Jacob McCleland
Jacob McCleland spent nine years as a reporter and host at public radio station KRCU in Cape Girardeau, Mo. His stories have appeared on NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered, Here & Now, Harvest Public Media and PRI’s The World. Jacob has reported on floods, disappearing languages, crop duster pilots, anvil shooters, Manuel Noriega, mule jumps and more.
He has a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Spanish from Southeast Missouri State University and a master’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Illinois at Springfield.
Jacob warns us he won't answer the phone when the St. Louis Cardinals are playing a postseason game. Fun fact: his high school mascot is the Appleknocker.
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A breakthrough in oil cleanup technology allows crews to skim spilled oil off the water's surface at a much faster rate. The new device wasn't developed by Exxon, BP or any of the major oil companies — it's the work of Elastec/American Marine, based in Illinois.
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Jack Rickard and Brian Noto have developed something of a cult following on their webcast in which they talk in soul-crushing detail about the intricacies of how to gut a gas-guzzling road warrior and convert it into an all-electric vehicle. On Wednesday, they host the Electric Vehicle Conversion Convention at the Cape Girardeau airport. -
A roadside marker in southern Illinois commemorates the life of King Neptune, a 700-pound pig that raised millions of dollars during World War II. Originally used as a gimmick by a Navy recruiter to help sell war bonds, King Neptune became a local celebrity, had an entourage and even had a military funeral. -
The Army Corps of Engineers has blown up a levee along the Mississippi River in Missouri to help ease flooding in Illinois. Floodwaters are pouring onto thousands of acres of Missouri farmland. Preliminary readings indicate the action saved the tiny town of Cairo, Illinois.
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In the southeastern Missouri community of Poplar Bluff, the Black River is over its banks. Residents are being evacuated from the town near the Missouri-Arkansas border. Poplar Bluff has endured 15 inches of rain over four days and about 1,000 homes were evacuated.
