Beardstown
Edith Brady-Lunny with the cover of her book, The Unforgiven
Courtesy of Edith Brady-Lunny

The Tragedy At Clinton Lake Revisited; Beardstown Braces For The Census

Almost 16 years ago, three young children died after they were trapped in a car that went into Clinton Lake. Edith Brady-Lunny has been covering the story since that first night. We’ll speak with her about her new book, The Unforgiven. Also, local communities play a big part in the census. But this time, there’s a lot of fear about being counted. Today, we’ll focus on what this looks like in the central Illinois community of Beardstown.

U of I Urban and Regional Planning Professor Faranak Miraftab discusses her research of Beardstown at the University YMCA Friday.
Jeff Bossert/Illinois Public Media

UI Planning Prof: Immigrant Residents In Beardstown ‘Fearful’ Of Deportations

Recent deportation raids targeting undocumented immigrants around the country have raised concerns in the Illinois River community of Beardstown, where a local meatpacking plant has attracted many immigrant workers. University of Illinois planning professor Faranak Miraftab has made a study of Beardstown, and the JBS meatpacking plant there that employs workers from Mexico, West Africa and other places.

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