217 Today: Monday, August 16, 2021

Monday, August 16, 2021

Today’s headlines:

  • Governor JB Pritzker recently signed a series of measures that advocates say could take a sizable share of Illinoisans off the streets and into their own homes. 

  • Leaders in Illinois’ tourism and hospitality sector are asking state lawmakers to allocate more money from the most recent federal stimulus package to help their industries recover.

  • Illinois schools have struggled with a teacher shortage for several years. The pandemic has only intensified it.

  • Champaign County public health officials reported 140 new COVID-19 cases over the weekend. The number of active cases now sits at 801.

In today’s deep dive, a conversation with Illinois’ acting state epidemiologist about how COVID-19 variants have changed over time.

Reporting today contributed by Maureen McKinney, Hannah Meisel, Peter Medlin and Christine Herman.

Brian Moline

Brian Moline is the Managing Editor of Illinois Newsroom and host of Morning Edition for Illinois Public Media/WILL. He's been with WILL since 2015, after a long stint at WDWS-AM in Champaign where he covered both news and sports for more than a decade. If you have story or interview ideas, you can reach Brian at bmoline@illinois.edu.