217 Today: New Illinois Farm Bureau president wants to restore communication and credibility for the venerable organization

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New Illinois Farm Bureau President Philip Nelson has served in that office before, has directed the Illinois Department of Agriculture, and served on the board of the American Farm Bureau Federation.
  • Photo: Courtesy of the Illinois Farm Bureau

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Today’s headlines: 

  • Governor JB Pritzker is warning of new quote “harassment” as federal border patrol chief Gregory Bovino returns to Chicago for more immigration enforcement. 
  • The new president of the Illinois Farm Bureau says one of the reasons he won election was a pledge to improve communication with other industry groups.
  • Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has enacted a 1.5 billion dollar mass transit bailout.
  • The percentage of people killed in motor vehicle crashes involving alcohol has  increased statewide since 2019.

In today’s deep dive, the Illinois Farm Bureau is ushering in a  new leadership, we’ll  hear more from Philip Nelson who won the election.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Orellana. Reporting today contributed by Charlie Schlenker, Mawa Iqbal and Noah Jennings.

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Stephanie Orellana