217 Today: Parents say student found dead on University of Illinois campus was a “happy-go-lucky kid”

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Akul Dhawan (right) with his sister, father and mother. Dhawan, 18, was found dead on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus on Saturday, Jan. 20.
  • Photo: Courtesy of Ish and Ritu Dhawan

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Today’s headlines: 

  • Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker won’t support a ceasefire in Gaza until all the hostages being held by Hamas are released.
  • The State of Illinois is partnering with Google to streamline access to children’s behavioral health services.
  • Officials organizing the Democratic National Convention in Chicago want an ambassador from each of the city’s 77 neighborhoods to help recruit volunteers.
  • The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is dangerously understaffed. That’s according to an attorney who says the agency has failed to meet hiring requirements.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn more about why the parents of a University of Illinois student who was found dead on campus have filed a complaint against the campus police department.

Reporting today contributed by Alex Degman, Jennifer King and Emily Hays.

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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.