Midwest
‘It’s scary’: SNAP recipients brace for fallout as benefits vanish during shutdown
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
SPRINGFIELD, IL – 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
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.”
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
“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.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
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.
Read the full article from Here
Illinois basketball got a big win on Thursday night, but the celebrating is now over, as VCU awaits.
The Illini looked incredible against Penn. This is exactly what I was hoping for, and now Illinois gets a chance to knock off another double-digit seed to advance to the Sweet 16.
VCU is clearly tough, though. They knocked off a talented North Carolina squad in the first round, and now they have even more confidence. Illinois has to be ready for a battle.
Here is the Illinois basketball vs VCU how to watch, series history, and players to watch
- Illinois basketball vs VCU – How to watch
Illinois moved on to the Round of 32, and the No. 3 seed will now face No. 11 VCU. This is a massive game that will decide which program moves on to the second weekend and the Sweet 16.
The Illinois vs VCU contest will take place on Saturday, March 21, at 6:50 p.m. CT/7:50 p.m. ET. We get the main channel, as CBS will televise the big matchup.
- Illinois basketball vs VCU – Series history
I want to say there is a long history between Illinois and VCU. These two teams have been around the basketball universe for a while, but there has only ever been one matchup.
Illinois and VCU played in Miami, Florida, back in December 2016. Led by some incredible defense, the Illini took out the Rams, 64-46.
So, what I am saying is that Illinois is undefeated against VCU.
- Illinois basketball vs VCU – Players to watch
I think the first player you have to recognize is Terrence Hill Jr. Illinois is familiar with getting to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament with a Terrance Shannon Jr., but it seems that Hill is just as electric.
In the game against North Carolina, Hill was going off. He can shoot from anywhere, and he has the stones to just lob shots up when you are least expecting it. For the season, he is averaging 14.9 points per game, but he showed up in a big way in the biggest spotlight against the Tar Heels, dropping 34 points and shooting 7-of-10 from three-point range.
I am interested in seeing how VCU’s big man, Lazar Djokovic, does against Illinois’ size. He stands at 6-foot-11, and I was impressed with Djokovic against North Carolina. This kid can play.
Illinois could give VCU some problems with our size. Throwing two 7-foot-1 or bigger players at them could cause problems. I think the Illini guard length will also be a bit of a shock.
I think David Mirkovic could feast once again. Djokovic might be wrapped up in guarding Tomislav Ivisic, so Mirkovic can bully his way into the paint. That might end up being the game plan on Saturday.
Affordable housing is limited in Hamilton County. Here’s why.
Jennifer Miller, HAND’s executive director, shows Home Place Gardens and speaks about the need for affordable housing in Carmel and Hamilton County.
Kelly Wilkinson, Indianapolis Star
At a time when “affordability” is the watchword in politics nationwide, recent data shows that Hoosiers faced more risk of losing their homes last month than residents in any other state.
Indiana reported the nation’s highest foreclosure filing rate in February, according to real estate data company ATTOM. What’s more, the Indianapolis region ranked among the worst-performing major metro areas.
The findings contradict the view of Indiana and the Indianapolis region as affordable havens where residents can more easily own homes. Experts say that home prices remain low compared with other states but have risen steeply since 2020, increasing property taxes. Upticks in other expenses like homeowners’ insurance and utilities, along with stagnant wage growth, have put an increasing number of Hoosiers at risk of losing their homes.
“This is a bad look for us in general, and it does indicate that our affordability problem is kind of reaching a crisis,” said Sara Coers, associate director of the Indiana University Center for Real Estate Studies. “We have a lower natural ceiling on what we can afford because of the wages that we receive here.”
What Indiana foreclosure data shows
Last month, about one in every 1,600 housing units in Indiana had a foreclosure filing, which means lenders took legal action against a homeowner who failed to keep up with their monthly mortgage payments. That foreclosure filing rate was the worst in the nation and more than twice as high as the average U.S. rate, the data shows.
The situation is even worse in the Indianapolis metropolitan area, which landed at No. 3 among metros with over 200,000 people with the worst foreclosure filing rates.
In the Indianapolis region, roughly one in every 1,250 housing units had a foreclosure filing — about three times worse than the national average. Evansville was the only other Indiana metro to make the list, right behind Indy at No. 4.
The problem isn’t new, but it’s growing worse. After falling between 2020 and 2021 thanks to pandemic relief programs, Indiana’s foreclosure filing rates have since rebounded. Throughout 2025, Indiana consistently ranked among the 10 worst states, according to the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana.
What’s behind the affordability crisis
Experts like Coers and FHCCI Executive Director Amy Nelson say the recent spike in foreclosure filings is in part due to rising escrow amounts — monthly payments for property expenses like taxes and homeowners’ insurance.
From 2019 to 2025, Indiana’s average escrow payment rose more than 50%, according to data analytics company Cotality. Today, about one-third of the money that Hoosier homeowners send to lenders each month goes toward those escrow costs, rather than paying down the home loan itself.
Beyond those property costs, residents are consistently spending more money on electricity bills, groceries and now gasoline, because of the war in Iran.
Higher costs especially strain residents in Indiana, a state where wage growth has lagged further behind the U.S. average in recent years, IU’s Indiana Business Research Center reports. More Hoosiers work lower-wage jobs in manufacturing or transportation than the national average, Coers said, and therefore they struggle to weather economic crises.
“Credit card usage is way up, savings rates are way down, and people just don’t have anything to back them up if things don’t go perfectly,” Coers said. “And if your expenses keep rising, but your wages are not keeping pace, it’s just really hard to stay abreast of your own household expenses.”
Households can often avoid foreclosure proceedings by being upfront about their financial struggles with lenders and finding alternate payment plans, said Trevor Meeks, chief consumer solutions officer for the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership. Instead of losing the home through foreclosure, they might be able to sell it to help cover housing costs while they recover.
He said he’s worked with local families who found themselves in financial crises after losing jobs or working reduced hours. He mentioned one single-parent household that was forced to choose between paying for their child’s college tuition and paying the mortgage.
“Our mortgage borrower made the very difficult decision to cover the cost of tuition themselves and jeopardized their ability to make the mortgage payment on time,” Meeks said.
How Indiana leaders are responding
Indiana lawmakers in both political parties have increasingly called affordability a top concern, including Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Braun.
In a March 19 interview with IndyStar, Braun noted that Hoosier homeowners will soon get some relief as his sweeping property tax reform law, Senate Enrolled Act 1, takes effect this year. Two-thirds of homeowners are projected to see a lower property tax bill in 2026 than last year, mainly through tax credits that will save households up to $300.
With policies like this year’s House Enrolled Act 1001, Republicans also took steps to reduce the cost and regulatory burden on homebuilders so they can build more housing to help ease prices, Braun said.
To tackle the other side of the issue and boost wages, the governor said he’s pushing the Indiana Economic Development Corp. to create 100,000 more high-wage jobs in agricultural and life sciences in Indiana over the next decade. He said the state will commit $1 billion to that goal.
Braun’s property tax reforms have been criticized for offering meager savings to homeowners while sapping revenue from local governments, likely forcing leaders to make cuts to services like education and infrastructure unless they impose higher income taxes.
But Braun said Indiana’s staggering foreclosure filing rate shows that households need relief and local governments need to make do with less.
“I think if local governments are complaining about revenues being too slim, well, that obviously would be something that’d be hard to square with the fact that property tax payers, specifically as it relates to homes, are having trouble making ends meet,” Braun said. “So that means something’s got to give in the middle.”
Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at JTSmith@indystar.com. Follow him on X @jordantsmith09 and Bluesky @jordanaccidentally.bsky.social.
Fairleigh Dickinson coach Stephanie Gaitley is headed back to where it began.
Three years ago, Gaitley’s first game on the sidelines for FDU was at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Caitlin Clark’s team torched the Knights by nearly 60 points.
“Our kids, kind of their eyes were in the headlights, so to speak,” Gaitley told The Post. “And they just kind of weren’t sure what was going to hit them with that sellout crowd.”
Gaitley doesn’t anticipate the same lopsided outcome Saturday when 15th-seeded FDU takes on second-seeded Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Sportsbooks favor the Hawkeyes by more than 30 points. But Gaitley views Saturday’s game as an opportunity to measure FDU’s monstrous growth over the past three seasons.
“Three years ago … we were a completely different team,” Gaitley said. “We’re going in with a different type of mentality right now because of the fact that we built what we built this year and I think the kids are going in with a lot of confidence. They know the task at hand is a difficult one, but they’re welcoming the opportunity and they have, as always, played with that chip on the shoulder.”
FDU experienced a lot of turnover from last year’s team, which went dancing for the first time in program history. Three of the Knights’ starters were seniors; another, Lilly Parke, suffered a torn ACL over the summer.
Sophomore Ava Renninger is the lone starter to return this season.
The Knights stumbled out of the gates, suffering back-to-back losses to Purdue and Notre Dame. Those defeats, while disappointing in the moment, ultimately helped FDU grow together.
Once NEC play came around, the Knights seemingly picked up where they left off.
FDU is starting to build a reputation as the NEC’s undisputed heavyweight champ. They haven’t lost a conference game in more than two years. They joined UConn in being the only Division I program to go undefeated in league play in back-to-back seasons.
Rennington, now a leader on the team, said this season “was even harder” than the last.
“Obviously, the 18-0 looks easy to everyone,” Rennington said. “It was a dogfight.”
There’s a mentality switch for teams such as FDU heading into March Madness. For the majority of the season, the Knights shouldered the pressure of being the team to beat in their conference. They were the vanquishers, the ones expected to win every game.
Come Saturday, FDU is freed of those expectations.
“It’s kind of a pressure cooker when you’re building up from winning 18-0 and then you got to win three more against three teams that you’ve already beaten twice,” Gaitley said. “And so I think this is kind of a relief, switching that role of being the Goliath to being the David.”
This is the second consecutive season FDU is headed to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, the Knights, then a 15 seed, were blown out by second-seeded TCU in the Round of 64.
Rennington remembered being “shell-shocked” last year. FDU was just happy to be included in the NCAA Tournament.
The excitement is still there this time around, but there’s also an eagerness to surprise some people.
Iowa enters March Madness coming off a 51-point loss to UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament’s championship game.
The Hawkeyes’ size could be a problem for FDU.
Iowa boasts a dominant frontcourt, anchored by sophomore center Ava Heiden (17.4 points and 7.3 rebounds) and senior forward Hannah Stuelke (13.4 points and 8.5 rebounds). They’re surrounded by steady shooters, including Chazadi Wright, who’s converting on 45.2 percent of attempts from deep.
But FDU is scrappy, confident and playing freely — a dangerous combination in March.
“We want to show them how good we are,” Rennington said. “A lot of people obviously are going to see us as an underdog, as a 15 seed, and I prefer that perspective than a Goliath because they’re not expecting you to come out. They’re like, ‘Oh, you’re a good team,’ but, like, as an underdog, you can come out and shock a lot of people by coming out and playing Iowa really well.”
“Our kids, they’re fighters,” Gaitley said. “I don’t think these kids are afraid at all. I think they’re just excited about the opportunity.”
SB Nation Reacts: Arizona men’s basketball fans expecting deep NCAA Tournament run
Arkansas Razorbacks play the High Point Panthers in second round
Uber and Rivian plan to bring robotaxis to California
Where to watch Michigan State vs. Colorado State in March Madness First Round: Time, TV Channel
SCORE Events And Webinars For Western Connecticut
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Meet the longtime biz partner of Ilhan Omar’s husband as questions swirl over her skyrocketing net worth
‘Nobody can blackmail us’: Leaders excoriate Orbán’s veto
Trump is dismantling democracy at ‘unprecedented’ speed, global report finds
4 House Dems vote against Women’s History Museum bill over biological women-only amendment, Republican claims
Iran attacks cut 17% of Qatar’s LNG capacity for up to 5 years: QatarEnergy
-
Oklahoma6 days agoFamily rallies around Oklahoma father after head-on crash
-
Detroit, MI1 day agoDrummer Brian Pastoria, longtime Detroit music advocate, dies at 68
-
Nebraska1 week agoWildfire forces immediate evacuation order for Farnam residents
-
Georgia4 days agoHow ICE plans for a detention warehouse pushed a Georgia town to fight back | CNN Politics
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMassachusetts community colleges to launch apprenticeship degree programs – The Boston Globe
-
Alaska5 days agoPolice looking for man considered ‘armed and dangerous’
-
Colorado1 week ago‘It’s Not a Penalty’: Bednar Rips Officials For MacKinnon Ejection | Colorado Hockey Now
-
Southwest1 week agoTalarico reportedly knew Colbert interview wouldn’t air on TV before he left to film it