217 Today: Incoming Urbana mayor DeShawn Williams hopes to unite the city

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DeShawn Williams will be sworn in as the mayor of Urbana this weekend.
  • Photo: Kimberly Schofield/Illinois Public Media

Friday, May 2, 2025

Today’s headlines:

  • President Donald Trump has signed an executive order slashing subsidies to public media.
  • The Trump administration has restored visas for all University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students who previously had their legal immigration status terminated.
  • The latest congressional budget plan proposes a federal work requirement for Medicaid recipients, and some Midwesterners could lose access to Medicaid if it passes.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll hear from Diane Marlin as she wraps up her time in office, and from mayor-elect DeShawn Williams as he prepares to become Urbana’s new mayor.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting today contributed by Emily Hays, Daniel Wheaton, Kimberly Schofield and Jim Meadows.

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Stephanie Mosqueda

Stephanie Mosqueda is a senior majoring in journalism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with minors in Spanish and public relations. She is the 217 Today producer and a reporter for the Illinois Student Newsroom.