217 Today: New Illinois Farm Bureau president wants to restore communication and credibility for the venerable organization

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Today’s headlines: 

• Governor JB Pritzker is warning of new quote “harassment” as federal border patrol chief Gregory Bovino returns to Chicago for more immigration enforcement. 
• The new president of the Illinois Farm Bureau says one of the reasons he won election was a pledge to improve communication with other industry groups.
• Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has enacted a 1.5 billion dollar mass transit bailout.
• The percentage of people killed in motor vehicle crashes involving alcohol has  increased statewide since 2019.

In today’s deep dive, the Illinois Farm Bureau is ushering in a  new leadership, we’ll  hear more from Philip Nelson who won the election.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Orellana. Reporting today contributed by Charlie Schlenker, Mawa Iqbal and Noah Jennings.