Kari Lydersen

Chicago

Writer at Freelance

Freelance Writer at Energy News Network

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Articles

From EVs to HVAC, clean energy means jobs in Central Illinois

1 week ago | floodlightnews.org | Kari Lydersen

This story was originally published by Canary Media, and is part of the Rural News Network's Powering Rural Futures series. DECATUR, ILLINOIS — A fistfight at a high school football game nearly defined Shawn Honorable’s life. It was 1999 when he and a group of teen boys were expelled and faced criminal charges over the incident. The story of the “Decatur Seven” drew national headlines and protests led by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who framed their harsh treatment as blatant racism.
Clean energy workforce training hub a ‘gamechanger’ in this struggling factor town

1 week ago | hechingerreport.org | Kari Lydersen

Decatur, Illinois, has been losing factory jobs for years. A training program at a local community college promises renewal and provides training for students from disenfranchised communities This story is part ofa collaborationbetween the Institute for Nonprofit News’ Rural News NetworkandCanary Media,South Dakota News Watch, Cardinal News,The Mendocino VoiceandThe Maine Monitor, with support from Ascendium Education Group. It is reprinted with permission. DECATUR, IL.
Clean energy workforce training hub a ‘gamechanger’ in this struggling factor town

1 week ago | miamiherald.com | Kari Lydersen

Decatur, Illinois, has been losing factory jobs for years. A training program at a local community college promises renewal and provides training for students from disenfranchised communitiesThis story is part ofa collaborationbetween the Institute for Nonprofit News' Rural News NetworkandCanary Media,South Dakota News Watch, Cardinal News,The Mendocino VoiceandThe Maine Monitor, with support from Ascendium Education Group. It is reprinted with permission. DECATUR, IL.
Clean Energy Workforce Hub a ‘Game Changer’ in This Struggling Factory Town

2 weeks ago | barnraisingmedia.com | Kari Lydersen

Honorable, now 41, was encouraged by support “from around the world,” but he says the incident was traumatizing and he continued to struggle academically and socially. Over the years, he dabbled in illegal activity and was incarcerated, most recently after a 2017 conviction for accepting a large amount of marijuana sent through the mail.
From EVs to HVAC, clean energy means jobs in Central Illinois

2 weeks ago | canarymedia.com | Kari Lydersen

This article is part of a series about rural clean energy employment. Read more. Decatur has been losing factory jobs for years. A clean energy workforce hub promises renewal — and provides training for students from disenfranchised communities. Powering Rural Futures: Clean energy is creating new jobs in rural America, generating opportunities for people who install solar panels, build wind turbines, weatherize homes, and more.
llinois’ grid needs batteries. Can the legislature deliver?

3 weeks ago | canarymedia.com | Kari Lydersen

State leaders are deliberating how to bring more energy storage online. But the clock is ticking to pass a pivotal bill as the legislative session nears its end. Illinois’s ambitious clean energy transition, which mandates a phaseout of fossil-fuel power by 2045, depends on adding large amounts of energy storage to the grid. This is especially true now with the proliferation of data centers.
llinois’ grid needs batteries. Can the legislature deliver?

3 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Kari Lydersen

Illinois’s ambitious clean energy transition, which mandates a phaseout of fossil-fuel power by 2045, depends on adding large amounts of energy storage to the grid. This is especially true now with the proliferation of data centers. Utility-scale battery installations will be key to ensuring that renewables — along with the state’s existing nuclear fleet — can meet electricity demand.
Largest solar farm east of the Mississippi provides more than just…

1 month ago | canarymedia.com | Kari Lydersen

The project helps Chicago and one of its universities meet climate goals, but it will also be a case study for researchers examining the impacts of large-scale solar. The largest solar farm east of the Mississippi River now provides 100% of the electricity powering Loyola University in Chicago, and starting next fall the solar array will also be part of the university’s lesson plans.
Chicago Teachers Union secures clean energy wins in new contract

1 month ago | canarymedia.com | Kari Lydersen

The contract requires the district to update its climate action plan, create clean energy job training programs, and install more heat pumps and solar panels. The Chicago Teachers Union expects its new, hard-fought contract to help drive clean energy investments and train the next generation of clean energy workers, even as the Trump administration attacks such priorities.
Against Trump, For the Common Good: What Chicago Teachers Won in Their Latest Contract

1 month ago | inthesetimes.com | Kari Lydersen

Last week, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) membership voted overwhelmingly to approve a new contract following nearly a year of negotiations that were at times contentious with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The four-year contract represents a direct rebuke to the Trump administration’s attacks on academic freedom and immigrants, enshrining protections that the union began fighting for months before President Trump was elected.