217 Today: Wednesday June 2, 2021

Wednesday June 2, 2021

Today’s headlines

  • After weeks of negotiating with nuclear giant Exelon, there’s a tentative deal for state subsidies to keep power generators online, but another issue threatened to blow up bargaining over the holiday weekend. 
  • As of this morning, there’s a new place for medical helicopters to land in Champaign County. It will allow the hospital system to bring patients in via flight for life-saving procedures.

  • Pride month is here, and LGBTQ+ folks and allies in Champaign will celebrate this weekend at a Drag Picnic at West Side Park.

  • State health officials reported just over 400 new cases of COVID-19 across Illinois Tuesday and eight additional deaths from the virus. That’s the lowest single-day case total in more than a year. 

In today’s deep dive, the COVID-19 pandemic has threatened the mental health of many Midwesterners, including children. One state in the region has been trying to standardize mental health services for kids.

Reporting today contributed by Hannah Meisel, Reginald Hardwick, Carolina Garibay, and Natalie Krebs. 

Carolina Garibay

Carolina Garibay is a senior journalism student at the University of Illinois. She’s a senior producer for the Illinois Student Newsroom and regularly covers arts and culture, education, and social justice issues affecting local communities. Along with her work for WILL, she was also the buzz Editor at The Daily Illini and hosts an arts and culture radio talkshow on WPGU 107.1 F.M.