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217 Today: Thursday, June 17, 2021

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Thursday, June 17, 2021

Today’s headlines:

  • The Illinois House Wednesday approved sweeping gun legislation expanding mandated background checks to person-to-person gun sales.

  • Illinois’ budget beginning July 1 will include automatic cost of living adjustments for state lawmakers, and a class-action lawsuit filed by a former Republican House member could open the door to the state having to dole out 10 years in back pay.

  • Juneteenth is this Saturday and celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. In Champaign County, organizers are preparing Juneteenth events to celebrate African American culture and remind people of issues affecting the community today.

  • As of Wednesday, about a quarter of Black residents and a third of Hispanic residents in Champaign County are fully vaccinated, compared to about 44% of White residents.

In today’s deep dive, a conversation with John Hanlon, who is retiring. Hanlon is the director of the Illinois Innocence Project who helped change the state of Illinois.

Reporting today contributed by Hannah Meisel, Derek Cantu, Vivian La and Edith Brady Lunny.

WILL and the Illinois Newsroom are committed to bringing you in-depth, relevant coverage that keeps you informed and engages you with our community and state. Join with thousands of others to keep this important public media-based resource available to all. Donate today >>

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.