The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Friday March 5, 2021

Brian Moline and Olivia Butts
 
UIC's Amanda Kass says state and local governments need the proposed relief funding being considered in the U.S. Senate.

UIC's Amanda Kass says state and local governments need the proposed relief funding being considered in the U.S. Senate. University of Illinois

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Friday March 5, 2021

Today’s headlines:

  • The Senate voted along strict party lines Thursday to open debate on President Biden’s coronavirus relief bill. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois says there will be compromise to ensure the bill’s passage ---such as tighter requirements for the next round of stimulus checks.

  • More than two thirds of the 3 million COVID vaccine doses administered in Illinois have gone to white Illinoisans. Governor JB Pritzker hopes opening vaccine clinics in health centers and safety net hospitals will reach more people of color.

  • Students in the Carle Illinois College of Medicine are some of the first U of I students to receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

In today’s deep dive, one part of the COVID relief package being debated in the US Senate today is $350 billion for state and local governments. We hear from a University of Illinois researcher who says this money is necessary.

217 Today is produced by Olivia Butts. Reporting today contributed by Jim Meadows, Hannah Meisel, and Vivian La.