The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Tuesday March 23, 2021

Olivia Butts
 
Lauren Graham (second from left) on vacation with her husband and twin sons before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lauren Graham (second from left) on vacation with her husband and twin sons before the COVID-19 pandemic. Courtesy of Lauren Graham

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Tuesday March 23, 2021

Today's headlines:

  • Governor JB Pritzker is standing with leaders in the Asian-American community to condemn racism in the wake of the shootings at three Georgia massage parlors.

  • Consumer watchdog group the Citizens Utility Board is pushing a measure that would require voters to weigh in via referendum before their town or city sold its water system to a private company.

  • The fate of the Champaign County Recorder’s office is up to the voters. If they approve a referendum on the April 6th ballot, the work of the recorder of deeds will be merged into the county clerk’s office.

  • Nearly 26 percent of Champaign County’s vaccine-eligible residents --- and more than 22 percent of the total population, are now fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

In today's deep dive, we continue our Reflections series -- about a year of COVID -- with Dr. Lauren Graham. For the past year, she’s been the COVID coordinator at Grinnell Regional Medical Center in Grinnell, Iowa.

217 Today is produced by Olivia Butts. Reporting today contributed by Eric Stock, Hannah Meisel, Jim Meadows, and Natalie Krebs.