Friday, December 5, 2025
Today’s headlines:
- An interstellar object passing through our solar system has become the subject of alien speculation.
- Scientists are keeping an eye on a new plant species found in northwest Illinois.
- Illinois lawmakers decide in a few weeks whether people in prison will get physical mail again.
- A group of students and community members at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is pushing for the school to adopt a new official mascot: the belted kingfisher.
In today’s deep dive, Hardy’s Reindeer Ranch opened 30 years ago in Rantoul and today, 20 reindeer live at Hardy’s, which recently represented Illinois on Good Morning America’s “America the Beautiful: 50 States in 50 Weeks.”
217 Today is produced by Stephanie Orellana. Reporting today contributed by Adrien Reets, Todd Gleason, Kimberly Schofield and Emily Hays.