Meet the Team 2025-2026 Christine Herman Christine Herman is an independent audio editor and health journalist. She got her start in public radio at Illinois Public Media in 2015 as a founding producer for The 21st show and went on to become a reporter for IPM News, and later, the managing editor of Side Effects
This article is the third in a series about the access of pregnancy care for immigrants in Champaign. You can read part one here and part two here. Though a language barrier may be the most obvious barrier to pregnancy care access, experts and advocates say cultural barriers are just as big of an issue
This article is the second in a series about the access of pregnancy care for immigrants in Champaign. You can read part one here and part three here. Teresa Rodriguez Teresa Rodriguez is another Champaign County resident who has experienced language and cultural barriers. Rodriguez is from Mexico City. She said when she started looking
Lee esta historia en español This article is the first in a series about the access to pregnancy care for immigrants in Champaign. You can read part two here and part three here. “Why are you having more children?” That’s a question a doctor in Champaign asked Fabiola Silva during a doctor appointment. “He started
Estas son preguntas que en general les hacen a las mujeres que están embarazadas. “¿Por qué quieres tener más hijos?” Esa es una pregunta que un médico de Champaign le hizo a Fabiola Silva durante una cita médica. “Empezó a hacerme muchas preguntas que ni siquiera eran relevantes,” dijo Silva. “En lugar de ayudarme, me
Thursday, May 12, 2022 Today’s headlines: President Joe Biden said Wednesday that it’s time to invest more in agriculture in Illinois and elsewhere because the war in Ukraine is cutting off a global food supply. Student COVID cases are picking back up throughout the state of Illinois. Illinois officials expect thousands more abortion patients each
When International Prep Academy in Champaign sent students home in March 2020, 10-year-old Ana Hernandez and her mom started what they called the “Hernandez Homeschool.” Ana’s mom, Genevieve Kirk, looked up different teaching resources and curriculum to keep Ana on track, she said. This process, she said, connected her with both of her children—Ana and
Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021 Today’s headlines: The state’s Department of Public Health says Illinois has confirmed its first case of COVID’s Omicron variant. The news comes as Illinois has seen a more-than 160 percent increase in the number of new COVID patients entering hospitals each day over the past six weeks. The balance of political power
Monday, Oct. 4, 2021 Today’s headlines: Women’s rights activists took to the streets of Champaign-Urbana on Saturday to march for abortion rights. A Vermilion County judge ruled last week against calls from some teachers and parents to remove state mandates for COVID-19 vaccines, testing and masking in schools. After merely steady increases, the price of
Friday, Sept. 24, 2021 Today’s headlines: The LaSalle County Coroner says a body pulled from the Illinois River earlier this month is that of missing Illinois State University graduate student Jelani Day. Three former lobbyists and an executive for utility giant Commonwealth Edison say the indictment against them jumps to conclusions about how three critical
Friday, Sept. 17, 2021 Today’s headlines: County clerks in Illinois will likely lose somewhere between $5-15 million in bond processing fees whn the state goes to a no-cash bond system in 2023. A massive coal plant in the Metro East will be affected by the new clean energy law. The University YMCA in Champaign will
Friday, Sept. 3, 2021 Today’s headlines: Illinois’ governor says COVID cases among school students are likely higher than what official numbers show. Central Illinois U.S. Representative Darin LaHood says two top Biden administration officials should resign over the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. Officials at Planned Parenthood Illinois Action say they’re preparing to help patients
Thursday, August 26, 2021 Today’s headlines: Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to reestablish a statewide mask mandate and announce vaccine mandates for school staff. The head of the Illinois State Police says they’ve made substantial progress in catching up with a backlog of unprocessed DNA evidence. An Illinois state senator discusses the impact of pending
Friday, July 9, 2021 Today’s headlines: Provisions in a massive criminal justice reform bill pushed by Black Illinois lawmakers earlier this year began taking effect last week, but the state’s legislative Black Caucus has experienced fractures over something that didn’t end up in the law: ending qualified immunity for police officers. Millions of rural residents across the
SPRINGFIELD — A 2019 study found that about 30% of youth living in foster care identify as LGBTQ+ compared to about 11% not in foster care. LGBTQ+ youth in care are also at higher risk for abuse and harassment. To address this issue, the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services is enhancing training and