Claire Hettinger is the 2019 Illinois Humanities engagement reporter for the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting.
She will cover agribusiness with a focus on how it impacts the local farming communities. Her role is to connect with individuals who can shed light on the issues impacting agriculture workers.
Claire grew up in Monticello, Illinois, and is a proud graduate of Monticello High School. She first learned about farming from family members working in various areas of agriculture including corn and soybean farming to managing grain elevators and spreading fertilizers.
She then attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she studied journalism. She worked for four years at The Daily Illini, the best college newspaper in the state. After graduating, Claire worked as a reporter at the Herald & Review in Decatur, Illinois, where she covered breaking news, agribusiness and social services.
