The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Chancellor Robert Jones reflects on U of I tenure as he prepares for new role at University of Washington

Kimberly Schofield and Stephanie Orellana
 

Illinois Public Media

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Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Today’s headlines: 

  • Traffic deaths are on the rise in Champaign County this year. That's according to a review of news reports from the county's Regional Planning Commission.
  • Chicago summers are hot. A new report found that they’ll get even hotter due to climate change. And that’s not the only change coming to the region.
  • Illinois Congressman Eric Sorensen is pushing bipartisan legislation to fix the country’s immigration system as the Trump Administration aggressively pursues more deportations.
  • A new Illinois law will make it easier for police to remove squatters from someone’s home. 

In today’s deep dive, we talk to Chancellor Robert Jones who tells us why leaving the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is the toughest decision he had to make in 46-years of higher education.

217 Today is produced by Stephnie Orellana. Reporting today contributed by Arjun Thakkar, Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, Brady Johnson, Joe Leahy, Mawa Iqbal and Reginald Hardwick.