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…

217 Today: Canning is the new, old-fashioned way home cooks are preserving food — and an American tradition

217 Today: Canning is the new, old-fashioned way home cooks are preserving food — and an American tradition

Wednesday, January 3, 2024 Today’s headlines: Nearly 30,000 Illinois residents complied with a new state law requiring them to register assault-style weapons with the state by the end of the year, but there may be many gun owners who did not comply. Illinois residents are now able to file lawsuits against those who spread digitally altered,…

217 Today: Chicago-area teens attend COP28, return with ideas to fight climate change

217 Today: Chicago-area teens attend COP28, return with ideas to fight climate change

Tuesday, January 2, 2024 Today’s headlines:  Men’s basketball player Terrence Shannon Jr remains suspended by the University of Illinois after being charged with rape for a September incident in Kansas. South and central Illinois residents who rely on Ameren for gas and electricity may soon notice a change in their monthly bills.  This new year,…

217 Today: 5-year-old boy dies, five others hospitalized after becoming ill at Pilsen migrant shelter

217 Today: 5-year-old boy dies, five others hospitalized after becoming ill at Pilsen migrant shelter

December 22, 2023 Today’s headlines: For students in Illinois who need help paying for college, this application season has been an especially anxious one because the federal financial aid application hasn’t opened yet. There is a rise in demand for refined non-alcoholic drinks mixed at home during the holiday season. The Fighting Illini women’s basketball team…

217 Today: Palestinian UIUC student reflects on the loss of her family in Gaza

217 Today: Palestinian UIUC student reflects on the loss of her family in Gaza

December 21, 2023 Today’s headlines: Many hourly workers across Illinois will see a bump in their paychecks in January. The death of a boy living in a Chicago migrant shelter is drawing renewed scrutiny to shelter conditions. The Transportation Security Administration says you might think twice before wrapping gifts ahead of time if you’re taking a flight this…

217 Today: Should the U.S. keep old trees around to store carbon or cut them down? It’s a heated debate

217 Today: Should the U.S. keep old trees around to store carbon or cut them down? It’s a heated debate

December 20, 2023 Today’s headlines: State officials are urging healthcare facilities to step up their efforts to curb the spread of respiratory viruses.  Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says new rules for buses transporting migrants were aimed at increasing collaboration between city and Texas officials. Planned Parenthood of Illinois is opening a new health center in…

217 Today: Colleges hand out scholarships to attract top students — at the expense of kids in need

217 Today: Colleges hand out scholarships to attract top students — at the expense of kids in need

Tuesday, December 19, 2023 Today’s headlines:  West suburban Oak Park has told migrants temporarily living in two locations that they must move out by the end of January. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is demanding that the Biden Administration kick in more funds to overhaul Chicago’s Union Station. Applications are now being taken for farmers who…

217 Today: Western Illinois University getting outside perspective on addressing challenges

217 Today: Western Illinois University getting outside perspective on addressing challenges

Monday, December 18, 2023 Today’s headlines:  The Chicago City Council blocked a resolution last week for voters to weigh in on the city’s sanctuary city designation. The marching band at Western Illinois University is engaged in a heavy competition that could earn it new musical equipment. The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team defeated the Colgate…

217 Today: The harrowing journeys of migrants are revealed in the quiet spaces of Chicago

217 Today: The harrowing journeys of migrants are revealed in the quiet spaces of Chicago

December 15, 2023 Today’s headlines: The U.S. Supreme Court is again refusing to strike down Illinois’ ban on semi-automatic guns and high-capacity magazines. The shell of a 30-foot-tall Minuteman missile stands along U.S. Route 45 in the Champaign County town of Rantoul, marking what was once the western entrance to the Chanute Air Force Base. Four people…

217 Today: Why do many states want to get rid of the eastern redcedar?

217 Today: Why do many states want to get rid of the eastern redcedar?

December 14, 2023 Today’s headlines: Governor J.B. Pritzker has declared this week dog and cat adoption week in Illinois. Governor J.B. Pritzker’s office says there are no plans to pay a private security firm for construction at a now-scrapped base camp to shelter migrants. The Cook County Department of Public Health says now is the…

217 Today: Lifted moratorium will allow Illinois to build new nuclear reactors

217 Today: Lifted moratorium will allow Illinois to build new nuclear reactors

December 13, 2023 Today’s headlines: The Illinois state attorney general’s office entered into an agreement to stop enforcement of the law that cracked down on so-called crisis pregnancy centers. Illinois lawmakers are still hashing out permanent rules that will govern the state’s assault weapons ban, which goes into effect on Jan. 1. The pressure of finding…

217 Today: Many families struggle to find in-patient mental health care for children

217 Today: Many families struggle to find in-patient mental health care for children

Tuesday, December 12, 2023  Today’s headlines:  Illinois State Police are increasingly using “clear and present danger” reports to prevent people who may be a threat from having or getting firearms. People being released from the Cook County jail will be able to get a key resource on their way out the door — a free…