217 Today: Government reform advocates say Illinois needs further ethics reform after Madigan indictment

217 Today: Government reform advocates say Illinois needs further ethics reform after Madigan indictment

Friday, March 25, 2022 Today’s headlines: Illinois lawmakers Thursday gave final approval to spending $2.7 billion in leftover federal COVID aid to pay the deficit in the state’s unemployment insurance fund. It’s looking to be a volatile season for farmers and consumers alike with inflation and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine creating more uncertainty in global…

217 Today: Families of frontline healthcare workers reflect on the impact of the pandemic

217 Today: Families of frontline healthcare workers reflect on the impact of the pandemic

Thursday, March 22, 2022 Today’s headlines: Farmers around the world are encouraged to plant more wheat this year to offset expected losses from Russia and Ukraine. But, that won’t be easy for farmers in the Midwest. The Illinois House approved a measure to send $2.7 billion to the state’s unemployment trust fund from COVID relief…

217 Today: Hear from three Democratic candidates for Illinois’ newly drawn 13th Congressional District

217 Today: Hear from three Democratic candidates for Illinois’ newly drawn 13th Congressional District

Wednesday, March 23, 2022 Today’s headlines: Illinois Senator Dick Durbin kicked off day two of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings Tuesday.  Illinois state superintendent Dr. Carmen Ayala made the trip up to Oregon High School to hand out the state’s top honor for an educator: Illinois teacher of the year.  The Illinois women’s…

217 Today: Midwest offers untapped potential for maple syrup production

217 Today: Midwest offers untapped potential for maple syrup production

Tuesday, March 22, 2022 Today’s headlines: Governor J.B. Pritzker says the state is monitoring the latest COVID-19 subvariant, Omicron BA.2, which is picking up speed in Illinois. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois says he was compelled by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plea to a joint session of Congress last week. Lawmakers in Springfield are…

217 Today: Research shows Medicaid enrollment could break cycles of incarceration

217 Today: Research shows Medicaid enrollment could break cycles of incarceration

Monday, March 21, 2022 Today’s headlines: Senator Dick Durbin says he believes Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is the proper choice to join the U.S. Supreme Court. Women working full-time in Illinois earn about $13,000 less per year than men, according to the U.S. Census. A new COVID-19 test developed in Chicago boasts the speed of…

217 Today: University of Illinois medical students gather items to send Ukrainian refugees

217 Today: University of Illinois medical students gather items to send Ukrainian refugees

Friday, March 18, 2022 Today’s headlines: The head of Illinois’ Department of Children and Family Services has been held in contempt of court for the seventh time in three months. A professor at the University of Illinois Springfield campus says the rapid switch to all-remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic was difficult for students…

217 Today: U.S. fertilizer prices skyrocket after invasion of Ukraine leaving Midwest farmers worried

217 Today: U.S. fertilizer prices skyrocket after invasion of Ukraine leaving Midwest farmers worried

Thursday, March 17, 2022 Today’s headlines: The Illinois Supreme Court could soon decide whether the state’s Firearm Owners ID, or FOID Card, is unconstitutional. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois says Russia’s president should be prosecuted for war crimes because of the attack on Ukraine. As schools throughout Illinois grapple with teacher shortages, Danville is…

217 Today: New program will give Champaign’s Garden Hills residents new safety features to curb gun violence

217 Today: New program will give Champaign’s Garden Hills residents new safety features to curb gun violence

Wednesday, March 16, 2022 Today’s headlines: The field of Republican candidates angling to take on Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker is beginning to take shape. Local food producers are selling products online instead of farmers’ markets after the pandemic. Twenty-seven families are suing the state of Illinois over a COVID-19 outbreak at the state-run veterans home…

217 Today: Pandemic may have halted progress toward ending racial disparities in cancer deaths

217 Today: Pandemic may have halted progress toward ending racial disparities in cancer deaths

Tuesday, March 15, 2022 Today’s headlines: A public radio journalist who spent much of his life in Illinois is now reporting from inside Ukraine, which continues to be attacked by Russian forces. Like the University of Illinois, Western Illinois University will charge new students higher fees next school year than what current students pay. The…

217 Today: Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike resigns after three years

217 Today: Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike resigns after three years

Monday, March 14, 2022 Today’s headlines: U.S. Senator Dick Durbin says he agrees with the Biden Administration’s move to expand economic sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The lack of minority-owned businesses with contracts from the City of Urbana raised concerns in a recent city council meeting. The Illini men’s basketball team will…

217 Today: All-time leading scorer for Illini basketball discusses current team before Big Ten Tournament

217 Today: All-time leading scorer for Illini basketball discusses current team before Big Ten Tournament

Friday, March 11, 2022 Today’s headlines: State lawmakers are considering a tax credit of up to $2000 per worker for employers who hire workers who are in recovery from serious mental illness or substance abuse. The oil and gas industry in southern Illinois will be increasing production in response to global demand and the ban on Russian…

217 Today: High school students who speak multiple languages help promote COVID-19 vaccines

217 Today: High school students who speak multiple languages help promote COVID-19 vaccines

Thursday, March 10, 2022 Today’s headlines: Mike Madigan made his first appearance in federal court Wednesday to answer corruption charges. Lawmakers have condemned anti-Semitic flyers anonymously distributed in Skokie and Chicago.  A former U.S. ambassador to the former Soviet state of Georgia thinks Russian president Vladimir Putin will not use nuclear weapons. The IHSA Boys…

217 Today: Few Midwest states regularly test for toxic algae blooms despite tragic consequences for families

217 Today: Few Midwest states regularly test for toxic algae blooms despite tragic consequences for families

Wednesday, March 9, 2022 Today’s headlines: Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker could decide whether 43 people in Pontiac prison will have their aggravated battery sentences commuted. Illinois legislators are relaxing their chambers’ masking rules with the continued decline in COVID-19 cases. Two Champaign County residents affected by the Peoples Gas methane leak have filed a class…

217 Today: Looking back at Focus 580, WILL-AM’s local call-in show that ran for 30+ years

217 Today: Looking back at Focus 580, WILL-AM’s local call-in show that ran for 30+ years

Tuesday, March 8, 2022 Today’s headlines: The 2022 campaign season started Monday as candidates lined up to turn in petitions to get their names on the June 28 primary election ballot. Candidates for elected office across the state lined up at the Illinois State Board of Elections to submit nominating petitions as the filing period began. Among…

217 Today: University of Illinois expert discusses how war in Ukraine could cause a global food crisis

217 Today: University of Illinois expert discusses how war in Ukraine could cause a global food crisis

Monday, March 7, 2022 Today’s headlines: One Illinois Democratic operative feels vindicated after the federal corruption case filed last week against her former boss -Michael Madigan. A research team at the University of Illinois finds that most oncology dietitians don’t receive enough food insecurity training to help their patients. At the end of last year,…