217 Today: Obstacles prevent many craft cannabis growers from opening

Today’s headlines:

• Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said the country is backsliding on voting rights 10 years after the Supreme Court decision to repeal parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
• Ten high schoolers from across Champaign County won scholarships on Monday in the name of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
• The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team won its fourth straight game beating Minnesota Monday night 78-60 in Minneapolis.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn why craft cannabis growers in Illinois need to be ready to go by March 1, but most of them still can’t even get financing to start building facilities.

217 Today is produced by Sydney Wood. Reporting today contributed by Tim Shelley, Emily Hays and Alex Degman.