217 Today: How the Israel-Hamas war affected one University of Illinois student

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Rabbi Dovid Tiechtel speaks to a crowd of students and community members about uniting for Israel. The gathering was a rally held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on Oct. 9 to show support for Israel and people affected by the conflict.
  • Photo: Madison Holcomb / Illinois Student Newsroom

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Today’s headlines: 

  • The killing of the 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy in the Southwest suburbs is sparking widespread condemnation among elected officials across Illinois.
  • The FBI is reporting a recent rise in hate-crime incidents in the Chicago area and is opening a hate-crime investigation into the weekend stabbings of a suburban Muslim boy and his mother.
  • The Piatt County Board approved a wind farm for the county on Friday, with several members saying a new Illinois law gave them no real choice in the matter.
  • The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team plays their first exhibition game of the season Friday at State Farm Center against the Ottawa Braves.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn more about how the war in the Middle East is affecting students at the University of Illinois. 

Reporting today contributed by Mawa Iqbal, Dave McKinney, Jim Meadows, Colin Hislope and Liv Barwinska.

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Farrah Anderson

Farrah Anderson is a 2024 graduate of the University of Illinois. At Illinois Public Media, Anderson works as a general assignment reporter focusing on police and investigative stories.