Madelyn Beck
Madelyn Beck is a regional Illinois reporter, based in Galesburg. On top of her work for Harvest Public Media, she also contributes to WVIK, Tri-States Public Radio and the Illinois Newsroom collaborative.
Beck grew up on a small cattle ranch in Manhattan, Montana. Her previous work was mostly based in the western U.S., but she has covered agriculture, environment and health issues from Alaska to Washington, D.C.
Before joining Harvest and the Illinois Newsroom, she was as an energy reporter based in Wyoming for the public radio collaborative Inside Energy. Other publications include the Idaho Mountain Express, E&E News/EnergyWire, KRBD Rainbird Radio, the Montana Broadcasters Association, Montana Public Radio and the Tioga Tribune.
-
There’s a false narrative that Native Americans are genetically predisposed to becoming addicted to alcohol. New research shows that simply believing it can be harmful. -
A new survey of several Mountain West states found that 85% of respondents are concerned about our Democracy. Research firm Morning Consult talked with nearly 1900 people. Most were also concerned about misinformation and expect more violence similar to what we saw on January 6.
-
The pandemic slowed food supply lines across the country as workers at major meat processing plants got sick. That meant more ranchers were turning to local butchers for processing, and consumers were turning to them for meat. But more business at local meat shops means less room to process wild game for hunters.
-
A new report shows that rental prices are cooling off for the first time in several months. Apartment List, which is a national rental marketplace, found that rental prices have started to stagnate, or in some cases, even drop. That’s normal for the fall months, but especially welcome in a year that’s had unprecedented increases in rents across the Mountain West.
-
The UN Climate Conference, also called COP 26, is underway in Glasgow, Scotland. The global discussion around climate change may affect Mountain West energy sources and trade in the long term.
-
Experts expect another wave of misinformation from anti-vaccine activists and conspiracy theorists with the FDA's approval of Pfizer's vaccine for kids aged 5 to 11. That could include misleading and graphic articles and videos claiming severe side effects intended to sow doubt.
-
Nationwide deaths related to black market fentanyl pills are rising. Many victims are people who got hooked on pain pills following medical procedures.
-
A Pew Research analysis of census data shows that growth in U.S. households during the last decade slowed to its lowest pace in history.
-
Wildfire season is winding down across much of the Mountain West as cold weather moves in. But it’s the perfect time to set controlled, or prescribed, fires to burn unwanted dead trees and underbrush that fuel larger wildfires.
-
Many institutions acknowledge that land they've built upon once belonged to Native peoples, but experts say some well-intentioned statements can actually do harm.
