ELGIN — Thousands of Illinois students with disabilities have to learn in a classroom without a special education teacher or with an educator who doesn’t have the right teaching license. Those kids — who may have physical or cognitive disabilities — count on and are legally entitled to specially-designed instruction. Last year, Illinois school districts…
NORMAL — A chemical and agricultural behemoth has bought a St. Louis-based startup company that works closely with Illinois State University, where researchers have worked to domesticate the weed pennycress into a cover crop and oil seed plant dubbed CoverCress. That plant is now producing a marketable crop. And Bayer has bought out venture capitalists…
One month after staging a primary upset, Republican Darren Bailey is laboring to reel in supporters of a top Republican primary rival and has yet to log a six- or seven-figure campaign contribution in his fall fight against billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker. Compounding Bailey’s struggles, hedge fund billionaire Kenneth Griffin, who put $50 million into…
MACOMB – A mural honoring civil rights pioneer the Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian and his connections to Macomb was officially unveiled on Saturday in the 200 block of East Carroll Street. The mural, entitled “Life of a Servant,” is 75 feet long and 18 feet tall. On one end a profile of an older Vivian overlooks…
HAZELWOOD, Mo. — Camila Cage woke to the sound of her phone rumbling on her nightstand early Tuesday, its glow piercing the darkness as a severe weather advisory pops up on the screen. “I just thought it was normal,” the 31-year-old said. “You know, a normal severe thunderstorm warning. I didn’t think it’s going to…
YORKVILLE – Ten minutes down the road on her way to work, Joni Carter gets a message on her phone. Her 14-year-old daughter’s school bus was canceled…again. Now, she has to double back to her Yorkville home, pick up her daughter and take her to school herself. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s528/audio/2022/07/0719busf.mp3 Listen to this story here. “Then there…
DEKALB — In the middle of February this year, a few weeks into the spring semester, Northern Illinois University’s varsity Overwatch team overmatches Northern Kentucky University — a shining effort that marks the team’s first victory of the season. It’s their first season playing at the new NIU esports arena, where varsity players compete in…
PEORIA — OSF HealthCare’s insurance policy bars its LGBTQ employees from fertility treatment coverage. That’s according to a new report by Bloomberg Law. Reporter Shira Stein told WCBU that while most health plans use the CDC’s definition of infertility, OSF’s stated policy covers fertility treatments only for married, opposite-sex couples. Stein said while neither federal…
The Illinois governor said he wouldn’t oppose President Joe Biden, and he lacks the name recognition of other potential candidates. But he’s hitting the national circuits. It’s the summer of 2024. The Democratic National Convention is in Chicago. President Joe Biden, after vowing to seek a second term, dropped his re-election plans because voters turned…
SAUGET — llinois Governor J.B. Pritzker recently signed a new law limiting the ways so-called “forever” chemicals can be disposed of in the state. But the sheer volume of these chemicals continues to present significant challenges. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s528/audio/2022/07/0712pfasf.mp3 Listen to this story here. PFAS or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are shorthand for a family of over…
The electric automaker Rivian has been working to ramp up production on three vehicles in Normal in the face of global supply-chain problems that have disrupted many automakers. Those supply-chain issues have contributed to delivery delays and led Rivian to set a production target of 25,000 vehicles in 2022 — a number that’s half what…
HIGHLAND PARK – A seventh person died Tuesday of injuries sustained during a mass shooting at Highland Park’s Fourth of July parade, as prosecutors announced the alleged gunman will face seven counts of first-degree murder with “dozens” more criminal charges soon to follow, authorities said Tuesday. At a news conference Tuesday staged just west of…
HIGHLAND PARK — A mass shooting at a Highland Park Fourth of July parade sparked hours of fear across Chicago’s North Shore as authorities conducted a massive manhunt for the young man who allegedly gunned down dozens of people from a rooftop perch. Police identified the shooting suspect as Robert “Bobby” Crimo III, a 22-year-old…
HIGHLAND PARK – Nicolas Toledo wasn’t sure if he wanted to go to the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park. He used a walker and figured there would be a large crowd gathered to watch the parade’s floats, said Xochil Toledo, his granddaughter. The family didn’t want to leave him alone, so on Monday morning,…
HIGHLAND PARK – Six people were killed and dozens wounded when a gunman used a high-powered rifle to fire from a rooftop on people attending the Highland Park Fourth of July parade Monday. At 6:45 p.m., the Highland Park police said a “person of interest” identified “through investigative leads” as Robert E. “Bobby” Crimo III, 22,…