News Releases

Know your health insurance options if you lose your job
URBANA, Ill. - With businesses shutting down temporarily or scaling back staff, employees should consider the impact of layoffs on their health insurance coverage before their existing coverage ends to ensure there are no gaps in your coverage. "Health care coverage is critical during...
Produce farms provided COVID-19 disinfecting guidelines
New FDA food safety guidelines require local farmers to review and adapt their current food safety practices. "There has never been a more important time to review food contact surfaces and high touch surface cleaning, sanitization, and disinfection procedures," says Zach Grant,...
4-H Videos Offer Exciting Challenges
University of Illinois Extension 4-H Youth educators Katrina Galati and Rachel Hazen have created a series of exciting and fun challenges and experiments for youth to participate in. The videos are 2 – 5 minutes long and...
How Can Parents Help Children Cope with COVID-19 Disruptions?
Parents often believe that children are either too young to be aware of what’s going on or that talking about the pandemic will upset them needlessly. Should parents initiate conversations or take cues from their children about whether to discuss the coronavirus and why...
Protecting Pollinators When Using Pesticides
Spring is a time for pollinators like honeybees, native bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and moths to begin to visit our landscape flowers. At the same time, we also have nuisance pests emerging. In order to allow pollinators to continue to do their job and to control pests we should consider a...
Are murder hornets here in Illinois; not likely
URBANA, Ill. - There has been a recent surge of interest in an invasive insect pest, the Asian Giant Hornet (AGH), or Vespa mandarinia. AGHs are the largest hornets in the world and are identifiable by their size and distinct bright yellow or orange heads. While well known for their large...
Extension Webinars Offered May 11 to May 22
Extension webinars offered May 11 to May 22 University of Illinois Extension helps individuals, families, farmers, businesses, and communities solve local problems to improve lives of...
Let's Talk Money webinars encourage financial dialogue
When it comes to talking about money, a lack of financial knowledge and the uneasiness of discussing sensitive issues keeps some people silent and risks the financial health of many families. Let's Talk Money is a free 8-week online series offered by...
Beginning Vegetable Gardening Webinar - May 15
Are you interested in learning more about starting a vegetable garden?  Join University of Illinois Extension Educator Grace Margherio on Friday, May 15 at 11:30 a.m. to discover how to have a productive home vegetable garden.  The program will discuss selecting a garden site, testing...
University of Illinois Extension offers Horticulture Webinars
University of Illinois Extension is offering a series for Horticulture Webinars that you can listen to from home. Upcoming topics will include: New Perennial Garden Theory —May 12 at 1:30 pm Creating a Pollinator Garden for Small Spaces —May 19 at 1:30 pm Illinois Monarch...
Change the way you see salad: meals, sides and desserts
Celebrate National Salad Month with Tips from U of I Extension Whether it’s your main entrée, side dish or even dessert, salads can be an easy, nourishing staple in your household’s meal plan. “For many people, salads may not seem exciting or enticing,” says...
Familiar tale: Victims of emerald ash borer and other exotic pests
URBANA, Ill. – The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) has plagued native ash trees in Illinois since 2006.  This pest was first introduced in 2002 around the Detroit area and rapidly spread across Michigan and Indiana to infect most of Illinois today....