State News

Statewide: Burying young victims of gun violence

NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS | By Sean Crawford

Published February 2, 2023 at 3:23 PM CST

Angel figurines at cemetery — More than 30 years ago, Johnnie Haire, grounds supervisor at Sunset Gardens of Memory cemetery in Millstadt, Illinois, set up a birdbath and purchased angel figurines for a special garden for deceased children called "Baby Land." He carefully painted each angel a hue of brown. He says he wanted the angels to be Black, like many of the children laid to rest here.

In 2021, more than 47,000 people of all ages died from gunshot injuries, the highest U.S. toll since the early 1990s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This past year wasn't as deadly nationally, though the tally is still being finalized. Gun violence has become the leading cause of death among young people. Those whose job it is to bury the victims know that too well. We visit with the groundskeepers at Sunset Gardens in Millstadt, Illinois.

Also this week:

* The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released new rules regarding the Waters of the United States. JuanPablo Ramirez-Franco reports a legal fight could throw those rules into question.

* WCBU's Collin Schopp talks with scientists about a groundwater study of the Illinois River Basin.

* Peter Medlin has details on a pilot program at Northern Illinois University to bring virtual reality to classrooms.

UIUC student Sruthi Navneetha, part of SPOTLITE’s student research team, compiles data and scans news articles for police uses of lethal force.

* Eric Stock reports on a spat between two individuals on the same side of the gun rights issue.

* A conversation with U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth about national security, the debt ceiling, police reform and more.

* Maureen McKinney speaks with Scott Althaus of the University of Illinois about the SPOTLITE project, which includes a database tracking deadly force use by police in Illinois.

* Michael Puente of WBEZ braves the cold to interview hearty souls who recently took the polar plunge into Lake Michigan.