The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Friday, June 25, 2021

Brian Moline and Carolina Garibay
 
Republican Congressman Rodney Davis speaks at a news conference in April on redistricting. Davis is one of five Illinois Republicans in Congress who could be affected by new Congressional maps later this year. Illinois is losing one seat in the U.S. House after the 2020 Census.

Republican Congressman Rodney Davis speaks at a news conference in April on redistricting. Davis is one of five Illinois Republicans in Congress who could be affected by new Congressional maps later this year. Illinois is losing one seat in the U.S. House after the 2020 Census. Peter Hancock/Capitol News Illinois

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Friday, June 25, 2021

Today's headlines:

  • State Democratic leaders are touting a Wall Street agency bumping Illinois’ credit rating outlook from negative to positive this week as the state continues to recover from the COVID-19 recession.

  • In May of last year, Champaign County home sales were at their lowest point due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but those sales recovered quickly.

  • At the start of the pandemic, food stamp recipients began receiving more money each month due to state emergency declarations. With some states moving to end their emergency declarations, that extra help is going away.

  • Community and faith leaders in Champaign-Urbana are hosting events through the weekend in an effort to halt gun violence in the community.

In today's deep dive, we hear from a Republican political strategist about what new Congressional maps could mean for the state’s five GOP members of the U.S. House.

Reporting today contributed by Hannah Meisel, Jim Meadows and Dana Cronin.