Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021 Today’s headlines: State employees who work in congregate settings like prisons and group homes for adults with disabilities have until the end of the day today to get their first COVID-19 vaccine dose. But despite progress with Illinois’ largest public employee union, Governor JB Pritzker has reached an impasse on negotiations…
Monday, Oct. 25, 2021 Today’s headlines: Democrats who control the General Assembly are preparing to approve new political boundary lines this week for the next 10 years of congressional elections in Illinois. Federal regulators are set to decide soon whether to authorize the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. Local providers are…
Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 Today’s headlines: Representative Adam Kinzinger was the only Republican member of Congress from Illinois who voted to hold Trump ally Steve Bannon in contempt for defying a subpoena from the committee investigating the January 6th attack on the US Capitol. African-American enrollment in the University of Illinois system has inched up in…
Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021 Today’s headlines: After passing a major criminal justice reform law earlier this year, Democrats in Springfield are pushing for more progressive ideas, like allowing prisoners to vote and expanding parole. But Republicans are pushing back. From now through next Friday, Champaign County residents who have failed to pay fines related to…
Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021 Today’s headlines: Yesterday, a three-judge panel ruled Democrats’ plan to redraw Illinois’ legislative district boundaries is unconstitutional. The Reverend Jesse Jackson is calling for federal investigations into the death of Jelani Day, an Illinois State University grad student whose body was found last month. A new comedy at Krannert Center focuses…
Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021 Today’s headlines: A fourth labor group has now agreed to Governor J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for state employees in congregate care settings. Illinois educators rewrote their environmental literacy framework for the first time in a decade. Carle Foundation Hospital will drop Aetna Medicare in January. In today’s deep dive, we’ll hear from…
Monday, Oct. 18, 2021 Today’s headlines: By the end of the month, Democrats who control the General Assembly will approve a new map determining Illinois’ congressional district boundary lines for the next decade. The Durga Puja festival took place over the weekend at the Channing-Murray Foundation in Urbana. The annual festival celebrates the Hindu goddess Durga. Nearly…
Friday, Oct. 15, 2021 https://will.illinois.edu/nfs/217Today101521.mp3 Today’s headlines: More than 10,000 John Deere workers at plants in Illinois, Iowa and Kansas went on strike Thursday after their union contract ran out at midnight. A 20-year-old Champaign man was arraigned Thursday for a deadly mass shooting that occurred in Champaign in July. Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District is one…
Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021 Today’s headlines: Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration is pushing to make additional state funding for Illinois nursing homes contingent on facilities solving staffing issues. The mother of Jelani Day says she is working hard to learn how and why her son was killed. Higher fertilizer prices are pushing up the cost of growing…
Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 Today’s headlines: U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth is urging her fellow Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly to repeal a law requiring teens seeking abortions to notify their parents or guardians —or else petition a judge. Protests near the Illini Union and Alma Mater on the U of I Urbana campus may…
Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021 Today’s headlines: Democrats who control the General Assembly are already facing legal challenges from Republicans and Latino voting rights groups over new legislative maps the majority party passed earlier this year. University of Illinois wheelchair athletes Tatyana McFadden and Daniel Romanchuk both finished second yesterday at the Boston Marathon, less than…
Monday, Oct. 11, 2021 Today’s headlines: Illinois may start offering tax incentives to electric vehicle manufacturers as part of its bid to build up its green energy industry. Champaign-Urbana community members are looking for solutions to gun violence through local aid organizations. A post on the Justice for Jelani Day Facebook page says today’s scheduled burial…
Friday, Oct. 8, 2021 Today’s headlines: President Joe Biden Thursday praised Governor JB Pritzker’s vaccine mandates for Illinois teachers, healthcare workers and certain state employees during a visit to Chicago’s northwest suburbs. Lawmakers can’t really control the spread of misinformation on Facebook, but, they can try to break up the social media giant, according to University…
Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021 Today’s headlines: Illinois’ violent crime rate is about 7 percent above the national average, according to new FBI data released last week. Advocates for the homeless say they’re working to close a critical gap in services in Champaign County—and they’re looking for the public’s help. Officials at the University of Illinois…
Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021 Today’s Headlines: A new report is calling for more robust health and housing support for LGBT Illinoisans as they age. Plans for the world’s first carbon-neutral industrial park are gaining momentum in Putnam County. A group of public commenters chastised the Normal Town Council during its regular meeting Monday night about…