The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Friday October 23, 2020

Olivia Butts
 
The Macon County Health Department in Decatur. Macon County currently has more than 1300 active cases of COVID-19.

The Macon County Health Department in Decatur. Macon County currently has more than 1300 active cases of COVID-19. Macon County Health Department.

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Friday October 23, 2020

Today's headlines: 

  • A national political watcher is now rating Illinois' 13th Congressional District as a toss-up. Dave Wasserman, U.S. House Editor for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, says incumbent Republican Rodney Davis was slightly favored, but the unpopularity of President Donald Trump in the district is giving Democrat Betsy Londrigan an edge.

  • If elected, Vice President Joe Biden plans to dramatically increase federal spending on public K-12 and higher education. But a campaign representative says his first priority is making sure schools can safely reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • The Housing Authority of Champaign is now a designated EnVision Center – meaning it can receive federal assistance for its programs, including low-income housing and job training. It’s the only center of its kind in Illinois, outside of the Chicago area.

  • llinois health officials reported more than 4,900 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 yesterday, the highest single-day case count since the pandemic began.

In today's deeper dive, about a third of all Illinois counties are at a warning level for COVID-19. Among them is Macon County in central Illinois. We hear from Macon County Public Health Administrator Brandi Binkley.

217 Today is produced by Olivia Butts and hosted by Brian Moline. Reporting today contributed by Tim Shelley, Lee Gaines, Dana Cronin, and Christine Herman.