A Black man, a white man and a white woman all look into their webcams during the debate.
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Three Democrats are running for Congress in the new, bluer 13th District. Here’s where they stand on gun violence, reparations, and immigration

ByEmily Hays

CHAMPAIGN – The three Democratic contenders for Illinois’ 13th Congressional District faced off on Tuesday, revealing different approaches to gun violence, reparations for slavery, immigration and more. Tuesday marked the first public forum with the three candidates. The progressive Jewish organization Bend the Arc hosted the event online. Illinois Democrats redrew the Congressional districts last…

The White House has a new plan for COVID-19 aimed at getting things back to normal
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The White House has a new plan for COVID-19 aimed at getting things back to normal

ByBrian Moline

WASHINGTON — The White House is unveiling a new roadmap for the COVID-19 pandemic, one that envisions life going back to normal after two years of crisis, providing for people to get tested and treat the disease, while staying vigilant for new variants and outbreaks. “We are no longer going to let COVID-19 dictate how…

Watch: President Biden will deliver his State of the Union on Tuesday night

Watch: President Biden will deliver his State of the Union on Tuesday night

ByIPM News

President Biden will deliver his first State of the Union address on Tuesday amid rising inflation and growing fatigue as the coronavirus pandemic is set to enter its third year and as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine. Those are expected to be top issues in his speech, and he is also likely to talk…

WATCH LIVE TODAY at 1:30p.m: Gov. JB Pritzker outlines new COVID-19 guidelines

WATCH LIVE TODAY at 1:30p.m: Gov. JB Pritzker outlines new COVID-19 guidelines

ByIPM News

WATCH LIVE:  Governor JB Pritzker and Dr. Ezike are scheduled to announce new COVID-19 guidelines today at 1:30p.m. Follow the story and watch live as we stream the event below. The questions we receive from you directly inform the stories we tell and what we investigate. Let us know what you need to know!

Lt. Gov. Stratton visits University of Illinois to talk teacher shortage
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Lt. Gov. Stratton visits University of Illinois to talk teacher shortage

ByEmily Hays

CHAMPAIGN – A small group of University of Illinois students met with Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton on Monday about the state’s K-12 teacher shortage. Stratton spoke about the administration’s efforts to diversify the profession. “Some of the students that I’ve met on these campuses have said they have never had a teacher of color, or…

University of Illinois students hold rally in support of Ukraine

University of Illinois students hold rally in support of Ukraine

ByFarrah Anderson

URBANA, Ill. – When Daniel Brandys, the vice president of the Ukrainian Student Association at the University of Illinois, was growing up, he said many people in the U.S. had no idea what Ukraine was.  Now, with Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine, Brandys said he’s finally seeing people standing in solidarity with the country that…

Champaign residents call for city council member resignation amid controversy

Champaign residents call for city council member resignation amid controversy

ByIPM News

Some Champaign residents called this week for two city council members to resign following comments they made at a meeting earlier this month. The demands for council members Alicia Beck and Michael Foellmer to step down stemmed from an exchange Beck had with two local residents at the council’s Feb. 15 meeting. The Champaign residents,…

New ‘Jelani Day’ bill to require FBI involvement in cases where bodies remain unidentified
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New ‘Jelani Day’ bill to require FBI involvement in cases where bodies remain unidentified

ByBrian Moline

SPRINGFIELD — It’s been six months since Illinois State University graduate student Jelani Day went missing. His body was not found for nearly two weeks. Once found, Day’s remains went unidentified for three more weeks. State Sen. Elgie Sims, D-Chicago, says the process should not take so long. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s402/audio/2022/02/jelani-superspot.mp3 Listen to this story here. “When…

WATCH LIVE: Gov. Pritzker delivers State of the State and budget Address

WATCH LIVE: Gov. Pritzker delivers State of the State and budget Address

ByIPM News

 Governor JB Pritzker is set to deliver his State of the State and Budget Address today at 12 pm in the Old State Capital. He is expected to cover his plans to freeze taxes on groceries and gasoline and double the state property tax rebate. The questions we receive from you directly inform the stories…

A new Illinois law will ban rules on students’ hairstyles – but many Black people say it’s coming far too late
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A new Illinois law will ban rules on students’ hairstyles – but many Black people say it’s coming far too late

ByFarrah Anderson

URBANA – When Victor Figueroa got home from his private school in Chicago and started to wash his hair, he said he kept finding small pieces of paper in it.  Puzzled, Figueroa said he didn’t know where they were coming from.  One day while sitting in class, he turned around. He saw students holding small…

‘The bare minimum’: University of Illinois students imagine a world of accessibility through art exhibit
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‘The bare minimum’: University of Illinois students imagine a world of accessibility through art exhibit

ByIPM News

Editor’s note: At the request of Nikki Usher, we changed the pronouns in this article that pertain to Usher from ‘she’ to ‘they.’ – Reginald Hardwick, News Director, March 26, 2024 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Krannert Art Museum in Champaign has two entrances. One entrance is at the top of a flight of concrete stairs,…

Rep. Rodney Davis walks a fine line on infrastructure, Jan. 6 as he prepares for reelection

Rep. Rodney Davis walks a fine line on infrastructure, Jan. 6 as he prepares for reelection

ByEmily Hays

CHAMPAIGN – Republican Congressman Rodney Davis says infrastructure is a top priority, but he voted no on President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law. He says Jan. 6 rioters should face charges for breaking the law, but he is not willing to criticize Republicans who encourage their beliefs. These are some of the fine lines Davis walks…

Watch live: Biden takes reporters’ questions abroad as his agenda stalls at home

Watch live: Biden takes reporters’ questions abroad as his agenda stalls at home

ByIPM News

Updated November 2, 2021 at 3:14 PM ET President Biden has promised delegates at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, that the U.S. is prepared to spend billions on measures to address climate change, but that legislation remains mired in intra-party squabbling by Democrats back in Washington. Biden is expected to be pressed on…

EIU professor and Baptist pastor discusses COVID misinformation among white evangelicals
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EIU professor and Baptist pastor discusses COVID misinformation among white evangelicals

ByBrian Moline

CHARLESTON — One of the things we’ve been looking at during our look at “Who’s in Charge of the News” is how information and misinformation spread,  including on the COVID-19 pandemic. When the COVID-19 vaccine first began rolling out, white evangelicals — and Republicans — were among the groups most likely to say they were…

U of I team investigates spread of rural misinformation
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U of I team investigates spread of rural misinformation

ByEmily Hays

Editor’s note: At the request of Nikki Usher, we have removed the photo posted earlier. Also, Nikki asked that we change the pronouns in this article that pertain to Usher from ‘she/her’ to ‘they/their.’ – Reginald Hardwick, News Director, March 26, 2024   URBANA – In some rural Illinois ZIP codes, only one in five…