Illinois State University enrolled fewer new freshmen and transfer students this fall, ending three straight years of record-breaking growth, officials said Wednesday.

On the 21st: Illinois finally has a budget. But after two years of going without - what will it take to rebuild? Plus, one of the reasons Illinois budget standoff become the longest since the Great Depression -- most people said it didn’t really matter to them. And, Sears has been losing billions of dollars and 43 more stores nationwide are closing. Retirees in Illinois join us to talk about what Sears meant to them.

On the 21st: We talked with a Chicago-based immigration lawyer about what the halt to President Trump's immigration ban means for people trying to get into Illinois. Plus, we talked with a Stonington resident about getting to meet President Trump in person, get the latest in Illinois politics and spoke with the president of Illinois State University about how they've been faring throughout the budget stalemate.

Leaders of several state universities and community colleges are sounding the alarm as they begin month three of receiving no money from Illinois. State support for Illinois’ 12 public universities and its 49 community colleges is the largest part of the state government that isn’t being funded during Springfield’s budget impasse.

A week after a House committee heard testimony from university presidents on Gov. Rauner's proposed cuts, state senators heard from administrators, including U of I President Bob Easter.