Reginald Hardwick
News & Public Affairs Director
About Reginald
Reginald Hardwick is the News & Public Affairs Director at Illinois Public Media. He oversees daily newscasts and online stories. He also manages The 21st Show, a live, weekday talk show that airs on 7 NPR stations throughout Illinois. He is the executive producer of IPM’s annual environmental TV special “State of Change.” And he is the co-creator of Illinois Soul, IPM’s Black-focused audio service that launched in February 2024.
Before arriving at IPM in 2019, he served as News Director at WKAR in East Lansing and spent 17 years as a TV news producer and manager at KXAS, the NBC-owned station in Dallas/Fort Worth. Reginald is the recipient of three Edward R. Murrow regional awards, seven regional Emmy awards, and multiple honors from the National Association of Black Journalists. Born in Vietnam, Reginald grew up in Colorado and is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado.
Email: rh14@illinois.edu | Twitter: @RNewsWILL
Before arriving at IPM in 2019, he served as News Director at WKAR in East Lansing and spent 17 years as a TV news producer and manager at KXAS, the NBC-owned station in Dallas/Fort Worth. Reginald is the recipient of three Edward R. Murrow regional awards, seven regional Emmy awards, and multiple honors from the National Association of Black Journalists. Born in Vietnam, Reginald grew up in Colorado and is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado.
Email: rh14@illinois.edu | Twitter: @RNewsWILL

Illinois Public Media is helping launch a new teen video podcast. Here’s how to sign up.
January 26, 2026
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Teens and parents should apply now at TeenSummit2.net.

Closings/delays for January 25, 2026
January 25, 2026
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A list of closing and weather-related announcements for several counties in Central Illinois.

Dr. Martin Luther King At Illinois Wesleyan University
January 19, 2026
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On February 10, 1966, three years after the March on Washington, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington.

Wrong way crash kills pedestrian and injures police officer, search for driver continues
December 20, 2025
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Officers said a red Buick Verano was speeding the wrong way on Mathews Avenue when it hit a University of Illinois police squad car on Green Street.

Inside the courtroom: Jury could decide the fate of Sean Grayson in his murder trial this week
October 25, 2025
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Testimony resumes Monday in the trial of Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot Sonya Massey.

Crews extinguish fires at two UIUC buildings
October 24, 2025
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URBANA – Investigators are trying to find the cause of two building fires at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Around 12:20 p.m. on Friday, crews