217 Today: Listen to the voice of Langston Hughes recorded over 60 years ago

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Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Today’s headlines:

  • Democrats in Springfield are floating new ways to help Illinois police as part of an anti-crime push.
  • As Champaign Unit 4 teachers and board members negotiate a new contract, parents are waiting to hear how the school day might change.
  • Health officials report that the number of active COVID-19 cases in Champaign County is 257. That’s up by nearly 90 cases from a week ago, but considerably lower than the peak of 7,000 cases in mid-January.

In today’s deep dive, we look back at a visit to the University of Illinois by the Black poet Langston Hughes that WILL broadcast in the late 1950s.

217 Today is produced by Farrah Anderson. Reporting today contributed by Dave McKinney, Emily Hays and Jim Meadows.

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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.