217 Today: Champaign County’s League of Women Voters calls for the end of the county executive position

217 Today: Champaign County’s League of Women Voters calls for the end of the county executive position

Thursday, September 22, 2022 Today’s headlines: Former President Trump’s downtown Chicago skyscraper is part of a sweeping fraud lawsuit brought by New York’s attorney general. A central Illinois mayor says Chicago is reaching out to other cities across Illinois for help as it deals with immigrants bused in by red-state Governors. We fact check claims…

217 Today: David Palmer helps former political opponent as November election draws closer

217 Today: David Palmer helps former political opponent as November election draws closer

Wednesday, September 21, 2022 Today’s headlines: Another Illinois lawmaker is facing federal bribery charges. The Illinois Audubon Society named Joanne Fesset as its new executive director on Tuesday. A business incubator focused on disadvantaged neighborhoods in Champaign is expanding its chess program. Negotiations resumed on Tuesday between the Mahomet-Seymour school district and its teachers and…

217 Today: New online resource aims to help people vote in November midterm election

217 Today: New online resource aims to help people vote in November midterm election

Tuesday, September 20, 2022 Today’s headlines: Voting by mail in Illinois jumped in popularity during the height of the pandemic, and that trend may continue for the November election. The Illinois State Fair is reporting record-breaking attendance this year. The Planned Parenthood clinic located in Champaign is now providing in-patient, surgical abortions. Champaign health experts…

217 Today: Researchers say some cities are spending COVID relief money on traditional policing, despite reporting otherwise

217 Today: Researchers say some cities are spending COVID relief money on traditional policing, despite reporting otherwise

Monday, September 19, 2022 Today’s headlines: The Safe-T act introduces a wide range of reforms to Illinois’ criminal justice system. This includes the controversial elimination of cash bail in January 2023. Several states that have completed federal consent decrees may offer ways Illinois could improve its child welfare system. On Sept. 28, the White House…

217 Today: Sinfonia da Camera prepares for season-opening concert

217 Today: Sinfonia da Camera prepares for season-opening concert

Friday, September 16, 2022 Today’s headlines: Democratic Illinois U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth is condemning Republican Senator Lindsey Graham’s recent proposal for a nationwide abortion ban. The Champaign County League of Women Voters is recommending the county do away with its elected executive just four years after its first county executive was elected. After three months…

217 Today: Host reflects on ‘Classically Black’ series that featured classical music by people of color

217 Today: Host reflects on ‘Classically Black’ series that featured classical music by people of color

Thursday, September 15, 2022 Today’s headlines: For the first time, Planned Parenthood’s Champaign clinic will provide surgical abortions. Governor JB Pritzker has signed a disaster proclamation to address the flow of migrant buses from Texas. In Illinois Newsroom’s first “truth test,” reporter Harrison Malkin fact-checked claims made in the Champaign county clerk race. In today’s…

217 Today: Survivors of gun violence struggle with long-term physical and emotional health issues

217 Today: Survivors of gun violence struggle with long-term physical and emotional health issues

Wednesday, September 14, 2022 Today’s headlines: Republican Illinois gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey supports an ad that shows a woman getting attacked in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. The state’s utility watchdog is rolling out a new guide to help buyers considering an electric vehicle. Seven community colleges in Illinois have won a total of $5 million from…

217 Today: Redistricting puts some Vermilion County voters in the same congressional district with part of Chicago

217 Today: Redistricting puts some Vermilion County voters in the same congressional district with part of Chicago

Tuesday, September 13, 2022 Today’s headlines: Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne Burke will retire from the bench later this year, court officials announced today. Millions of Illinoisans will see money show up in the mail or in their bank accounts over the next six to eight weeks. Faculty unions at five public Illinois universities…

217 Today: Rural veterinarians struggle to pay off medical school debt

217 Today: Rural veterinarians struggle to pay off medical school debt

Monday, September 12, 2022 Today’s headlines: Two Illinois lawmakers are pushing legislation that would create a wind farm off the shores of Lake Michigan. University of Illinois officials reported 317 new COVID-19 cases on the Urbana campus last week. That’s much lower than the week before when there were more than one thousand new cases….

217 Today: A new report reveals the number of Illinoisians who signed up for a far-right militia group

217 Today: A new report reveals the number of Illinoisians who signed up for a far-right militia group

Friday, September 9, 2022 Today’s headlines: Illinois’ Republican gubernatorial candidate now has a positive TV ad running statewide, but it didn’t come until nearly two months before the general election. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said his staff has been unable to coordinate with Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s staff as groups of migrants have appeared in…

217 Today: Champaign invests COVID-19 relief in grassroots program to deter gun violence

217 Today: Champaign invests COVID-19 relief in grassroots program to deter gun violence

Thursday, September 8, 2022 Today’s headlines: A cannabis advocacy group is warning the state’s recreational marijuana program has a lot of problems that need immediate attention. Bringing more diversity into the green economy is one of the central goals of Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act signed into law last September. Illinois Congressman Rodney Davis…

217 Today: Volunteer groups work to test rivers and lakes for toxic algae blooms

217 Today: Volunteer groups work to test rivers and lakes for toxic algae blooms

Wednesday, September 7, 2022 Today’s headlines: Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey continues to blame Governor J.B. Pritzker for crime in the state, but Bailey says he can fix it. Governor J.B. Pritzker made a stop in Decatur yesterday to announce state funding for electric vehicle manufacturing. Undergraduates at the University of Illinois tested positive…

217 Today: How Biden’s student loan forgiveness helps some Illinois grads move forward

217 Today: How Biden’s student loan forgiveness helps some Illinois grads move forward

Tuesday, September 6, 2022 Today’s headlines: On Monday, Governor J.B. Pritzker told Rock Island County Democrats that Illinois is “the most pro-labor state in the country, and it will remain that way” during the Democrats’ annual Salute to Labor in East Moline. The Inflation Reduction Act revived the national conversation around insulin prices.  A kinesiology…

217 Today: Midwestern states promote unexpected activities to attract tourism

217 Today: Midwestern states promote unexpected activities to attract tourism

Friday, September 2, 2022 Today’s headlines: The CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois says they’re working hard to keep abortion care legal in the state. Illinois lawmakers working to pass gun laws say it will take some time before they reach a consensus. The University of Illinois is under attack by one gubernatorial challenger for…

217 Today: New report from C-U Citizen Access highlights causes of local gun violence

217 Today: New report from C-U Citizen Access highlights causes of local gun violence

Thursday, September 1, 2022 Today’s headlines: A group of Illinois lawmakers tasked with expanding abortion rights is hoping to pass legislation before the end of the year. Clinical trials show the antiviral Paxlovid can reduce the risk of COVID-related hospitalization and death by 89 percent, but a new report shows it’s being underutilized.  Illinois’ 13th…