217 Today: Army Corps plans $1 billion barricade to deter invasive carp at Illinois and Des Plaines

217 Today: Army Corps plans $1 billion barricade to deter invasive carp at Illinois and Des Plaines

Thursday, January 25, 2025 Today’s headlines: Champaign County is short of skilled nursing home beds, according to the local health district. Domestic violence victims and their advocates are still pleading with Illinois lawmakers to pass Karina’s Bill. Illinois officially adopted a plan to raise its literacy rates. A Chicago-based group collecting data on Asian American, Native Hawaiian…

217 Today: After caring for little ones, Illinois’ home-based child care providers often make minimum wage — or less

217 Today: After caring for little ones, Illinois’ home-based child care providers often make minimum wage — or less

Wednesday, January 24, 2024 Today’s headlines: Illinois’ Secretary of State is behind an effort to ban certain food additives from products sold here. A new campus in south suburban Blue Island will provide housing for dozens of women ages 17 to 21 who are aging out of the Illinois foster care system. Gun violence in…

217 Today: Pro-Palestinian students want universities to stop investing in companies with ties to Israel

217 Today: Pro-Palestinian students want universities to stop investing in companies with ties to Israel

Tuesday, January 23, 2024 Today’s headlines:  A proposed tax cut for Illinois families would reduce child poverty by eight percent, according to research from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute. Yesterday marked 51 years since the U.S. Supreme Court granted nationwide abortion access with their decision in Roe v. Wade decision. A Great Lakes advocacy organization…

217 Today: How a National Music Museum made its home in the Midwest

217 Today: How a National Music Museum made its home in the Midwest

Monday, January 22, 2024 Today’s headlines:  A federal judge has ruled in favor of Illini basketball star Terrence Shannon, Jr, who has been accused of rape in Kansas. The Illinois Supreme Court has upheld a 2019 law that consolidated more than 600 suburban and downstate police and fire pension funds. The Fighting Illini men’s basketball…

217 Today: FAFSA just changed a lot. What does it mean for Illinois students?

217 Today: FAFSA just changed a lot. What does it mean for Illinois students?

Friday, January 19, 2024 Today’s headlines: The University of Illinois Board of Trustees voted not to raise tuition for in-state undergraduates who enroll for the first time in the fall. Chicago teachers say they need more funding to help support newly arrived migrant children. As the death toll in Gaza increases more people in Champaign County are…

A composite image shows 7 headshots, some photos and some drawings, as well as one drawing of a blaster, representing some of the contributors to the "Pride of the Illini" project.

217 Today: “Pride of the Illini” showcases LGBTQ+ stories and art at UIUC

Thursday, January 18, 2024 Today’s headlines: A working group dedicated to preserving and enhancing local news in Illinois is out with its recommendations. The Illinois State Board of Elections is now reviewing objections to President Biden and former President Trump appearing on the state ballot. In the first year of Illinois’ new early childhood initiative,…

217 Today: Service helps on MLK Day, but some say it’s not enough

217 Today: Service helps on MLK Day, but some say it’s not enough

Wednesday, January 17, 2024 Today’s headlines: The Illinois State Police is one step closer to finalizing the enforcement rules for a controversial law that bans semi-automatic firearms and high-capacity magazines. Illinois State Senator Steve Stadelman says it’s important for state laws to keep pace with the advancement of technology. A state task force is in the…

217 Today: Books Illinois students loved most in 2023

217 Today: Books Illinois students loved most in 2023

Tuesday, January 16, 2024 Today’s headlines:  Illinois lawmakers will try again Tuesday to approve the final rules governing the state’s assault weapons ban. Illinois state Senator Adriane Johnson wants to expand what constitutes a hate crime in the state. In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn more about the books Illinois students loved the most in 2023 according…

217 Today: Trump did not sign Illinois’ loyalty oath that says he won’t advocate for overthrowing the government

217 Today: Trump did not sign Illinois’ loyalty oath that says he won’t advocate for overthrowing the government

Friday, January 12, 2024 Today’s headlines: Illinois is awarding a grant to help a cancer treatment center in southern Illinois expand. There was a nearly 50% jump in the number of people from other states who came to Illinois for an abortion the year Roe v. Wade was overturned. Agricultural officials want Congress to pass a farm…

217 Today: Harm reduction efforts in Illinois help keep people who use substances safe — and alive

217 Today: Harm reduction efforts in Illinois help keep people who use substances safe — and alive

Thursday, January 11, 2024 Today’s headlines: Meteorologists say you need to prepare now for bitterly cold temperatures over the weekend. Governor J.B. Pritzker is talking up the state’s economic achievements as the new year gets underway. A new report released yesterday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation sheds light on children’s well-being in Illinois. Original…

217 Today: What’s Happening in Champaign-Urbana Jan. 11– Jan. 14

217 Today: What’s Happening in Champaign-Urbana Jan. 11– Jan. 14

Wednesday, January 10, 2024 Today’s headlines: As wet snow continues to fall drivers are being reminded to be cautious on the roads. After two years of debate, the board of Urbana School District 116 has decided to unite its Spanish dual language programs under one roof. A group of Chicago-area business leaders is “cautiously optimistic” about the…

217 Today: He used education to escape a violent childhood. Today, he wants to help kids in similar

217 Today: He used education to escape a violent childhood. Today, he wants to help kids in similar

Tuesday, January 9, 2023 Today’s headlines:  Planned Parenthood of Illinois’ Carbondale Health Center has been up and running for two weeks now… and staff there say they’ve already seen several out-of-state patients. There is hardly any ice on Lake Michigan — with less than a fraction of one percent currently covering the lake. Researchers at…

217 Today: How the Jan. 6 insurrection could impact the next presidential election

217 Today: How the Jan. 6 insurrection could impact the next presidential election

Monday, January 8, 2024 Today’s headlines:  For decades, Illinois political candidates have routinely signed a loyalty pledge not to overthrow the government. But Republican Donald Trump didn’t do that this year, and it’s becoming a flashpoint in the presidential campaign. We will know for the first time this year how many people in Illinois prisons…

217 Today: Deep-pocketed, self-funding candidates and dark money mar Illinois politics

217 Today: Deep-pocketed, self-funding candidates and dark money mar Illinois politics

Friday, January 5, 2024 Today’s headlines: Former President Donald Trump’s status as a presidential candidate in Illinois is now being challenged. Illinois will not reach an interim goal of reducing runoff pollution across the state’s waterways. Illinois’ two U.S. Senators are warning Rivian and other non-union automakers not to interfere with unionizing efforts at their plants….

217 Today: Illinois Public Media launches Illinois Soul — a new platform amplifying Black voices and music

217 Today: Illinois Public Media launches Illinois Soul — a new platform amplifying Black voices and music

Thursday, January 4, 2024 Today’s headlines: Illinois’ troubled child welfare agency will have a new director next month. Some suburban Chicago residents say they’re fed up with the way Governor J.B. Pritzker is managing the influx of asylum seekers sent here from Texas. A federal judge is delaying the start of the corruption trial of…