The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Tuesday October 20, 2020

Olivia Butts
 
Effingham, located in Illinois' 15th Congressional District, is a hub for both travelers and commercial freight traffic. Here, a cluster of signs in Effingham advertise restaurant and shopping options.

Effingham, located in Illinois' 15th Congressional District, is a hub for both travelers and commercial freight traffic. Here, a cluster of signs in Effingham advertise restaurant and shopping options. Reginald Hardwick/Illinois Newsroom

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Tuesday October 20, 2020

Today's headlines: 

  • Governor JB Pritzker is again defending his administration’s handling of a deluge of unemployment claims as the economic effects of the Coronavirus pandemic drag on.

  • After more than three days of COVID-19 positivity rates above eight percent, Governor Pritzker has ordered southern Illinois back to Phase Three of the state’s COVID-19 reopening plan starting Thursday.

  • A derecho windstorm in August knocked over cornstalks across much of Iowa and parts of Illinois. We learn how that has affected harvest.

  • The University of Illinois academic senate has approved a revised spring schedule that would cancel spring break and delay the start of the semester by one week.

In today's deeper dive, with more territory than some states, Illinois’ 15th District covers a large section of southeast and south-central Illinois. Illinois Newsroom’s Jim Meadows talked to some of the 15th District’s residents as they prepare to elect a new representative.

217 Today is produced by Olivia Butts and hosted by Brian Moline. Reporting today contributed by Hannah Meisel, Kevin Boucher, Amy Mayer, and Jim Meadows.