Konrad Putzier, Douglas Belkin and Anthony DeBarros:
“It’s almost like you’re watching the town die,” said Kalib McGruder, who was born in Macomb and worked 28 years for the Western Illinois campus police department.
Macomb is at the heart of a new Rust Belt: Across the U.S., colleges are faltering and so are the once booming towns around them. Enrollment is down at many of the nation’s public colleges and universities, widening the gap between high-profile campuses and struggling schools. Starting next year, there will be fewer high-school graduates for the foreseeable future.
The fallout extends to downtown Macomb. Sullivan Taylor Coffee House, located in the corner of a stately 130-year-old building not far from campus, sits mostly empty during the semester. Owner Brandon Thompson has cashed out retirement savings, hit the limits of his credit cards, even canceled his home internet to keep the doors open.
