The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: South Asian grocery store offers comfort, feeling of home to various immigrant communities

Kimberly Schofield and Stephanie Orellana
 

Nidhi Shastri

Listen (Duration: 13:32)
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Wednesday, June 4, 2025

 

Today’s headlines: 

  • A fifth child has died following a deadly crash at a daycare in central Illinois earlier this spring.
  • Republican lawmakers in Springfield are criticizing the General Assembly's newly passed state budget for including nearly $250 million in what they call  "pork" spending.
  • Illinois lawmakers have approved measures that will let the state regulate cryptocurrency for the first time.
  • Facebook owner Meta says it has signed an agreement with Constellation Energy to buy electricity from the Clinton nuclear power plant.

In today’s deep dive, we'll bring you the story behind a South Asian grocery store in Champaign and why the owner offers a free cup of tea to his customers at no cost.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Orellana. Reporting today contributed by Reginald Hardwick, Arjun Thakkar, Alex Degman, Eric Stock and Nidhi Shastri.