Friday, April 19, 2024 Today’s headlines: Patient advocates are backing an effort led by Governor J.B. Pritzker to ban junk insurance plans in Illinois. Some Illinois mayors are pushing back against Governor J.B. Pritzker’s idea to cut the state’s one percent grocery tax. The Illinois Senate passed legislation this week aimed at supporting local media in…
Thursday, April 18, 2024 Today’s headlines: The Illinois State Board of Education is asking state lawmakers for billions of dollars for the next school year and a chunk of that would go for migrant students. Madison County voters in the Metro East are one step closer to taking a symbolic vote on seceding from Illinois. …
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 Today’s headlines: Unofficially, Republican incumbent Adam Niemerg won his write-in campaign for the 102nd district race for the Illinois House Representatives. Illinois Jewish leaders are concerned about a major increase in antisemitic incidents. Congress took time to honor Urbana native and educator William Patterson. University of Illinois students, alumni, and staff…
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 Today’s headlines: The U.S. Supreme Court seems ready to narrow a federal bribery law used in some big Chicago corruption cases. Governor J.B. Pritzker is promoting his plan to eliminate medical debt for hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans. Urbana School District 116 is set to vote Tuesday on which elementary school will…
Monday, April 15, 2024 Today’s headlines: Illinois lawmakers are moving to update the state’s biometric privacy law. The major theme for a service celebrating the life of local educator Dr. William Patterson was, “It don’t stop.” A shooting in a Chicago neighborhood killed a 7-year-old girl and left nearly a dozen others injured. In today’s deep…
Friday, April 12, 2024 Today’s headlines: A bill headed for the Illinois House could give library employees enhanced legal protections. The principal of Booker T. Washington STEM Academy in Champaign is resigning. Illinois lawmakers are trying to regulate an industry that could be taking customers out of cannabis dispensaries. A referendum about abortion pills on campus…
Thursday, April 11, 2024 Today’s headlines: The Biden administration announced plans this week to provide student debt relief to more than 30 million borrowers. The federal government is cracking down on toxic “forever chemicals” with new drinking water standards. Local efforts are helping people redistribute eclipse glasses. In today’s deep dive, we’ll listen to a conversation…
Wednesday, April 10, 2024 Today’s headlines: The Illinois Secretary of State knows the DMV can be confusing, and he’s trying a new model to fix that. A national consulting firm released the first part of its report about staffing at the Urbana Police Department. Some Champaign-Urbana residents are struggling to afford groceries because grocery prices around…
Tuesday, April 9, 2024 Today’s headlines: For a few minutes in the middle of the day, millions around Illinois experienced darkness as part of a total solar eclipse on Monday. More than 300 University of Illinois Chicago faculty, students and alumni are sounding the alarm about an effort to rein in campus speech. In today’s…
Monday, April 8, 2024 Today’s headlines: Southern Illinois towns along the line of totality are holding events and celebrations for Monday’s solar eclipse. Thousands of eclipse chasers are descending on southern Illinois and Missouri hoping for a chance to see Monday’s celestial spectacle. There’s a statewide advisory board that meets four times a year to figure…
Friday, April 5, 2024 Today’s headlines: The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is investigating a large fish kill near the McLean-Livingston county line that could be linked to a nearby hazardous material spill. Hundreds of officers from across the region joined DeKalb community members in honoring Sheriff’s Deputy Christina Musil during services at Northern Illinois University’s Convocation…
Thursday, April 4, 2024 Today’s headlines: Members of Illinois’ hospitality industry are rallying hard against an effort to eliminate the state’s tip credit for tipped workers. The Democratic National Convention will be in Chicago later this summer. Planners say they want the event to be considerate of the environment. The not-for-profit parent of WBEZ and the…
Wednesday, April 3, 2024 Today’s headlines: About 54 Urbana Middle School teachers called in sick on Monday to protest student misbehavior after a Special Education student got a severe neck injury at school. The Champaign Urbana community is mourning the death of an educator who worked tirelessly to bring STEM education to Black neighborhoods. Illinois…
Tuesday, April 2, 2024 Today’s headlines: Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker says the state’s Prisoner Review Board needs to change how it approaches some cases. An Illinois wildlife rescuer is encouraging hunters to consider alternatives to lead ammunition to protect bald eagles. The total eclipse of the sun happening April 8 is set to bring many visitors to…
Monday, April 1, 2024 Today’s headlines: The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team lost to UConn in Saturday’s NCAA Elite 8 matchup. It is not uncommon for Black women to look to Facebook to find good hairstylists at affordable prices. But people should be aware of scammers who create fake accounts. LGBTQ advocates are celebrating a new…