Blogs

Building Entrepreneurial Communities

What Lenders in the U.S. are saying about the Ag Economy

December 18, 2019

There is a lot of discussion surrounding the Agricultural Economy right now and its potential impact on both farmers and rural communities. In late summer 2019, the American Bankers Association and Farmer Mac collaborated on a survey. Over 450 bank managers, executives and Ag Lenders...

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Right of way raingarden view. Rendering by Gabriel Harper-Hagen

Street flooding? Your neighborhood right of way could be part of the solution

October 9, 2019

Many of us are willing to do something different with our front yards if it results in a positive environmental impact, according to a survey by the Extension CED Sustainable Communities team. We asked people about putting rain gardens in their right of ways. These are gardens, between the...

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Beyond Coal: Illinois is Just Getting Started

September 4, 2019

This is a repost from the Just Transition Fund. “Rural America will save us all,” according to Tim Michels, Energy Resources Group. Michels...

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Summer Interns Explore Stormwater Solutions

August 30, 2019

During the summer of 2019, the University of Illinois Extension Community and Economic Development team hosted two undergraduate Extension interns. Gabe Harper-Hagen and Rhea Bridgeland were funded through the Extension Internship Experience that pairs talented undergraduates with Extension...

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Bouncing Back From Disaster

July 3, 2019

Startling facts show that many local businesses and livelihoods will not recover from a catastrophe. It's not because they don't want to, it's because the task is huge. Planning to survive and being prepared go a long way towards improving the odds of re-opening and money flowing. Along with a...

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Bringing Sales Tax into the 21st Century: A Report on Remote Sales Tax

May 7, 2019

By Susan Odum, Extension Educator, Community Development and Planning In an October 2018 Report, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) outlined the complex issues surrounding taxation of remote sales, including Supreme Court rulings that set precedent on remote sales tax policy for...

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Reimagining Illinois’s Coal Communities

April 30, 2019

This summer, communities in Illinois with coal plants or mines will have a unique opportunity to imagine a future with alternative energy – to reimagine their communities after coal mining. The conference, Climate Economy in Southern Illinois...

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Illinois Main Street Tools for Success

April 19, 2019

Assessing Downtown Canton report represents a collaborative effort between Illinois Main Street, Canton Main Street, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and University of Illinois Extension. The assessment...

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Why you should care about natural resources in Illinois

April 17, 2019

You probably don't think Illinois has much to offer in the natural resource department. We don't have soaring mountains or endless oceans, but Illinois's natural resources probably impact your life more than you think. I am not going to argue with you about whether or not our sliver of Lake...

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Social Media for Small Businesses

April 1, 2019

By: Delayne Weston Are you curious about using social media to grow your business? According to sproutsocial, a social media software business, people are "57% more likely to buy from a brand they follow" on social media...

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