Author: Reporter

On a brisk day at a restaurant outside Chicago, Deb Robertson sat with her teenage grandson to talk about her death. She will probably miss his high school graduation. She declined the extended warranty on her car. Sometimes she wonders who will be at her funeral. Those things do not frighten her much. She did not cry when she learned two months ago that the cancerous tumors in her liver were spreading, portending a tormented death. But later, she received a call. A bill moving through the Illinois Legislature to allow certain terminally ill patients to end their own...

Measles outbreaks in the U.S. and abroad are raising concerns with health experts about the preventable, once-common childhood virus. One of the world’s most contagious diseases, measles can lead to potentially serious complications. The best defense, according to experts? Get vaccinated. Here is what to know about the year, so far, in measles. HOW MANY MEASLES CASES HAS THE U.S. SEEN THIS YEAR? Nationwide, measles cases already are nearly double the total for all of last year. The U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention documented 113 cases as of April 5. There have been seven outbreaks and most...

Federal energy regulators in May approved a long-awaited rule to make it easier to transmit renewable energy such as wind and solar power to the electric grid, a key part of President Joe Biden’s goal to eliminate carbon emissions economy-wide by 2050. The rule, under development for two years, is aimed at boosting the nation’s aging power grid to meet surging demand fueled by huge data centers, electrification of vehicles and buildings, artificial intelligence, and other uses. The increased demand comes as coal-fired power plants continue to be retired amid competition from natural gas, and other energy sources face...

On the south side of Chicago, students learn to work on Rivian electric pickup trucks and SUVs through a new technician program at Olive-Harvey College. About 150 miles south, students at Danville Area Community College in Illinois are taught to troubleshoot massive wind turbines dozens of meters tall, along with climbing and safety. In Albuquerque, students train on wiring and fixing solar panel installations through Central New Mexico Community College’s electrical trades courses. And in Boston, students study how to toughen homes and buildings against extreme temperatures at Roxbury Community College’s Center for Smart Building Technology. The focus is...