217 Today: April 16, 2021

217 Today: April 16, 2021

Friday, April 16, 2021 Today’s headlines: Video of the fatal Chicago police shooting of Adam Toledo shows the 13-year-old raising his arms above his head the moment he is shot. COVID-19 is seeing a new resurgence in Region 2 of Illinois. The president of OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria says his hospital is currently at…

217 Today: April 9, 2021

217 Today: April 9, 2021

Friday, April 9, 2021 Today’s Headlines: The Illinois Department of Public Health reported more than 3,700 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday. Health officials also reported more than 154,000 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine were administered on Wednesday, a new daily record. An Illinois House committee gathering input from different parts of the state on redistricting heard…

217 Today: April 6, 2021

217 Today: April 6, 2021

Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Today’s headlines: Voters are choosing candidates Tuesday for local offices from mayor to school board. Polls are open until 7 p.m. Gov. JB Pritzker stopped in Champaign on Monday to discuss money coming to schools from the American Rescue Plan Act. Republican Congressman Rodney Davis is calling for the governor to live up…

217 Today: Friday April 2, 2021

217 Today: Friday April 2, 2021

Friday, April 2, 2021 Today’s headlines: One state lawmaker wants to make submitting standardized test scores to colleges and universities permanently optional. Republican Congressman Rodney Davis is telling his fellow Republicans to trust the science and get vaccinated for COVID-19. Rantoul village officials say the first commercial development near the new Family Sports Complex is in the…

217 Today — March 31, 2021

217 Today — March 31, 2021

Wednesday, March 31, 2021 https://will.illinois.edu/nfs/217Today3-31-21.mp3 Today’s headlines: Illinois Republicans are again calling for an independent commission to draw Illinois’ new legislative maps. A bill introduced in the Illinois House earlier this year would require the state to tackle gun violence as a public health issue. Dozens of people gathered outside the Champaign City Building Tuesday…

217 Today — March 30, 2021

217 Today — March 30, 2021

Tuesday, March 30, 2021 https://will.illinois.edu/nfs/217Today3-30-21.mp3 Today’s headlines: U.S. Senator Dick Durbin says he hopes Democrats and Republicans can come to an accord which avoids the elimination of the filibuster. Public colleges and universities in Illinois are asking the Governor and Illinois Department of Public Health to force college students to get coronavirus vaccines or not attend classes…

217 Today — March 26, 2021

217 Today — March 26, 2021

Friday, March 26, 2021 Today’s headlines: More than two-thirds of staff at Illinois prisons rejected their chance at getting the COVID-19 vaccine. A bill state legislators say would expand voting rights is on its way to the governor after passing the Senate. It would increase vote by mail options and allow curbside voting. Larger cities in Illinois…

217 Today — Dec. 15, 2020

217 Today — Dec. 15, 2020

Tuesday December 15, 2020 Today’s headlines: Illinois received its first shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Monday. The University of Illinois still doesn’t have emergency use authorization from the FDA for its COVID-19 saliva test, but anticipates having it by January.   Illinois public health officials reported 7,214 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, and an additional 103 deaths.   Hospitals in Central Illinois are preparing to…

217 Today — Dec. 11, 2020

217 Today — Dec. 11, 2020

Friday December 11, 2020 Today’s headlines:  Governor JB Pritzker’s administration is sending Illinois National Guard medical staff to assist with Coronavirus testing and screening at three of the state’s four veterans’ homes. The governor’s office last week announced the 50 counties in Illinois that would be first in line for vaccine distribution for healthcare workers, a demographic…

217 Today — Dec. 9, 2020

217 Today — Dec. 9, 2020

Wednesday December 9, 2020 Today’s headlines: Republican lawmakers are proposing changes to Illinois’ constitution that would allow for recall elections in Illinois — something currently reserved only for the governor. The state’s Department of Public Health reported more than 7,900 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, which brings the statewide total case count to more than…

217 Today — Dec. 4, 2020

217 Today — Dec. 4, 2020

Friday December 4, 2020 Today’s headlines: Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger is blaming Democratic Governor JB Pritzker for not controlling a fatal COVID outbreak at an Illinois veterans’ home. Illinois’ blood supply is again experiencing a critical shortage as the Coronavirus pandemic wears on. State health officials announced nearly 11,000 new COVID-19 cases yesterday and almost 200 additional…

217 Today — Nov. 25, 2020

217 Today — Nov. 25, 2020

Wednesday November 25, 2020 Today’s headlines: One in four people hospitalized in Illinois are COVID-19 patients –even as the rate of COVID diagnosis has slowed down in the last two weeks. Champaign Unit 4 Schools distributed nearly 500 Thanksgiving meals to families this week. Hospitals in central Illinois are exploring ways to increase capacity to care for an increasing number…

217 Today — Nov. 20, 2020

217 Today — Nov. 20, 2020

Friday November 20, 2020 Today’s headlines: Governor JB Pritzker yesterday called on longtime Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan to resign if he won’t appear in public and answer questions about a bribery scheme. Illinois state health officials are continuing to urge residents to stay home for the holidays and avoid large indoor gatherings of any kind. They…

217 Today — Nov. 13, 2020

217 Today — Nov. 13, 2020

Friday November 13, 2020 Today’s headlines: Governor JB Pritzker is warning of another possible stay-at-home order for Illinois as Coronavirus stats keep climbing. Today is the last day for in-person classes at the Champaign Unit Four and Urbana school districts until January. Both districts say they’re switching to remote instruction only, starting Monday per recommendations from the Champaign-Urbana Public…