Progress Illinois

The closing date for the Fisk and Crawford coal-fired power plants was pushed forward to this September, which provides a sense of urgency for Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. The Crawford plant in Little Village was initially slated to close in December 2014, as set by a February agreement between Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and plant owner Midwest Generation.

“It’s a lot sooner than expected and it has me on my toes,” says Rafeal Hurtado, an organizer at the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, or LVEJO. “People are taking it more personal now, thinking, ‘Okay, this is really happening.’”

The rising costs of higher education could get a lot worse for Illinois students if Congress fails to keep interest rates on federally-subsidized Stafford loans from doubling by July, according to the findings of local advocacy group released Thursday.

Data from the Illinois Public Interest Group found that Illinois college students could be in debt by as much as $380 million a year if lawmakers do not renew a 2007 law that cut interest rates down from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent.