Thursday, September 1, 2022 Today’s headlines: A group of Illinois lawmakers tasked with expanding abortion rights is hoping to pass legislation before the end of the year. Clinical trials show the antiviral Paxlovid can reduce the risk of COVID-related hospitalization and death by 89 percent, but a new report shows it’s being underutilized. Illinois’ 13th…
There were 50 lethal shootings in the city of Champaign between 2015 and the first half of 2022. Of those 50 victims, 15 were 20 years old or younger. At least 30 suspects were arrested in those shootings, and 15 of them were also aged 20 or younger. Those were some of the numbers revealed…
SPRINGFIELD – Beginning Thursday, low-income families in Illinois can begin applying for state assistance on their natural gas, propane and electricity bills. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, has $300 million available. Families can apply by visiting helpillinoisfamilies.com or by calling 1-833-711-0374. Information on other state assistance programs can be found on that website as…
CHICAGO — Illinois Republicans last controlled the state Supreme Court the same year the former John Hancock building opened along North Michigan Avenue, and the Chicago Cubs infamously blew the National League pennant. History buffs will recognize that year as 1969. In other words, it’s been a long time. But this November, that 53-year string…
Wednesday, August 31, 2022 Today’s headlines: Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey’s campaign fund got a major boost from Republican mega-donor Richard Uihlein. Republican Esther Joy King is making her second run to represent Illinois’ 17th Congressional District. Illinois schools are unable to fill one out of every one-hundred teaching positions. The University of Illinois…
The Illinois Department of Transportation has announced new-and-improved Illinois Official Bike Maps, a free and convenient resource showcasing the state’s vast bicycle network of trails, paths and streets. Maps for each of IDOT’s nine districts include new features and designs that make them easier to understand, while including more information on noteworthy stops and attractions…
SPRINGFIELD – Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said Tuesday that abortion rights will be a central issue in the 2022 election, not just in his bid for reelection but in races up and down the ballot. That includes races for Congress and the Illinois Supreme Court as well as the governor’s race and state legislative contests….
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who played a central role in ending the Cold War, died Tuesday at the age of 91. Russian media reported his death, citing the hospital that was treating him as saying he died of a “serious and protracted disease,” without providing more information. Gorbachev’s trademark policies of glasnost and perestroika helped open…
FORT WORTH, Tex. — Monica Brown is used to hearing people say she looks young for her age. She’s 41, but feels decades older – mainly because of her struggle with sickle cell disease, a genetic disorder that affects her blood. “People say, ‘Oh you look so good,’ but they do not know what’s going…
Tuesday, August 30, 2022 Today’s headlines: Many Central Illinois communities are cleaning up after severe storms Monday night. Members of the University of Illinois Graduate Employees Organization say the University’s proposed contract doesn’t give them the pay and benefits they deserve. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is now strongly recommending students and staff wear…
A celebration of life for late Illinois State University graduate student Jelani Day on Saturday night resembled a spiritual revival, a rally, a memorial and a party with music, food and dancing. The event at ISU’s Bone Student Center was to remember Jelani Day, a 25-year-old from Danville who was pursuing a graduate degree in…
Illinois Public Media News is monitoring severe storm protentional on Monday. The National Weather Service in Central Illinois says strong thunderstorms is tracking across the region, producing strong wind gusts, rain and hail. We will update this post with the latest forecast information. Tuesday 1:30 a.m. URBANA – Destructive winds and flash flooding kept many…
HAVANA, Ill. — Federal and state agencies spend millions of dollars every year to keep destructive invasive carp out of the Great Lakes. Meanwhile, at least 25 destructive species — like water fleas and bloody red shrimp — are inching closer to the Mississippi River Basin. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s528/audio/2022/08/08.24.22.InvasivesFeature.mp3 Listen to this story here. Invasive silver carp…
Monday, August 29, 2022 Today’s headlines: Multiple reports of gun violence kept Central Illinois police busy over the weekend. At a kickoff for the Jelani Day Foundation over the weekend in Normal, his mother Carmen Bolden Day was again critical of the police agencies working the case. The University of Illinois is recommending – but…
URBANA – The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is recommending that everyone wear high-quality face coverings in classrooms starting Monday, August 29. The advisory was sent to all students, faculty and staff in an email from Chancellor Robert J. Jones on Sunday night. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has ranked Champaign County as “high”…