217 Today: What to know about an effort to make college in Illinois more affordable

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Public colleges in Illinois have become particularly unaffordable. Now a group of Illinois legislators and advocates are proposing groundbreaking legislation to try and address the problem.
  • Photo: Illustration by Mendy Kong / WBEZ (source images via Colin Boyle/Sun-Times, Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times, Canva)

Monday, December 16, 2024

Today’s headlines:

  • Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin is sounding an alarm over the incoming president’s immigration plans.
  • Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is supporting a measure to tax and regulate “intoxicating hemp” products.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin testing the national milk supply for bird flu this week.
  • Illinois Congressman Mike Bost will chair the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs for another two-year term.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn how expensive college has become and how a group of state politicians and advocates plans to change that.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting today contributed by Linda Kenyon, Alex Degman, Skyler Rossi, Will Bauer and Lisa Kurian Philip.

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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.