Thursday, April 20, 2023 Today’s headlines: After nearly 6 weeks of testimony – the federal bribery trial of four former Commonwealth Edison executives and lobbyists is coming to a close. Chicago Mayor-Elect Brandon Johnson is urging state lawmakers to change how school districts are paid. A new exhibit called “Welcome to the Pow-wow” opened this…
Wednesday, April 19, 2023 Today’s headlines: A former Commonwealth Edison CEO faced intense grilling Tuesday on the witness stand in a political corruption trial. Doctors in Missouri who offer hormones and other gender-affirming care are trying to see as many transgender patients as they can before temporary restrictions on that care start on April 27. In…
FARMER CITY – Laura Enger has lived in Farmer City for most of her life. When the only grocery store in town closed over seven years ago, Enger said the community lost easy access to fresh food and produce. “Once a town loses its grocery store, the heart of it sort of dies,” Enger said. …
Friday, April 14, 2023 Today’s headlines: A week-long strike by the union representing Eastern Illinois University faculty and support staff is on hold, while members consider the administration’s contract proposal. Medication abortion remains available in Illinois, despite a new federal court decision that put tighter rules on the drug. Illinois State University’s athletics director has…
Thursday, April 13, 2023 Today’s headlines: Illinois will receive just over $67 million as part of a multi-state settlement with the e-cigarette maker Juul. A federal judge in southern Illinois heard arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit challenging the state’s recent ban on many high-powered weapons and high-capacity magazines. A substance use and mental health researcher at the…
Friday, April 7, 2023 Today’s headlines: Illinois educators and state lawmakers are calling for a task force to scrutinize a state program that’s supposed to help children experiencing a mental health crisis. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s proposed budget would mean a 7% increase across the state’s public universities — including Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Children and…
Thursday, April 6, 2023 Today’s headlines: Governor J.B. Pritzker congratulated Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson for winning Tuesday’s election and said he looks forward to working with him. The Illinois Department of Corrections obtained “do not resuscitate” orders from prisoners even when they were not “of sound mind.” Faculty and support staff at Eastern Illinois University…
CHAMPAIGN — Research and social justice are often separate issues — but one local organization is using its connections to figure out how to combat violence before it starts. First Followers helps formerly incarcerated people re-enter the Champaign-Urbana community. The group released the results of their survey of people in Champaign-Urbana on the leading causes…
Friday, March 31, 2023 Today’s headlines: A severe weather threat is headed toward central Illinois on Friday night. Tensions were high at an Illinois Senate hearing this week as lawmakers debated a measure aimed at crisis pregnancy centers. Governor J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday more than $197 million in federal grants to update freight train infrastructure statewide….
Thursday, March 30, 2023 Today’s headlines: Federal prosecutors in the ComEd bribery trial are focusing on how former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan leaned on the power company to hire his friends, allies, and acquaintances. Gun rights supporters marched in the annual Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day in Springfield Wednesday to protest the recently-passed assault weapons…
DANVILLE – Abortion rights opponents are pushing back against a proposed clinic in the Vermilion County city. It’s been decades since Danville had an abortion provider, Deb Brinegar, a Danville resident, said. She argues that should not changed. “Abortion disappeared from our community about 30 years ago,” Brinegar said. “So this is really heartbreaking that it’s…
CHAMPAIGN – After an over 10,000-year absence, the woolly mammoth is finally back on the University of Illinois campus. A 16-foot-tall sculpture of a mammoth was installed last week in between the Illini Union and the Natural History Building. The sculpture could serve as a reminder that mammoths lived in Champaign-Urbana, University of Illinois professor…
Friday, March 24, 2023 Today’s headlines: All three correctional officers involved in the beating death of an inmate at the Western Illinois Correctional Center have now been sentenced. In the federal bribery trial playing out in downtown Chicago – prosecutors are going the deepest they’ve gone so far into former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s inner…
Thursday, March 23, 2023 Today’s headlines: Meteorologist Andrew Pritchard expects heavy rainfall in the central Illinois area Thursday. An Illinois lawmaker is sponsoring a measure to look into a state program that was the subject of a recent investigation. Political hiring continues to be a focus in the bribery trial of four former ComEd executives and…
Friday, March 3, 2023 Today’s headlines: The state of Illinois has launched a website for residents to track the progress of a newly created Reparations Commission. Following a year of declines – the state’s economic growth rate increased slightly last month. Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day, a University of Illinois tradition with a history of heavy…