News

By Susan Stephens

Rockford, IL – A Chinese solar panel manufacturer sees a bright future in northern Illinois. The company cut the ribbon on its new Rockford plant last week while claiming a four million dollar federal grant. And now it's looking for ways to guarantee solar energy is the renewable energy of choice in the future. WNIJ's Susan Stephens reports.

By Diana Swanson

DeKalb – A jury has convicted Rod Blagojevich of lying to federal investigators. Prosecutors are likely to retry the former Governor. One thing is certain: Many Illinoisans will remember Blagojevich for the annual ethics training they must take. Commentator Diana Swanson has been thinking about this aspect of Blagojevich's legacy...and how it relates to our political choices. Swanson is a professor of Women's Studies and English at Northern Illinois University.

By Susan Stephens

DeKalb, IL – The jurors are beginning to talk, the defense promises an appeal, and federal prosecutors are preparing for a re-trial. Rod Blagojevich's corruption trial isn't ending with the jury's ruling of "guilty" on one count of lying to the FBI. There's also the long-term effect of the former governor's scandal on the people of Illinois. WNIJ's Susan Stephens reports.

Beloit, WI – The Beloit College Mindset List: Class of 2014
by Tom McBride and Ron Nief

Most students entering college for the first time this fall the Class of 2014 were born in 1992.

For these students, Benny Hill, Sam Kinison, Sam Walton, Burt Parks and Tony Perkins have always been dead.

1. Few in the class know how to write in cursive.

2. Email is just too slow, and they seldom if ever use snail mail.

3. "Go West, Young College Grad" has always implied "and don't stop until you get to Asia and learn Chinese along the way."

By Susan Stephens

Beloit, WI – A new crop of college freshmen is ready to hit the nation's campuses. And the Class of 2014 is the most technologically advanced yet. This "post-email generation" might be a little intimidating to professors who are still fumbling with on-line syllabi and electronic chalkboards. So that's where the authors of Beloit College's annual Mindset List come in. WNIJ's Susan Stephens spoke with them about their on-going project to help students and professors understand each other.