skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Wild Species Could Be Welcome in the Prairie State

play audio
Play

Tuesday, April 8, 2014   

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Hunting and habitat destruction forced wolves, black bears and mountain lions out of Illinois nearly 150 years ago, and as those animals make a slow comeback in the state, there are efforts being made to ensure their protection. The Senate Monday passed SB3049, which amends the Illinois Wildlife Code and adds those animals to the list of protected species. According to state Senator Linda Holmes, who wrote the legislation, those species should be allowed to live in Illinois if they want to.

"There's no reason why these animals shouldn't be able to come into Illinois and not be threatened if they're not threatening anybody," she said. "For the most part, there's very little human interaction with these animals. These animals want to avoid us as much as we want to avoid them."

Holmes said that since 2000 there have been a handful of sightings of cougars, bears and wolves in Illinois and they are the only North American mammals not currently listed as protected species in the state.

She said wolves, bears and lions are co-existing peacefully with humans in many other states, and cases of attacks are extremely rare.

"Around 90 people are killed by lightning each year," she pointed out. "So you have more to fear when you go outside of being struck by lightning than you do of running into any of these animals."

Some people and groups, including the Illinois Farm Bureau, voiced concerns about landowner rights, so Holmes said changes were made to the initial legislation.

"We added an amendment that allows the landowner or tenant to kill either the grey wolf, the black bear or the mountain lion if they are stalking or causing an imminent threat to humans, livestock, domestic animals or property," she said.

Additionally, under the legislation, the Department of Natural Resources could grant a nuisance permit to a landowner if an animal were causing a threat that was not an imminent danger.

Holmes' measure passed the Senate by a unanimous vote and now heads to the House.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021