Each week Dialogue features interviews people across the region along with in-depth stories from the IPM News team about education, health, politics, arts, and more as it relates to local Black communities. Dialogue airs Saturdays at 11 am and Tuesdays at 6 pm on Illinois Soul FM 101.1 and streams live at illinoissoul.org and can be heard Saturdays at 9pm and Wednesdays at 8 pm on WILL-AM 580.
Listen & Subscribe
Severe storms cause major damage to homes, schools and trees in central Illinois; thousands without power
Major damage reported in Champaign and Vermilion Counties after heavy winds and rain passed through Thursday night.
Tornado Watch for east central Illinois until Friday at 1am CT
The National Weather Service is forecasting strong to severe storms on Thursday evening.
Champaign County officials break ground on $48M rural internet project
The CONNECT Champaign County Fiber Internet project will connect nearly 3,000 rural residents to broadband.
After much anticipation, Garden Hills improvements wrap up with new stormwater basins, playground equipment
Hedge Park is the main attraction of the new improvements. It includes a workout area, swing set, an exploradome with webbing and ropes to monkey around and a splash zone to cool off.
WILL Call: What’s Happening in Central Illinois June 11 – June 14
Join a knitting circle, raise the roof at a silent disco, peruse a local famers market, and more all this weekend in Central Illinois.
New Unit 4 superintendent hires new cabinet, one current member staying
On Monday, the Unit 4 school board approved three more members of Geovanny Ponce’s new cabinet.
Lincoln and Logan County officials slam state plans to close Logan Correctional Center
The move has been in the works for several years with state officials saying the all-women’s prison in Lincoln, built in the 1930s, was outdated and in disrepair.
Urbana City Council postpones vote on West Main Street housing project
The Urbana City Council is expected to take a final vote at a special meeting on July 6.
Dangerous humidity is increasing in the Midwest and South, putting farmworkers at risk
Extreme heat combined with high humidity is becoming more common as the climate warms, making it harder for people to cool their bodies.
KIDS COUNT data ranks Illinois 7th in the nation in education
The report looks at dozens of indicators including high school graduation rates, standardized test scores, and chronic absences.
Fish and mussels returned to these rivers after decades of cleanup. But new threats loom
Some rivers are success stories where wildlife is bouncing back from heavy pollution. But environmental groups say progress hasn’t happened across the board and backsliding remains possible.
NPR’s new chief content officer: ‘I’ve been training for this job my whole life’
NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher praised Zylstra, noting her work at Sesame and Pinterest’s reputation as a rare corner of relative kindness in the often harsh world of social media.