The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Monday January 4, 2021

Olivia Butts
 
One of several water tanks in Hobart, Oklahoma. The town has been working on making improvements to its reservoir, Rocky Lake, since 2010.

One of several water tanks in Hobart, Oklahoma. The town has been working on making improvements to its reservoir, Rocky Lake, since 2010. Seth Bodine/Harvest Public Media

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Today’s headlines:

  • With the holidays over, Illinois lawmakers are due back to Springfield on Friday. New and re-elected members of the General Assembly will be sworn in next week, but lawmakers have business to take care of first.

  • New research from the Veterans’ Affairs Saint Louis Health Care System finds COVID-19 is a much deadlier illness than the seasonal flu.

  • Illinois reported more than 9,200 new COVID-19 cases over the weekend -- and 110 additional deaths.

  • The organizer of Paxton’s Grand Old Flag project hopes to have the flag flying on Memorial Day, 2021.

In today’s deep dive, a glass of water is supposed to be clear, but in small, rural towns that’s often not the case. Harvest Public Media looks into how small towns struggle to keep their water clean. 

217 Today is produced by Olivia Butts and hosted by Brian Moline. Reporting today contributed by Hannah Meisel, Shahla Farzan, Jim Meadows, and Seth Bodine.