The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Monday November 23, 2020

Olivia Butts
 
A gas pump in Iowa shows ethanol being available.

A gas pump in Iowa shows ethanol being available. Clay Masters/Iowa Public Radio

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Monday November 23, 2020

Today’s headlines:

  • The state of Illinois reported just over 10,000 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, and the number of hospitalizations fell slightly to just over 6,000. Officials reported 76 additional deaths.

  • Criminal defendants in Cook County saved more than 31 million dollars over a six-month period after cash bail was no longer required in most felony cases.

  • Champaign County has passed 10,000 total COVID-19 cases after reporting 194 new cases yesterday and one additional death. Forty-six Champaign County residents have now died of COVID-19.

  • Illinois food banks are gearing up for the incoming cold weather and the holiday season.

  • The University of Illinois reported 12 new COVID-19 cases on its Urbana campus from tests conducted on Saturday. There have been nearly 3,900 confirmed cases on campus since students returned in August.

In today’s deep dive, at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, ethanol producers feared what mass quarantines would do to their bottom lines. About half of U.S. plants shuttered their doors. Most plants have reopened, but some are questioning if the industry should go back to business as usual.

217 Today is produced by Olivia Butts and hosted by Brian Moline. Reporting today contributed by Dave McKinney, Maureen McKinney, Dana Cronin, and Christina Stella.