SEJ
Published on SEJ (https://www.sej.org)

Home > National (U.S.) > Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI)

Prize Winner Spurs Policy Change on Illinois PFAS Contamination [1]

When Illinois downplayed the results of long-delayed PFAS testing in the state’s public water supply, Chicago Tribune reporter Michael Hawthorne revisited a story he had first covered two decades before. His investigation uncovered dangerous practices threatening public health, won him accolades and moved the needle on state policy. How he went about it, in the new Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Inside Story [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Agriculture [3]
Chemicals [4]
Environmental Justice [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Environmental Studies [7]
Food [8]
Government [9]
Health [10]
Journalism & Media [11]
Policy [12]
Pollution [13]
Science [14]
Waste [15]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [17]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [18]
Visibility: 
Public [19]
  • Read more about Prize Winner Spurs Policy Change on Illinois PFAS Contamination [1]

Researchers In Lab Near Lake Erie Study How Toxic Algae Can Damage Health [20]

"Steven Haller remembers the look of fear on people’s faces when toxic algae in Lake Erie made it into his community’s water supply 10 years ago, shutting it down for two days."

Agriculture [3]
Biodiversity [21]
Consumer [22]
Disasters [23]
Environmental Health [24]
Fish & Fisheries [25]
Natural Resources [26]
Pollution [13]
Water & Oceans [16]
Public [19]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [18]
Source: AP [27], 10/23/2024
  • Read more about Researchers In Lab Near Lake Erie Study How Toxic Algae Can Damage Health [20]

On Iowa Border, the Mississippi River Is Eroding Sacred Indigenous Mounds [28]

"A multimillion-dollar bank stabilization project proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could protect one of the densest collections of ceremonial and burial mounds still existing in North America."

Infrastructure [29]
Laws & Regulations [30]
Natural Resources [26]
People & Population [31]
Water & Oceans [16]
Public [19]
National (U.S.) [17]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [18]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [32]
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [33], 10/21/2024
  • Read more about On Iowa Border, the Mississippi River Is Eroding Sacred Indigenous Mounds [28]

The Fate Of Thousands Of U.S. Rural Dams Hangs In The Balance [34]

"Dams across the country are aging and facing intensifying floods wrought by climate change. But the price tag to fix what’s broken is estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars."

Climate Change [35]
Disasters [23]
Infrastructure [29]
Water & Oceans [16]
Public [19]
National (U.S.) [17]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [18]
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [36], 10/15/2024
  • Read more about The Fate Of Thousands Of U.S. Rural Dams Hangs In The Balance [34]

Wisconsin Estimates Around 40 Percent Of Private Wells Contain Pesticides [37]

"The state estimates one or more pesticides are found in around 43 percent of 800,000 private wells in Wisconsin, and more than half of the pesticides detected aren’t regulated in groundwater by the state or federal governments."

Agriculture [3]
Chemicals [4]
Environmental Health [24]
Infrastructure [29]
Pollution [13]
Water & Oceans [16]
Public [19]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [18]
Source: Wisconsin Public Radio [38], 10/11/2024
  • Read more about Wisconsin Estimates Around 40 Percent Of Private Wells Contain Pesticides [37]

Fossil Interests And Hometown Newspaper Work To Kill Solar In Ohio County [39]

"A retired gas industry executive, a shadowy 'grassroots' group and a controversial media company are spreading misinformation while turning residents against a proposed solar farm — and each other"

Climate Change [35]
Energy & Fuel [40]
Environmental Politics [6]
Journalism & Media [11]
Laws & Regulations [30]
Public [19]
National (U.S.) [17]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [18]
Source: Floodlight [41], 10/09/2024
  • Read more about Fossil Interests And Hometown Newspaper Work To Kill Solar In Ohio County [39]

Public Records Bring Independent Reporting to the Next Level [42]

Freelancers may worry they don’t have time to chase down government documents. But if you’re looking for tools to help get your hands on public records, help is on the way. In the new Freelance Files, MuckRock’s Dillon Bergin offers a step-by-step guide to filing document requests, organizing and analyzing your documents and joining the FOIA community. Get started [42].

SEJ Publication Types: 
Freelance Files [43]
Topics on the Beat: 
Air [44]
Government [9]
Journalism & Media [11]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [45]
Pollution [13]
Water & Oceans [16]
Wildlife [46]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [17]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [18]
Visibility: 
Public [19]
  • Read more about Public Records Bring Independent Reporting to the Next Level [42]

Residents Not Told When Carbon Capture Monitoring Well Leaks in Illinois [47]

"On Sept. 13, Decatur, Illinois, city councilperson David Horn found out a monitoring well at a carbon capture and storage site in his community was leaking. He did not find out through an internal council meeting, nor an emergency phone call from the city manager or an alert from environmental regulators. He found out like most other people did, through an article in E&E News."

Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [35]
Environmental Health [24]
Environmental Politics [6]
Journalism & Media [11]
Laws & Regulations [30]
Pollution [13]
Public [19]
National (U.S.) [17]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [18]
Source: Inside Climate News [48], 10/04/2024
  • Read more about Residents Not Told When Carbon Capture Monitoring Well Leaks in Illinois [47]

"US Closes $1.52 Billion Loan To Resurrect Michigan Nuclear Plant" [49]

"The U.S. on Monday said it closed a $1.52 billion loan to resurrect Holtec's Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan, and a senior Biden administration official said it could take two years to reopen the plant, which is longer than the company predicted."

Energy & Fuel [40]
Laws & Regulations [30]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [45]
Public [19]
National (U.S.) [17]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [18]
Source: Reuters [50], 10/01/2024
  • Read more about "US Closes $1.52 Billion Loan To Resurrect Michigan Nuclear Plant" [49]

In Ohio, Drought And Climate Change Affect Native Pawpaw Fruit [51]

"Stubborn drought in Ohio and the shifting weather patterns influenced by climate change appear to be affecting North America’s largest native fruit: the pawpaw."

Biodiversity [21]
Climate Change [35]
Food [8]
Natural Resources [26]
Public [19]
National (U.S.) [17]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [18]
Source: AP [52], 09/27/2024
  • Read more about In Ohio, Drought And Climate Change Affect Native Pawpaw Fruit [51]

Pages

  • « first [18]
  • ‹ previous [53]
  • …
  • 13 [54]
  • 14 [55]
  • 15 [56]
  • 16 [53]
  • 17
  • 18 [57]
  • 19 [58]
  • 20 [59]
  • 21 [60]
  • …
  • next › [57]
  • last » [61]
  • Contact Us  |
  • Donate  |
  • Join  |
  • Members  |
  • Privacy & Security Policies  |
  • Reach SEJ Members  |
  • Renew  |
  • Site Map
The Society of Environmental Journalists
1629 K Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006
Telephone: (202) 558-2055
Email: sej@sej.org
© 2026 The Society of Environmental Journalists. All Rights Reserved.
All graphics © SEJ, unless otherwise stated.

Source URL:https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=16

Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/inside-story/prize-winner-spurs-policy-change-illinois-pfas-contamination [2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/inside-story [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-justice [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmentalists [8] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/food [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health [11] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [12] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/policy [13] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [14] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [15] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/waste [16] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [17] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [18] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes [19] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [20] https://www.sej.org/headlines/researchers-lab-near-lake-erie-study-how-toxic-algae-can-damage-health [21] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/biodiversity-1 [22] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [24] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [25] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/fisheries [26] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [27] https://apnews.com/article/algae-blooms-lake-erie-ohio-toxic-research-46c619290204edb55174d8de291462b6 [28] https://www.sej.org/headlines/iowa-border-mississippi-river-eroding-sacred-indigenous-mounds [29] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/infrastructure [30] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [31] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [32] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-plains [33] https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2024/10/14/mississippi-river-eroding-indigenous-mounds-on-wisconsin-iowa-border/75555912007/ [34] https://www.sej.org/headlines/fate-thousands-us-rural-dams-hangs-balance [35] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [36] https://grist.org/politics/the-fate-of-thousands-of-u-s-dams-hangs-in-the-balance-leaving-rural-communities-with-hard-choices/ [37] https://www.sej.org/headlines/wisconsin-estimates-around-40-percent-private-wells-contain-pesticides [38] https://www.wpr.org/news/wisconsin-estimates-40-percent-private-wells-contain-pesticides [39] https://www.sej.org/headlines/fossil-interests-and-hometown-newspaper-work-kill-solar-ohio-county [40] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [41] https://floodlightnews.org/fossil-fuel-interests-solar-ohio/ [42] https://www.sej.org/publications/freelance-files/public-records-bring-independent-reporting-next-level [43] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/freelance-files [44] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [45] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/nuclear-power/radiation [46] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife [47] https://www.sej.org/headlines/residents-not-told-when-carbon-capture-monitoring-well-leaks-illinois [48] https://insideclimatenews.org/news/03102024/illinois-carbon-capture-monitoring-well-leak/ [49] https://www.sej.org/headlines/us-closes-152-billion-loan-resurrect-michigan-nuclear-plant [50] https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-closes-152-billion-loan-resurrect-michigan-nuclear-plant-2024-09-30/ [51] https://www.sej.org/headlines/ohio-drought-and-climate-change-affect-native-pawpaw-fruit [52] https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-pawpaw-ohio-midwest-harvest-drought-spring-freeze-c060f2ca0ff9a110db922342a7c81ed3 [53] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=15 [54] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=12 [55] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=13 [56] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=14 [57] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=17 [58] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=18 [59] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=19 [60] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=20 [61] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes?page=144