
The Swiss chard and goat cheese have been big hits at the local senior center, where Run-A-Way Buckers has been sending two dozen bags of locally-grown food each week. The seniors have enjoyed exchanging recipes for these healthy goods that are now available to them.
“It’s bringing out togetherness and a sense of adventure in them, and I love that,” said Velsie Kim Bridges, who runs the center’s nutrition program.
Good intentions, flawed execution
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is funding similar programs that connect underrepresented farmers and underserved communities in every state except Wyoming.
Most have had their programs up and running for a while. Wisconsin, for example, announced a funding agreement with the federal government in August 2022 and delivered $1.4 million worth of food by the end of last year.
Illinois reached a funding agreement only two months later, but it didn’t finalize contracts with food distributors until this spring.
Illinois farmers anxious after ramping up production for food program that was delayed
Wisconsin and other states chose to work with established food banks. “Illinois opted for a more inclusive model,” according to a statement from the Illinois Department of Human Services, which is managing the program with the state’s Department of Agriculture.
The state put out an open call for farmers and food distributors to apply for a portion of the grant money to ensure smaller organizations with strong ties to local communities could participate.
McDonald appreciated the opportunity to feed her neighbors who have been generally unable to access or afford her fresh produce. Much of what she grows is shipped to farmers markets an hour and a half away in Chicago.
“We did give food to the pantry on a volunteer basis, but this was on a larger scale. We could reach more people in the community,” said McDonald, who also runs a program that teaches local youth how to farm.
The human services department acknowledged that Illinois’ more grassroots approach, which helped farmers like McDonald get involved, made it more difficult to launch its program.
“Taking a different approach than other states … to advance equity and ensure new providers have the same opportunities was the right choice for Illinois,” the human services department said in a statement. “Doing what is right is not always the easiest route in the short term, but we will continue to learn and adjust as we strive to ensure this new program is successful.”
Some funds flowing
In early May, the human services department announced it finally had the federal funds to reimburse food costs.
This came as a relief to Marty Travis, whose nonprofit Down at the Farms, 100 miles south of Chicago in Fairbury, was selected to coordinate food distribution. He took nearly $120,000 out of Down at the Farms — tapping into grant money and forgoing necessary infrastructure upgrades — to pay farmers.
“We’ve exhausted all of that money that we felt like we could set aside without putting ourselves in total jeopardy,” Travis said.
Meanwhile, Stewart’s Run-A-Way Buckers waited for funds to flow before paying farmers. Consequently, McDonald has struggled to pay the farmhands helping her harvest, package and transport the over 100 pounds of produce she’s giving Run-A-Way Buckers each week.
“They’ve been hanging in there with me,” McDonald said. “The out-of-pocket money is all I have to give them to keep them coming and helping.”
The human services department told nonprofits they could expect to receive two months of advance payment and monthly reimbursements, but their contract stipulates they must be able to front at least 60 days worth of program expenses.
Just as the program reached that two-month mark, Travis and Stewart received their first checks for food costs. But, the wait isn’t over. Illinois has yet to secure federal funds for labor and transportation costs, which account for 30% to 45% of participating nonprofits’ program expenses. One employee at Run-A-Way Buckers is still owed about $16,000 for the time he has spent managing distribution.
More representation
In April, the farmers and nonprofits waiting for reimbursement discovered the state quietly slashed the prices the program would pay for food.
Chicken breast that was originally valued at $15.75 per pound was suddenly $8.25 per pound.
The program had originally garnered lots of excitement for essentially paying retail prices for wholesale products.
“I was gonna say it’s irresponsible, but it’s just not fair,” said Travis, a seventh-generation farmer.
The prices are subject to be updated twice per year, and the April changes reflected price fluctuations and the addition of new food items not included on the original list, according to a statement from the human services department.
“That’s like everybody else coming out here, making all these promises about how they’re going to help this community, and then they never follow through. We’ve had a lot of that happen, so it’s not building up good trust among us,” said McDonald, recalling her experience with the government as a rural Black farmer.
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After listening to feedback from farmers and food distributors, the state agreed to revert to the originally advertised prices.
In light of this, farmers are demanding more transparency and representation in the program, which is scheduled to run through September 2025.
“We’re out here daily, dealing with the elements to make the produce the best that we can give, so I think that we should have some kind of say in the policymaking,” McDonald said.
The program has had growing pains but, across the state, there remains a steadfast commitment to strengthening local food systems and hope that this initiative will do just that.
“It will sort itself out. But we’ve lost trust, we’ve lost time and we’ve lost the ability to keep all of our farmers engaged in this. We can’t break the back of all the farmers,” Travis said. “We just need to follow through. We need to close the loop.”
Illinois
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Illinois Democratic leaders Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson are slammed for weaponizing a Chicago cross burning incident by blaming former President Trump. Despite the suspect, Murlin Lue, admitting his motive was to protest Trump, not racism, Pritzker and Johnson doubled down. Critics, including Illinois GOP State Rep. Chris Miller, accuse them of playing politics and fostering division rather than seeking truth.
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – November ballots will feature a repeat of top billing in the race for governor. Illinoisans can once again choose between Governor JB Pritzker or Darren Bailey to lead the Land of Lincoln.
But beside their spots, new names will appear for voters.
The Democratic and Republican candidates for governor picked new running mates for their rematch. With Lieutenant Governor Julianna Stratton running for U.S. Senate, Pritzker picked Christian Mitchell to join his ticket. On the Republican side, Aaron Del Mar joins Bailey, who previously ran with Stephanie Trussell in 2022.
Mitchell and Del Mar spoke Thursday with WIFR on what inspires them to run, their campaign priorities and ideas to improve the Rockford region.
Backgrounds
Starting with the Democratic ticket, Mitchell joins the race as a former state representative from Chicago as well as a deputy governor with the Pritzker administration.
“Before anything else, I’m Debbie’s son, and I’m James’s grandson,” Mitchell introduced. “They’re the ones who really instilled in me the value of hard work and made sure that I was going to have a very bright future.”
Mitchell sees the role of lieutenant governor as a partner to the state’s executive.
“I’m really lucky to be running with somebody who I respect, and who I think is the best governor in the nation… Governor JB Pritzker,” he said.. “My first thing is going to be supporting his agenda, which right now is all about lowering costs and raising wages.”
On the Republican side, Del Mar hails from suburban Chicago and considers his first priority to be raising his family.
“I wanted nothing to do with politics, did not want to be involved — wanted just to raise my kids and work my job,“ said Del Mar. He described his start in public service as something he ”kind of got pulled into.”
The Republican worked his way from a city council member in Palatine, at 29-years-old, to co-chair of the Illinois GOP. Although he says he “wanted nothing to do with being on” Bailey’s campaign, Del Mar sees strength in unity — offering a Chicago area perspective alongside Bailey’s southern Illinois roots.
“How about everybody in the state of Illinois, regardless of where you come from, has a seat at the table. If you’re from a southeast farming community, or you’re from the city of Chicago, where I grew up, everybody has a stake in the game.”
Priorities
Mitchell points to economic development as his focus for the gubernatorial campaign.
“I see vacancies on State Street in Chicago. I see vacancies on Main Street in Belleville and Alton and in Carbondale,” he recounted. “I want to make sure that we’ve got the kind of amenities and economic development, that kind of affordability, that allow us to make sure that folks want to stay in the towns that they’re born in if they want to.”
The Democratic candidate also eyes long-term planning for the state, including an “Illinois 2050 Plan.”
“How do we have the kind of educational undergirding that means that no matter where you’re from, you have a chance to have one of those jobs, whether it’s in new agriculture technology and new farming techniques or biotech, quantum.”
When asked how to achieve these priorities, Mitchell turned to investing in public education, retaining residents with better wages and improving health care.
“Making sure that we are able to protect our health care system, so that folks aren’t going broke when they get sick, that’s another big way that we can make an impact.”
Del Mar outlined a cost-of-living focus as central to his campaign.
“You wanna succeed, you do the basics really well, and the basics are affordability,” he contended.
The Republican repeatedly highlighted the state’s property taxes — reportedly the highest in the nation — as an issue to tackle. He suggested redirecting Illinois’s budget as one measure to ease the burden on homeowners.
“Number one is fully funding the state’s portion of local taxes, because that will offer people property tax relief.” Del Mar clarified this wouldn’t mean redirecting funds for public education.
“We’re looking at how we fund schools, how we make sure to empower teachers to have the best educational outcomes that we can have here in Illinois, regardless of what your zip code is, regardless of what your parents do for a living or how much money they make,” added Del Mar.
Reflecting on Rockford
Each candidate provided their vision for boosting the Rockford region.
For Mitchell, improvements continue with infrastructure funding, building on the state’s roughly $500 million investment in the area.
“The things that we have already worked on, through the capital plan that I helped lead as deputy governor, that the governor signed and is implementing, are already having benefits that the people of Rockford can see.”
The Democrat also pointed to the Chicago Rockford International Airport as an opportunity.
“Investing in that regional airport where we’ve already helped with a matching grant to get additional funds, that helps build out the economy,” said Mitchell. “There’s so much that’s happening there that it is really good for the economy and bringing more people back to Rockford.”
Del Mar shared his local priority as supporting unionization in the area.
“Union families deserve to be able to have a livable wage, and that’s something that’s important to Darren and I,” said Del Mar. He mentioned pensions were another item that a Republican executive wouldn’t touch for the public and private sector unions.
“I know that area up there has strong union backbone,” described Del Mar. “We want to make sure they know that they’re not going to have a bigger supporter in the governor’s mansion than Darren and I.”
Election Day
When asked for thoughts on their opponent, Mitchell criticized the Bailey campaign as a “repacking” of his 2022 run.
“The only record that they have to run on is extremism,” he exclaimed.
The Republican candidate also reflected on records, pointing to Pritzker’s years in office.
“Why are we underfunding education? Why are property taxes at all-time high? Why are businesses leaving?” asked Del Mar.
Voters can decide on who will lead Illinois November 3. Early voting starts September 24, with applications for voting by mail opening August 5.
Extended Interviews
Copyright 2026 WIFR. All rights reserved.
ROCHESTER, Minn. (FOX 9) – A man from Illinois is facing felony charges after police say he took part in a scheme that convinced a Rochester resident to hand over thousands of dollars in cash and nearly fell for a gold bar handoff.
Rochester phone scam
What we know:
According to a criminal complaint filed in Olmsted County District Court, police say the victim was contacted by phone and told he was under investigation for a crime. The caller convinced him to deliver $30,000 in cash to a man he met in person on June 17, 2026.
The victim was then pressured to arrange a second delivery — this time, 10 one-ounce gold bars — on June 23, 2026. Detectives worked with the victim to set up a controlled delivery using fake gold bars and a GPS tracker.
Charges state that the plan was for the victim to meet whoever arrived to pick up the package, while officers watched nearby. Surveillance officers saw a white SUV with Illinois plates circling the parking lot at 2711 Commerce Drive NW in Rochester.
The complaint states a man, later identified as Kiranbhai Kanubhai Vasava, got out, met the victim, gave the password and took the package. Officers followed the car as it left the scene. Detectives stop suspects and recover cash
Why you should care:
Police stopped the SUV near Eyota and searched it, finding $50,000 in cash, several cell phones, bank checks with Vasava’s name, and packaging materials similar to those used for the fake gold bars. The package with the GPS tracker and fake gold was missing, but officers later found the GPS device torn apart on the side of the highway.
The second man in the car, Hemendrasinh Pravinsinh Dabhi, told police he got a call from India about a package but claimed he knew nothing about it, saying, “he just drives.” Vasava also denied knowing what was happening.
Kiranbhai Vasava linked to Wisconsin case
The backstory:
The complaint states detectives linked Vasava to another similar case in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, where a bank customer was convinced to hand over $50,000 in cash to a driver in a white Honda SUV. Video from that incident showed Vasava receiving the package.
Police say this type of swindle involves convincing victims they are under investigation and must pay money or hand over valuables to clear their name. Detectives say the investigation involved coordination between local police and law enforcement in Wisconsin.
The Source: Criminal charges filed in Olmsted County Court.
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