Bird flu is spreading in dairy herds. Midwest farmers say they’re vigilant but not alarmed
The flu has been found in cows for the first time, but most cattle seem to be showing only mild symptoms and recovering from the illness. Officials say the pasteurization process means milk remains safe. Midwest farmers and others in the dairy industry say they are staying vigilant but are not overly alarmed as bird […]
217 Today: Music, physics and theater professors at UIUC are launching a new art and science collective
Thursday, April 18, 2024 Today’s headlines: The Illinois State Board of Education is asking state lawmakers for billions of dollars for the next school year and a chunk of that would go for migrant students. Madison County voters in the Metro East are one step closer to taking a symbolic vote on seceding from Illinois. […]
Central Illinois Headlines – April 18, 2024
Budzinski files measure to stop post office consolidation in Central Illinois URBANA – Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL13) said she’s introducing legislation to stop the U.S. Postal Service from moving processing and distribution out of post offices in Champaign and Springfield. The Postal Service is considering moving regional mail-sorting operations out of those post offices and […]
Hundreds celebrate the life of STEM educator William Patterson
Patterson is survived by his wife, Lori, three children, a grandchild, and a sister.
Yankee Ridge Elementary School to become Urbana’s first fully multilingual school
The Urbana District 116 Board of Education voted 4-3 on Tuesday to convert Yankee Ridge Elementary School into a fully multilingual school.
217 Today: Lawmakers in some states say they want to protect IVF services. But how can they do that effectively?
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 Today’s headlines: Unofficially, Republican incumbent Adam Niemerg won his write-in campaign for the 102nd district race for the Illinois House Representatives. Illinois Jewish leaders are concerned about a major increase in antisemitic incidents. Congress took time to honor Urbana native and educator William Patterson. University of Illinois students, alumni, and staff […]
Central Illinois Headlines – April 17, 2024
University of Illinois police investigate sexual assault URBANA – The University of Illinois police department reports it is investigating a sexual assault and an attempted assault. In a campus safety alert, the department said a person was sexually assaulted in the early morning hours Tuesday at an on-campus apartment. In a separate safety alert, UIPD says there […]
New leader of Jesse Jackson’s civil rights organization steps down just months on the job
Haynes is the pastor at Friendship-West Baptist Church. He was formally installed as president and CEO of Rainbow PUSH in February.
217 Today: Citing the mental health crisis, some hope to see Illinois legalize psilocybin
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 Today’s headlines: The U.S. Supreme Court seems ready to narrow a federal bribery law used in some big Chicago corruption cases. Governor J.B. Pritzker is promoting his plan to eliminate medical debt for hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans. Urbana School District 116 is set to vote Tuesday on which elementary school will […]
Ebertfest Festival Director highlights its 25 year history
CHAMPAIGN – Opening night of Eberfest is Wednesday, April 17th at the Virginia Theatre in downtown Champaign. Now in its 25th year, the annual film festival showcases films, filmmakers, and special guests, including famed actors and musicians. Nate Kohn has been the festival director since its founding in 1999 and spoke with Morning Edition host […]
Citing the mental health crisis, some hope to see Illinois legalize psilocybin
After graduating from high school, Justin Wigg said he craved adventure, which led him to serve in the Marine Corps for five years during the Iraq war. His adjustment to his life back in the United States, he said, was not easy. He was deployed to Iraq twice, and when he returned home, his friends […]
Central Illinois Headlines – April 16, 2024
Urbana Schools to vote on which elementary school will become fully multilingual URBANA – Urbana School District 116 is set to vote Tuesday on which elementary school will become fully dual language. After two years of debate, Urbana administrators and dual language teachers won approval in January to combine their bilingual programs under one […]
Newspapers in rural areas are folding, leaving vast news deserts. But there are bright spots
https://play.podtrac.com/npr-1244411030/cpa.ds.npr.org/s60/audio/2024/04/newspapersweb.mp3 The U.S. has lost more than 2,800 newspapers since 2005, many of them in rural areas. Now some journalists are redoubling their efforts to provide local news and trying new models in a difficult industry. First Street in downtown Mount Vernon, Iowa, has the quintessential “Main Street” feel. It’s got a café , bank […]
Trump’s history-making hush money trial starts Monday with jury selection
Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for November’s election. He has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of an alleged effort to keep salacious stories about his sex life from emerging during his 2016 campaign.
Central Illinois Headlines – April 15, 2024
Service honors William Patterson URBANA – A memorial service for STEM educator William Patterson had sorrowful moments, but also dancing, laughing and singing. Hundreds attended the ‘celebration of life’ at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday. The 58-year-old passed away earlier this month. Patterson grew up in Urbana, earned a Ph-D and brought STEM […]