Julia Rendleman
“All Our Future Money Is Gone”: The Impossible Task of Providing Child Care in Rural Illinois
Though the governor promised to make Illinois “the best state” to raise young children, child care continues to disappear. And, as one couple learned, there’s almost no help for those building a child care facility from the ground up.
by Molly Parker, Capitol News Illinois, and Julia Rendleman for ProPublica, photography by Julia Rendleman for ProPublica,
Local Reporting Network
The Government Spends Millions to Open Grocery Stores in Food Deserts. The Real Test Is Their Survival.
The community of Cairo, Illinois, once a food desert, welcomed its new market last year with balloons and cheers. But the store is struggling — exposing problems with the programs set up to help.
by Molly Parker, Capitol News Illinois, photography by Julia Rendleman,
Local Reporting Network