217 Today: April 23, 2021

Friday, April 23, 2021

Today’s headlines:

  • Illinoisans who want to own guns would have to be fingerprinted before getting or renewing their concealed carry license under a measure advancing in the Illinois House.

  • The Illinois House Thursday night voted unanimously to pass a measure ending the use of isolation time out rooms in schools and banning restraining children while on their stomachs.

  • For the second straight year, Muslims in the Champaign-Urbana community is observing Ramadan in the middle of a pandemic.

  • Public health officials in Champaign-Urbana reported 21 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. The number of active cases in the county fell by more than a hundred to 320.

In today’s deep dive, we look at a new program that aims to close the racial achievement gap in Champaign Unit 4 Schools.

Reporting today contributed by Hannah Meisel, Jose Zepeda, and Jim Meadows.

Brian Moline

Brian Moline is the Managing Editor of Illinois Newsroom and host of Morning Edition for Illinois Public Media/WILL. He's been with WILL since 2015, after a long stint at WDWS-AM in Champaign where he covered both news and sports for more than a decade. If you have story or interview ideas, you can reach Brian at bmoline@illinois.edu.