217 Today: Illinois professors face threats after landing on Charlie Kirk group watch list
Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times
Monday, September 22, 2025
Today’s headlines:
- Political leaders from Illinois’ past and present sat in the pews of Central Baptist Church in Springfield on Saturday to attend the funeral services of former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar.
- Monday marks 40 years since the first Farm Aid event. The historic live music benefit has featured players like The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty.
- A joint town hall Thursday night in Champaign focused on rising energy cost and recent cuts to social services.
- Students marched down the Quad at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign today to urge the school to divest from fossil fuels.
In today’s deep dive, dozens of professors at Illinois colleges and universities are on a watch list ran by slain activist Charlie Kirk’s organization.
217 Today is produced by Stephanie Orellana. Reporting today contributed by Mawa Iqbal, A. Oishii Basu, Anna Koh and Emily Hays.
