The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Tuesday December 8, 2020

Olivia Butts
 
University of Illinois students stand in line for a COVID-19 test early in the Fall 2020 semester on the Urbana campus

University of Illinois students stand in line for a COVID-19 test early in the Fall 2020 semester on the Urbana campus Lee V. Gaines/Illinois Newsroom

Listen (Duration: 8:51)
Download

Tuesday December 8, 2020

Today’s headlines:

  • Governor J.B. Pritzker says he’s focused on cuts to help balance Illinois’ budget. He sidestepped a question about a broad tax increase during a briefing on Monday.

  • Congressman Rodney Davis says President Trump is within his rights to mount a legal challenge to the election -- but he expects a new president will be sworn in January 20th.

  • The Champaign County Board chose Kyle Patterson to be its new chair at last night’s organizational meeting.

  • llinois reported nearly 8,700 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, and 90 additional deaths. Champaign County reported 148 new COVID-19 cases yesterday. The county currently has 1,001 active cases, with 20 patients hospitalized.

In today’s deep dive, we take a closer look at data from the University of Illinois on who got infected with the coronavirus during the fall semester, and where they lived, both on and off campus. We learn more from Illinois Newsroom's Lee Gaines.

217 Today is produced by Olivia Butts. Reporting today contributed by Sean Crawford, Ryan Denham, Jim Meadows, and Lee Gaines.