Most people in Illinois either have been affected directly or know someone who’s been affected by the state’s nearly year-long budget impasse. But it can be hard to conceptualize the total impact on the state. Melissa Heil is a graduate student in geography at the University of Illinois Urbana campus. Heil created an “Illinois Atlas of Austerity” website to help people get an idea of the total impact of the budget impasse. Illinois Public Radio’s Brian Moline spoke with Melissa Heil about her website and how she came up with the idea.
Credit Melissa Heil