Students at the University of Illinois reflect on their voting experiences in Champaign-Urbana
The Illinois Student Newsroom at IPM checked in with voters at polling locations on campus at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Illinois on Election Day
The polls are open today 6:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. Listen to WILL-AM 580, FM 90.9 and Illinois Soul FM 101.1 for results tonight.
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Illinois Democrats look to defend congressional seats across the state
To boost turnout, Democrats have put three non-binding advisory questions on the ballot. They cover topics including property tax relief, insurance coverage of in vitro fertilization and election worker interference.
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Voice of the Voter: Black men in Champaign County address angst surrounding presidential election
Both presidential campaigns are making their closing arguments in the final days leading up to the election. Conversation online about Black men not willing to vote has spiraled after former President Barack Obama pushed them to cast a ballot. Like many residents in Champaign County, McKinley Phillips told Pierce he and his family are…
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Some worry ‘Middle Eastern North African’ census designation will be misused if Trump wins
The category of Middle Eastern North African, or MENA, was added to the U.S. Census earlier this year. It’s a change the MENA community had been trying to achieve since 1997. But with a potential Trump presidency on the horizon, some are concerned that the census might become a tool to fuel xenophobia and target the MENA community.
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Wiretaps show McClain arranging checks for Madigan loyalist fired after #MeToo allegations
Defense attorneys seek to undermine evidence that speaker knew of arrangement CHICAGO – It had been a tumultuous winter and spring for Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan as he was forced to fire or distance himself from several top allies, three of whom were accused of sexual harassment at the height of the #MeToo movement….
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Voters view one another across partisan divide with increasing animosity
The Associated Press interviewed people across battleground states this week as they grappled with a political divide that only seems to be growing more insurmountable after years of historic upheaval.
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Madigan co-defendant had unparalleled access to speaker, ex-top aide testifies
Jury hears another wiretap of Mike McClain referring to Madigan as ‘real client’ CHICAGO – Under the stained-glass dome of the Capitol in Springfield, lobbyists often wander the building, popping into a quiet corner to make a phone call or ducking into an empty committee room to send emails. Some veteran lobbyists have longstanding arrangements…
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ComEd execs joked Madigan co-defendant was ‘double agent,’ utility’s former top lawyer testifies
Mike McClain’s job recommendations weren’t bribes – or even improper, witness says CHICAGO – For decades, electric utility Commonwealth Edison renewed its contract with top Springfield lobbyist Mike McClain – in part because of his strategic abilities, but also because of his close relationship with longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. But it was…
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Champaign County Clerk discusses efforts to prevent voter intimidation
With one week until Election day, officials in Champaign County are urging the public to abide by voting rules after incidents where violence and unlawful political activity occurred at polling places. County Clerk Aaron Ammons said there was a physical fight Saturday at the Meadowbrook Community Church voting center. He said an individual wore a…
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Voice of the Voter: Local college students find convenience in early voting
Election season is causing anxiety for some college students who are casting their ballots for the first time. Many students are voting early and taking advantage of the service being offered on campuses across Champaign County. One of several polling locations include Parkland College. Robin Fitzgerald, 19 was one of the first in line before…
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Madigan co-defendant warned ComEd CEO not to ‘provoke a reaction from our Friend’
In ex-speaker’s trial, former utility exec calls Madigan’s apparent involvement in contract talks ‘unusual CHICAGO – Commonwealth Edison’s top attorney was busy preparing for the General Assembly to take up major legislation the utility had spent months negotiating when ComEd’s top in-house lobbyist stopped by his office in late October 2011. A little over 13…
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‘My client is the speaker’: Jury hears wiretapped calls of Madigan co-defendant, longtime friend
Prosecutors paint picture of Mike McClain’s extreme loyalty to ex-Illinois House speaker CHICAGO – By early 2019, Mike McClain had been a fixture around the Statehouse in Springfield for the better part of 50 years, first as a Democratic lawmaker in the 1970s and then for decades as a high-profile contract lobbyist. And though he…
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Community honors 170th anniversary of Lincoln’s Urbana anti-slavery speech
Before he was elected president, Abraham Lincoln spoke in Urbana on Oct. 24, 1854, to denounce a law that allowed for the expansion of slavery. On Thursday, one hundred and seventy years later, a commemoration was held at the Champaign County Courthouse. Around 50 community members gathered to hear the history behind those remarks….
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It tastes like chicken, but ‘cultivated’ meat sees growing opposition from U.S. lawmakers
Cultivated meat – meat grown from animal cells – is touted as a way to meet growing global demand with far fewer climate impacts. Yet two states banned the sale of cultivated meat earlier this year, and there are proposals in several Midwestern states to do the same. The meat sizzling in the pan at…
