Spills of pig waste kill hundreds of thousands of fish in Illinois
Walking the Iroquois County streams his family had fished for decades, Leland Ponton was nearly brought to his knees by the stench of Beaver Creek. "It looked like ink, the...
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Whipped, kicked, beaten: Illinois workers describe abuse of hogs
Weeks after taking a job as a breeding technician at Eagle Point Farms, an anguished Sharee Santorineos sat down and wrote a three-page whistleblower complaint. "I seen pigs that are...
Sen. Dick Durbin urges stronger oversight of Illinois hog farming
Illinois must do more to protect livestock animals from abuse and mistreatment inside the large confinement facilities where they are raised for slaughter, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin told the Tribune...
The price of pork: Cheap meat comes at high cost in Illinois
When the sickening odor swept across Matt Heissinger's farmstead, his daughter would sprint from their home to the car. Clinging to the girl's clothes and hair, the smell drove her...
Pork industry, activists debate cruelty recorded in undercover videos
Undercover videos by animal welfare activists have documented the cruelty that can occur inside America's large hog confinements — facilities that are off-limits to the public and largely unregulated by...
Pork producers defend gestation crates, but consumers demand change
With a gentle, expert touch, pork industry executive Phil Borgic inspects the sow in the tight metal crate. For almost her entire life, iron bars will hold this mother pig...
Illinois road commissioner took on hog industry and won – for a brief time
For years, pork producers have been opening immense hog confinements in Illinois despite the objections of local residents and public officials concerned the operations would destroy their way of life....
Hog waste spills damage Illinois waterways
Holding thousands of pigs at a time, modern livestock confinements are designed to store millions of gallons of manure, then apply the waste as fertilizer to nearby farmland. But pollution...
Humane pork? Breaking down store labels
Public opinion research shows consumers overwhelmingly care about the handling of hogs and other livestock and will pay more for the assurance of humane treatment. But the labels on supermarket...
Illinois telemarketer misled charity donors, state lawsuit says
A for-profit Chicago telemarketer misled the public as it raised millions of dollars for charities and should no longer be allowed to solicit for Illinois nonprofits, state Attorney General Lisa...