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WSIU's Jennifer Fuller talks with Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Director John Shaw about the new program for up-and-coming leaders

WSIU's Jennifer Fuller talks with Dan Mahony ahead of the SIU Board of Trustees meeting on the Carbondale campus

WSIU's Jennifer Fuller talks with Carbondale Author Treesong about his new book, "All The Climate Feels."

You can find more information at https://treesong.org/.

The pilot, clad in a blue windbreaker, recently pulled his single-engine, four-seater prop plane onto the tarmac of a small municipal airport.

The airport sits in a state where abortion is now banned in virtually all cases. But a short flight away in Kansas, abortion remains legal. That has launched a wave of travel from across the South and Midwest in pursuit of pills and procedures that used to be legal all across the U.S..

Michael is part of a growing group of pilots of small private planes who have begun ferrying people across state lines to get abortions and gender-affirming medical care, even if it means flouting local restrictions. They're volunteers with Elevated Access, an Illinois-based group that coordinates the flights. NPR agreed to use his first name only due to the potential for harassment and legal action.

The flights, which are free to passengers, spare people seeking this medical care from the delays and costs that go along with commercial flights or travel by bus or car. And it allows them to travel anonymously and leave no paper trail, by skipping security at commercial airports.

"There are tons of little airports like this dotted all over," Michael said. "I try to avoid the big airports. Usually, we fly into one that's closer to where they live."

The pilots donate their time and the use of their planes. Most also cover the cost of fuel, because private pilots can't legally be compensated for flying. (Elevated Access is trying to get an exemption that would allow the organization to reimburse fuel costs.)

Recently, Michael took a woman back home to the Deep South after an appointment at a Kansas clinic. He loves to fly — he also does volunteer flights for an animal rescue group and he jumps at the chance to take his family and friends up in the sky. But an Elevated Access flight feels different, Michael said.

"It's maybe not the best time in a particular person's life, or they're going through a sensitive thing," he said. "So I treat that with a lot of reverence."

Only a handful of people in Michael's life know he's part of the budding network of people helping women get abortions that have suddenly become illegal in their home states. He says some members of his family and some of his pilot friends oppose abortion. That's, perhaps, not surprising — pilots tend to be more conservative than Americans generally. Fewer than 10% are women.

Soon after Roe v. Wade was overturned last summer and Elevated Access was launched, Michael posted a link to the organization in an online pilot forum. The blowback came immediately.

"It was obviously a polarizing thing to have shared," he said. "I'm glad I made quite a few pilots aware of it, even if it raised some ire." Still, the angry response has made him less likely to talk about his involvement with the group, he said.

For pilots like Michael, most of whom have day jobs, the flights offer a chance to keep their flying skills sharp while supporting a cause they believe in.

But for people trying to get to an abortion appointment several states away — maybe with just a few days' notice — the private flights can be life-changing.

They can turn a multi-day drive into just a couple of hours, or make flying much simpler by cutting out a trip to the nearest commercial airport which could be hours away.

And Elevated Access lets the passengers remain virtually anonymous. Pilots are only given the passenger's first name and weight (to avoid exceeding a small aircraft's weight limits).

"We don't check ID because that's not part of private aviation," said the founder of Elevated Access, who goes by Mike, and also asked that we not use his last name because he's concerned about possible legal risk or online harassment. "There's no ticketing or TSA or anything like that. If somebody feels like they need to use a fake first name, they can definitely do that."

Pilots are instructed not to ask passengers why they're traveling. That relieves passengers of any pressure to explain or justify the services they're seeking, and also gives the pilots plausible deniability in the face of potential legal threats. Some states are considering prosecuting those who help people get abortions, and Texas has already made them liable to lawsuits.

No existing laws specifically target interstate travel, although Idaho could soon make it a crime to help a minor travel out of state for an abortion without parental consent. Still, legal experts say flying for Elevated Access could involve some legal risk.

"You could see an aggressive prosecutor trying to say, under the current laws, that, 'We are going to charge this pilot with being an accessory to murder or an accessory to abortion,' " said David Cohen, a law professor at Drexel University. "We haven't seen prosecutors try that yet. But there's good reason to believe that's on the horizon."

Rachel Rebouché, dean of the Temple University Beasley School of Law, said there's also a possibility that federal officials could place restrictions on abortion-related travel in U.S. airspace.

"This current administration would not try to use federal aviation powers to penalize people who are flying rather than driving," she said. "But in years to come, depending on who's elected, an anti-abortion administration could try to do that."

Elevated Access has completed "dozens and dozens" of flights and is growing rapidly, Mike said. More than 200 pilots have been vetted and more than 1,000 have expressed interest.

"We don't share our full numbers because we don't want to become a target," Mike, the group's founder said.

The flights represent only a tiny part of the abortion-related travel that has accelerated since last summer, when some states began enforcing abortion bans.

However, it's a window into the increasingly unconventional tactics of the underground groups that are working to keep abortion accessible to people across the country.

Abortion rights organizations are striving to be nimble in the face of legal uncertainty, Rebouché said.

"The threat of passing a law can itself chill behavior — or incite people to organize in different ways," she said. "It's an interesting dynamic, how this push-pull of potential policy is shaping both care [and] advocacy strategies."

Elevated Access typically works with partner groups to coordinate flights, usually after other options have been exhausted — if a patient isn't old enough to rent a car, for example, or if their commercial flight was canceled.

Mike says the idea for Elevated Access arose out of his experience volunteering with another organization, Midwest Access Coalition, which helps people coordinate and pay for abortion-related travel.

"I wanted to learn about abortion access because I thought pilots might be able to help," Mike said.

Alison Dreith, Midwest Action Coalition's director of strategic partnerships, said she's connected several clients with Elevated Access. Most have low incomes and some have never flown before.

The organization's first official passenger flew from Oklahoma to get an abortion in Kansas City, Kan., last summer.

"She was a bit nervous about flying," said Dreith. "But the pilot was able to walk out into the parking lot and walk her directly onto the airfield. It really feels like a V.I.P. experience."

Dreith said the flights prove particularly useful for people who don't have the documents needed to fly commercially. That group could include undocumented immigrants — or people escaping abuse, such as one of her recent clients, who contacted Midwest Access Coalition in December for help getting an abortion.

"She was in a domestic violence situation where her abusive partner had destroyed her ID and birth certificate," Dreith said.

Dreith initially traveled to North Carolina to help the woman get safely away from the abusive partner and to a nearby clinic that provides abortions. The woman thought she was around 16 weeks pregnant — so still legally eligible for an abortion under the state's 20-week limit — but wasn't certain because her partner hadn't allowed her to get an ultrasound or any prenatal care.

When she got to the clinic, the woman learned she was just past the state's limit. That's when Dreith contacted the staff at Elevated Access, who organized a flight to the St. Louis area, where the woman was originally from.

After crossing the Missouri state line into Illinois, the woman was able to get an abortion. She also sought help from a domestic violence group and is now living on her own.

"She had been suicidal because she thought she was never going to get out of her situation," Dreith said. "I don't even have the superlatives to describe how thankful she was."

Rose Conlon reports on health for KMUW and the Kansas News Service. She's on Twitter at @rosebconlon.

This story was produced by the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, KMUW, Kansas Public Radio and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy.

Copyright 2023 KMUW | NPR for Wichita

WSIU's Jennifer Fuller talks with Director Angela Schultz about the SIU Sondheim Tribute Revue

In Jackson County, Michael C. Batinski, author and professor emeritus of history at SIU Carbondale, will host three presentations that examine the forgotten history of Jackson County and Southern Illinois. Presentations are based on his book titled, “Forgetting and the Forgotten: A Thousand years of Contested Histories in the Heartland. The series will examine the role of “pastkeepers” and their roles as gatekeepers of local narratives. These pastkeepers highlight the history of Jackson County and Southern Illinois while hiding or marginalizing other narratives such as the treatment of Native Americans, African Americans and immigrants. All three presentations are free and open to the public.

At the Depot: Restoring Carbondale’s StoryWednesday, April 12 5-6:30 p.m.

Carbondale Public Library. Hosted in person and online. Online registration for this lecture is available at register.CarbondalePublicLibrary.org/Batinski

Jackson’s Civil War: Rediscovering Anew
Thursday, April 13  6-7:30 p.m.
The General John A Logan Museum in Murphysboro
Refreshments will be provided

Waiting for the Train: Carbondale’s Long Civil Rights Movement
Saturday, April 15 4-6 p.m.
Eurma Hayes Center in Carbondale
Refreshments will be provided.

For more information, visit www.SIQuaker.org or contact Tom Hensold at 618-525-4578 or [email protected].

SIU Carbondale administrators have been working to answer questions about the university’s Distance Education funds over the last few weeks.

WSIU's Jennifer Fuller talked with Chancellor Austin Lane about it, to get some clarification.

Ornithologist Mike Baltz examines the history and mission of southern Illinois' Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge

For about five years, Emerson, Nebraska, had no grocery store, leaving residents to drive at least 20 miles for a full-service grocery.

Then last year the community came together to support a new co-op, and Post 60 Market moved into the old American Legion building.

Manager Brian Horak said the village of 824 people invested nearly $160,000 in the store.

“With being a co-op and so many people bought in – it's like you got multiple owners who have just as much commitment to see this thing succeed,” Horak said.

Investors receive discounts and dividends and elect a board of directors each year to oversee large financial decisions.

Yet in many small towns, a grocery store is a thing of the past.

According to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 76 counties nationwide are without a single grocery store, and 34 of those counties are in the Midwest and Great Plains.

Rural communities have been losing population for decades making it harder for businesses to stay afloat, said Rial Carver, program leader for the Rural Grocery Initiative at Kansas State University.

“So as small towns get smaller, that means fewer sales coming in the door for our grocery store,” Carver said.

Big box stores and grocery consolidation have added even more pressure on local grocers. A recent USDA report shows the percentage of grocery sales from the nation’s top 20 retailers more than doubled from 1990 to 2020, while the consolidation was more pronounced in rural areas.

The Rural Grocery Initiative was created in 2006 to help establish and sustain grocery stores in rural communities throughout Kansas.

Carver said innovation can help keep stores in small towns.

“We've seen success with communities kind of becoming engaged through cooperatives, through public-private partnerships,” Carver said. “We've even seen nonprofits and school-run grocery stores, as well as municipally-run stores in communities.”

The Circle C Market is a good example.

It’s run by the Cody-Kilgore school district in Cody, Nebraska, a town of just 167.

“We are vital to the community,” said teacher and store manager Liz Ravenscroft. “The next closest grocery store is 40 miles to the east, and the other closest grocery store is an hour to the west.”

The store got started in 2008 with the help of several national organizations and a grant from the USDA. The Village of Cody owns the building, while the school district and a local non-profit, Cowboy Grit, helped finance the store.

Each semester about eight students help at the Circle C Market as part of a class, learning important skills from Ravenscroft.

“I teach them how to do the different orders, like pop orders and chip orders,” she said. “I also have students that I teach how to do billing.”

For small stores, meeting the needs of an individual community is critical to remain in business.

Laura and Don Palmer first started Prairie Market in Paullina, Iowa, eight years ago. Like many businesses in the town of 952, they struggled at first. Then they adjusted their hours, staying open on nights and weekends to cater to their customers, who often commute long distances.

“They appreciate the hours — that they can actually get here and on Sundays,” Palmer said. “They're like, ‘What did we do before you were open on Sundays?’”

Palmer said focusing on the fresh food helps them stand out from nearby discount stores. They also work to appeal to current tastes. Palmer painted the store’s facade teal as a nod to a well-known chain.

“My favorite store was Trader Joe's and that's kind of what we have tried to replicate the store after,” Palmer said. “People come in the store, especially young people, they want to come in and they want it to be vibrant and clean and organized.”

In Emerson, Post 60 Market manager Brian Horak said two things create success for rural grocers.

“Friendliness and cleanliness. That's the two key things,” Horak said. “I mean you get the Walmarts and Hyvees and stuff like that, but they're not gonna know you by name. We’re gonna know you by name. We're gonna know what you want.”

This story first appeared on Nebraska Public Media. This version was produced in partnership with Harvest Public Media, a collaboration of public media newsrooms in the Midwest. It reports on food systems, agriculture and rural issues. Follow Harvest on Twitter: @HarvestPM

Copyright 2023 KCUR 89.3. To see more, visit KCUR 89.3.