Tuesday, October 18, 2022 Today’s headlines: The two major party candidates for Illinois governor debate one more time tonight. A committee of Urbana parents, teachers and administrators is proposing District 116 combine Spanish dual language programs from two different schools into just one school – Leal Elementary. The Attorney General race in Illinois could have…
Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker stirred political intrigue this summer with signals he was mulling a run for president in 2024, but Illinois voters appear to have some free, blunt advice for him: Don’t do it. That’s the unmistakable takeaway from a new WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times Poll that asked if the first-term billionaire chief executive ought to consider…
After severe droughts in July and August, the U.S. Department of Agriculture designated Champaign and Vermilion counties as primary natural disaster areas. With that announcement, farmers with 30% crop loss, can apply for low-interest, emergency loans. This can help replace equipment or refinance certain debts. John Gehrke heads the loan program at the USDA Illinois…
CHICAGO — Democrats appear in little danger of losing control of statewide offices three weeks from now, with the party’s candidates for Illinois secretary of state, attorney general, comptroller and treasurer all holding sizable leads over their Republican rivals in a new WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times Poll. In two of those races, Democrats hold double-digit advantages over…
Monday, October 17, 2022 Today’s headlines: Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has a commanding lead over Republican Darren Bailey in a new WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times poll. Despite county clerks being swamped with Freedom of Information requests about election security, no one from the public showed up to a Q&A and voting machine demo over the weekend…
NORTHBROOK — On a Saturday a few weeks before next month’s election, almost all of the biggest names in Illinois politics went to a hotel ballroom in Northbrook for a luncheon organized by the Northfield Township Democrats. Among the top-of-the-ticket candidates at that event in the northern suburbs of Chicago were Cook County Board President…
CHICAGO — Democratic incumbents Gov. JB Pritzker and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth are leading their opponents by double digits, with the governor also faring better than Republican candidate Darren Bailey on his own turf in downstate Illinois, a WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times poll found. The findings ahead of the Nov. 8 election — and less than a…
Updated October 15, 2022 at 11:31 AM ET A beta version of President Biden’s student loan forgiveness application is now open — the first time borrowers have been able to apply for up to $20,000 in debt cancellation. The early opening is a test to help the Education Department find problems with the site before…
A Champaign-based leasing company, Fairlawn Real Estate, is revitalizing their apartments with a new arts initiative. The initiative is called Fairlawn for the Arts, according to project manager for Fairlawn Real Estate Tom Hagensick. He says the initiative both supports the arts and brings a fresh look to apartments in the Champaign-Urbana area. “I think…
The utility has also entered into a so-called deferred-prosecution agreement with U.S. Attorney John Lausch’s office, similar to the deal cut by ComEd when the feds charged it with bribery more than two years ago. CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has leveled an additional criminal charge against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan as…
URBANA — University of Illinois wheelchair athlete Susannah Scaroni announced her presence on the world stage last year with a gold medal in the 5,000 meters at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. Scaroni added to her trophy case on Sunday when she won the Chicago Marathon, her first victory in one of the six world “major” marathons….
Friday, October 14, 2022 Today’s headlines: Attorneys for farm industry groups and the state of California presented oral arguments to the U.S. Supreme Court this week on Tuesday. A Champaign-based leasing company is revitalizing apartments with a new arts initiative. On Thursday, the University of Illinois announced a new training center for its wrestling program….
Updated October 13, 2022 at 10:59 AM ET The House Jan. 6 committee meets Thursday in another in its series of blockbuster hearings about its Capitol insurrection investigation. The hearing is slated to start at 1 p.m. ET. Watch it here: Over the summer, the Democrat-led committee has laid out its case that former President…
Thursday, October 13, 2022 Today’s headlines: Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger is endorsing Democrats in several major races across the country. The head of a major business lobbying group in Illinois says the Workers’ Rights Amendment is a political ploy by Democrats to get the unions to vote on election day. Organizations and events that support…
URBANA – Children still face mental health challenges as the COVID pandemic comes to an end. That’s one of the lessons garnered during an hourlong television special with the school superintendents of Champaign Unit 4, Danville School District 118, and Urbana School District 116. The TV special was taped in late September at Illinois Public Media…