Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 Today’s headlines: The Chicago Rockford International Airport announced Tuesday that it’s limiting access into the Bell Bowl Prairie until further environmental assessments can be completed. The Rockford Airport Authority agreed to temporarily halt construction over some of the last remaining high quality dry gravel prairie in Illinois. The Champaign community gathered last week…
Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021 Today’s headlines: The House passed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill over the weekend. The bill is projected to send at least $17 billion to Illinois for things like roads and bridges, airports, public transit, broadband access, and water infrastructure. Governor J.B. Pritzker appeared Monday on a panel with three other Democratic governors at the U.N….
Monday, Nov. 8, 2021 Today’s headlines: Illinois political leaders have been in Glasgow, Scotland for the U.N. Climate Change Conference —or COP26 —since last week. They’re touting the state’s new plan to prioritize green energy and cut fossil fuels from Illinois’ electric grid by 2050. LGBTQ+ students were harassed during Spirit Week at Mahomet-Seymour High…
Friday, Nov. 5, 2021 Today’s headlines: Republican congressman Rodney Davis currently sits alone in the new 15th Congressional District, but he hasn’t yet announced his 2022 election plans. A new tool school districts could use might help their educators improve and get students back on track. Champaign County’s Jail Facilities Committee voted Wednesday to make improvements…
Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021 Today’s headlines: Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger is retiring after Illinois Democrats drew him into a new 16th district with fellow GOP incumbent Darin LaHood. University of Illinois service workers Union members protested Wednesday to raise wages and fill vacant positions– including a five dollar per hour raise. The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District is…
Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021 Today’s headlines: After getting his COVID-19 booster shot Tuesday, Governor J.B. Pritzker is urging eligible Illinoisans to get their boosters and join the more than 800,000 adults in the state who have already gotten their supplemental dose. Urbana residents stepped up one after another at this week’s city council meeting to argue…
Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021 Today’s headlines: Governor JB Pritzker signed an executive order on Monday declaring gun violence a public health crisis in Illinois. lllinois’ economic growth slowed down in October, according to the University of Illinois Flash Index. Upperclassmen at Champaign’s Centennial High School have mentored freshmen for the past seven years. So, when…
Monday, Nov. 1, 2021 https://will.illinois.edu/nfs/217_Today_11-01-2021.mp3 Today’s headlines: Illinois’ legislature is the only one in the country to ever back off a Parental Notice of Abortion law. The Centers for Disease Control is evaluating “test-to-stay” as a way to keep students in class, even if they come in contact with someone who tests positive. Pumpkin farmers…
Friday, Oct. 29, 2021 Today’s headlines: Governor JB Pritzker’s effort to immediately shut down a promised wave of lawsuits challenging COVID vaccine mandates has come to the end of the road in Springfield. Urbana residents are voicing concerns this week about the city’s plan to install roadside devices that could read the license plates of anyone…
Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021 Today’s headlines: Since Illinois launched its legal sports betting industry nearly two years ago, in-state college teams have been off limits to bettors. But, that would change under legislation moving through Springfield this week. The White House announced Gregory Harris will be its nominee for U.S. Attorney for the central district…
Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021 Today’s headlines: Democrats in the Illinois Senate voted Tuesday night to repeal a decades-old law requiring the parents of teens who seek an abortion to be notified before the procedure. Jelani Day’s mother says the LaSalle County coroner’s report indicating her son drowned was an insult to her and her son….
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…