Thursday, February 19, 2026
Today’s headlines:
- The Illinois legislative session is underway, and Governor JB Pritzker has his sights set on social media giants, like Facebook and TikTok.
- Illinois Governor JB Pritzker presented his budget proposal yesterday with a commitment to expand support for K-through-12 schools and higher education.
- U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois says he was a close friend of Civil Rights Leader Jesse Jackson, who died Tuesday morning.
- Parkland College received $3.5-million-dollars in federal funding to expand its Dental Hygiene Clinic.
In today’s deep dive, a celebration of queer art, a meet and greet with local authors, an interactive world full of dinosaurs and of course live music.
217 Today is produced by Giuliana Means. Reporting today contributed by Adelyn Mui, Mawa Iqbal, Arjun Thakkar, Olivia Dvorak, and Kimberly Schofield.