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‘It’s scary’: SNAP recipients brace for fallout as benefits vanish during shutdown

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‘It’s scary’: SNAP recipients brace for fallout as benefits vanish during shutdown

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As the federal government shutdown drags into its second month, millions of low-income Americans – including thousands in Illinois – are now facing the cutoff of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, bracing for what lies ahead as food pantry lines grow longer by the day. 

For residents like Lisa Weaving of Springfield, the loss of food aid is more than a political standoff – it’s a looming crisis. 

“It’s scary because I’m a cancer survivor. I’m in remission. My doctor has not released me to go back to work yet, so I’m on disability, and I really need the extra for food, because by the time I pay all the bills, there’s really nothing left,” Weaving said. 

RETAIL GIANTS EXPAND PERKS FOR SNAP SHOPPERS, BUT WORKING FAMILIES LEFT BEHIND

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A volunteer reaches for food supplies at a pantry serving families who depend on SNAP benefits. (Olivianna Calmes/Fox News)

She said her apartment building houses veterans, seniors and others on disability. “The entire building right now is in an uproar because they don’t know where they’re going to get their food from. We have the bread line across the street, but that’s only one meal a day.” 

Weaving said many neighbors are turning to multiple pantries. “We have a pantry that’s open on Wednesdays from 12:30 to 3, and it’s once a month. You can get about 10 items per person. If you have kids, more. So it’s really a help for many, but their food doesn’t last an entire month. So you’re hopping from pantry to pantry.”

USDA data show that more than 41 million Americans use SNAP, with participation rates highest in New Mexico, Oregon and Louisiana. (USDA/Fox News)

At Washington Street Mission in Springfield, director Jarid Brown said demand in Central Illinois has surged sharply since benefits were frozen. “Yesterday I got a call from one of our churches who has a large food pantry, and they had twice the number of people there that night and actually cleaned everything out. If we double that number, it’s only going to last a few weeks. If we see triple that number come in, we’ll be cleaned out within a couple of weeks.”

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FEDERAL WORKERS BRACE FOR MISSED PAYCHECK AS SHUTDOWN ENTERS 5TH WEEK

“If you’re living in poverty, if you are in that lowest income, it’s hard enough to climb out of poverty as it is. But now you add in rising food prices and you add in rising utility prices. It makes it nearly impossible for anyone to get out of that hole,” Brown added. 

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides federal food aid to more than 40 million Americans each month. (Olivianna Calmes/Fox News)

“This is the first time it’s actually going to hit hard,” Weaving said. “And to think there are 42 million, they’re saying, that are going to be hungry in a place like Springfield. We do worry that the crime rate might go up because of this.”

SENATE GOP DIVIDED AS MILLIONS RISK LOSING FOOD AID IN SHUTDOWN STANDOFF

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“There are able bodies that may be abusing the system, but there are so many that need this,” Weaving said.

Brown worries about the pause in benefits. “The greatest impact that we’ve had with the budget shutdown is going to be the SNAP benefits being frozen off,” he said. “My hope is that for a minute we can set politics aside and think about what it’s going to take to reopen government and then address the issues that we’re separated on later. But holding individuals who need food assistance hostage for one or two issues, we’re holding service personnel hostage for over one or two issues, that’s not acceptable.”

Stocked shelves at Washington Street Mission’s food pantry in Springfield, Illinois, where staff say food pantries in the area are struggling to keep pace with rising demand. (Olivianna Calmes/Fox News)

Brown said that if people want to help, they should start locally – donating food or money directly to community organizations already serving those in need.  

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Illinois has joined other states in suing the federal government to compel the continuation of SNAP payments during the shutdown, arguing that state programs can’t fill the gap on their own. 

Olivianna Calmes is a multimedia reporter for Fox News, covering national and Midwest stories.

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Detroit, MI

“Moon tree” in Metro Detroit rediscovered following Artemis II mission

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“Moon tree” in Metro Detroit rediscovered following Artemis II mission




“Moon tree” in Metro Detroit rediscovered following Artemis II mission – CBS Detroit

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An unassuming tree in Ferndale’s Wilson Park has more history than any other in the area. What is called the “moon tree” all began with a deal between NASA and an elementary school that used to be in the Ferndale neighborhood.

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Milwaukee, WI

HAVE YOU SEEN HIM? Milwaukee police searching for critically missing person

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HAVE YOU SEEN HIM? Milwaukee police searching for critically missing person


Police say Smith was last seen near N. 38th St. and W. Fairmount Ave. on Milwaukee’s north side Friday at approximately 7:45 p.m.

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Milwaukee Police Department

have you seen him? milwaukee police searching for critically missing person

SOURCE: Milwaukee Police Department

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HAVE YOU SEEN HIM? Milwaukee police searching for critically missing person

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Police say Smith was last seen near N. 38th St. and W. Fairmount Ave. on Milwaukee’s north side Friday at approximately 7:45 p.m.

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Updated: 11:45 PM CDT Apr 10, 2026

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The Milwaukee Police Department needs your help finding Bobby Smith, who police say is critically missing.Police say Smith was last seen near N. 38th St. and W. Fairmount Ave. on Milwaukee’s north side Friday at approximately 7:45 p.m.Smith is 5’11” and weighs 140 pounds. Police say he was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, black pants, and black shoes.If anyone knows where Smith may be, they are asked to call MPD District 7 at 414-935-7272.

The Milwaukee Police Department needs your help finding Bobby Smith, who police say is critically missing.

Police say Smith was last seen near N. 38th St. and W. Fairmount Ave. on Milwaukee’s north side Friday at approximately 7:45 p.m.

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Smith is 5’11” and weighs 140 pounds. Police say he was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, black pants, and black shoes.

If anyone knows where Smith may be, they are asked to call MPD District 7 at 414-935-7272.

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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis crews rewire 700 streetlights with aluminum in effort to stop copper theft

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Minneapolis crews rewire 700 streetlights with aluminum in effort to stop copper theft



Minneapolis is shining brighter this spring. Crews have spent the last year fixing more than 700 broken streetlights.

For years, the sight of a dark streetlight was all too common in the city. Thieves stole the copper wire inside them for scrap metal money.

“It’s crazy. It just blows my mind,” Minneapolis resident Amanda Olson said.

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Scrappers, at one point, took out lights near Olson’s south Minneapolis home. She said the theft happened nearly six times.

Olson added that when the lights were out, cars on the street would be broken into. She said the safety concerns are why neighbors pushed for the lights to be turned back on as soon as possible.

City officials said, in total, they’ve swapped 700 lights from copper wiring to aluminum. Olson said she isn’t sold on the effort.

“If someone’s going to steal something, they’re going to steal it regardless of what kind of material it is. That’s just how I feel about it anyways,” she said.

Minneapolis leaders say most of the lights that have been replaced across the city are along parkways and that a small number still need to be fixed.

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