Most Active Stories KRWG.ORG-The Region's Home Page Sat January
12, 2013 From Corn Belt To Main Street: The Drought's Far-
Reaching Grasp Originally published on Sat January 12, 2013 5:37
pm The U.S. had its hottest year on record last year. That heat,
combined with the relatively dry winter that came before, has
brought a historic drought. From forest fires and low crop
yields, to infrastructure and recreation, the drought has been
costly, with early estimates putting the cost at between $50
billion and $80 billion. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has
declared a disaster area in more than 1,000 counties, and now
the drought is hitting America's most important waterway — the
Mississippi River. Water levels are so low that the Army Corps
of Engineers is taking emergency action to keep the river
navigable. "This is critically important to the economy of the
Midwest and of the nation," Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin told
reporters a few weeks ago. But beyond the dusty plains and dry
rivers, the ripple effects of th