217 Today: Bruce Hornsby’s new collaboration

217 Today: Bruce Hornsby’s new collaboration

Thursday, March 7, 2024 Today’s headlines: Both Champaign and Urbana have an open seat on their school boards. Governor J.B. Pritzker says a new state-wide grant program will address food insecurity across Illinois while also assisting socially disadvantaged farmers. Governor J.B. Pritzker stands by his call to eliminate the state’s 1% tax permanently as mayors across…

217 Today: Illinois commission releases recommendations on how to make higher-ed funding more equitable

217 Today: Illinois commission releases recommendations on how to make higher-ed funding more equitable

Wednesday, March 6, 2024 Today’s headlines: A former Democratic Illinois governor is teaming up with a Republican on ethics reform for politicians. A proposal in Springfield would ban small toiletry containers from Illinois hotels – with the goal of reducing plastic waste. Now’s the time many families start signing kids up for summer camp. For…

217 Today: University of Illinois student journalists travel to Sierra Leone to document ‘period poverty’

217 Today: University of Illinois student journalists travel to Sierra Leone to document ‘period poverty’

Monday, March 5, 2024 Today’s headlines:  The U.S. Supreme Court is putting an end to an Illinois challenge to knock Donald Trump off the ballot. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin continues to push for a ceasefire in Gaza as conditions there worsen. The Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing tech Hub applied to receive $70 million from the Federal…

217 Today: How Peoria’s used bookstores thrive in the digital age and build community

217 Today: How Peoria’s used bookstores thrive in the digital age and build community

Monday, March 4, 2024 Today’s headlines:  Reproductive rights advocates and Illinois lawmakers say a recent ruling from Alabama’s high court is an opportunity for the state to eliminate financial barriers to fertility treatments. Western Illinois University is in the market for a new president. Protesters gathered at Champaign’s West Side Park this weekend for a…

217 Today: Deer hunting ‘a cycle of life.’ But fewer people are hunting in Illinois

217 Today: Deer hunting ‘a cycle of life.’ But fewer people are hunting in Illinois

Thursday, February 29, 2024 Today’s headlines: Three film production studios received a total of $10 million in funding through the Illinois Soundstage Program. The state pension for the now-convicted aide to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is being suspended. Every year, the Champaign-based Education Justice Project distributes thousands of re-entry guides to people in Illinois prisons….

217 Today: Peoria parents, administrators face uncertainty after end of private school scholarship program

217 Today: Peoria parents, administrators face uncertainty after end of private school scholarship program

Wednesday, February 28, 2024 Today’s headlines: Illinois Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth is introducing a bill to preserve access to IVF treatments. Governor J.B. Pritzker says he doesn’t think Illinois should adopt California’s approach toward strict zero-emissions vehicle standards. There’s troubling news about the monarch butterflies that migrate to Illinois each summer. Data from researchers in…

Nadirah

217 Today: Nadirah Shakoor talks Arrested Development, Jimmy Buffet and her musical career

Tuesday, February 27, 2024 Today’s headlines:  The federal and state of Illinois environmental protection agencies signed a landmark agreement to overhaul the state’s permitting process around air pollution. University of Illinois freshman Akul Dhawan died from hypothermia in January. His father is calling for an independent investigation into the campus police department for failing to…

217 Today: Most veterinarians are women, but they still face sexism in rural areas where they’re most needed

217 Today: Most veterinarians are women, but they still face sexism in rural areas where they’re most needed

Monday, February 26, 2024  Today’s headlines:  Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is proposing a new plan to fully fund the state’s pension systems. A new report has found that 73% of Illinois’ rural hospitals no longer provide obstetric care. Children and families from Champaign-Urbana gathered at the playground at Meadowbrook Park in Urbana on Saturday because…

217 Today: ‘The most devoted:’ Monmouth-Roseville educator named Illinois Bilingual Teacher of Year

217 Today: ‘The most devoted:’ Monmouth-Roseville educator named Illinois Bilingual Teacher of Year

Friday, February 23, 2024 Today’s headlines: Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is under fire from Republicans for his plans for a popular state tax credit. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker wants to spend $5 million next year to help convert temporary migrant shelters. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants to spend millions of dollars to help decrease the…

217 Today: Music director of the Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana previews the group’s upcoming concert

217 Today: Music director of the Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana previews the group’s upcoming concert

Thursday, February 22, 2024 Today’s headlines: Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker unveiled his nearly $53 billion spending plan during his State of the State address in Springfield yesterday. This time next year, a trial is scheduled to start for the man accused of killing seven people in the 2022 Highland Park mass shooting. The Illinois Legislative…

217 Today: After Illinois banned assault weapons, rural gun owners registered very few of them

217 Today: After Illinois banned assault weapons, rural gun owners registered very few of them

Wednesday, February 21, 2024 Today’s headlines: University of Illinois freshman Akul Dhawan died from hypothermia. That’s the official cause of death, released by Champaign County Coroner Stephen Thuney. Former President Donald Trump endorsed incumbent U.S. Representative Mike Bost. White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf met with Illinois legislative leaders– in person – to request public financing for a…

217 Today: Illinois requires public schools to teach LGBTQ+, Asian American and pre-enslavement Black history. Are teachers ready?

217 Today: Illinois requires public schools to teach LGBTQ+, Asian American and pre-enslavement Black history. Are teachers ready?

Tuesday, February 20, 2024 Today’s headlines:  Illinois lawmakers are back in Springfield Tuesday with some potential fireworks overspending on the horizon. A new Illinois law allows gun owners to keep assault-style weapons if they disclosed them by January first. But state registration rates are low. Champaign County officials are raising money to attract an airline…

217 Today: One man’s re-entry charts a path for more formerly incarcerated people to buy homes

217 Today: One man’s re-entry charts a path for more formerly incarcerated people to buy homes

Monday, February 19, 2024 Today’s headlines:  Police have reclassified the shooting of Brandon Hardway as a homicide, following his death over the weekend. The federal government has sent out letters to the governors of 44 states this month, including Illinois, calling for them to improve efficiency for food assistance applications. Labor unions are targeting two…

217 Today: Here’s what research shows about how couples can thrive despite political differences

217 Today: Here’s what research shows about how couples can thrive despite political differences

Friday, February 16, 2024 Today’s headlines: The state of Illinois and Cook County are partnering to spend another $250 million to care for migrants being sent to Chicago. More than 150 people rallied with the Teamsters union outside of the Illinois Department of Transportation headquarters in Springfield. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker will give his State of…