The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021

Brian Moline and Farrah Anderson
 
The International Prep Academy in Champaign.

The International Prep Academy in Champaign. Champaign Unit 4 Schools

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Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021

Today's headlines:

  • The state’s Department of Public Health says Illinois has confirmed its first case of COVID’s Omicron variant. The news comes as Illinois has seen a more-than 160 percent increase in the number of new COVID patients entering hospitals each day over the past six weeks.

  • The balance of political power in Illinois for the next decade is now in the hands of three federal judges after a marathon hearing Tuesday in Chicago.

  • The Latino Student Association hosted a Las Posadas celebration on campus. Las Posadas is celebrated in most Latin American countries and in the United States and commemorates Mary and Joseph's journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

In today's deep dive, we’ll take a closer look at the struggles of dual-language students during the COVID-19 pandemic. As Carolina Garibay of the Illinois Student Newsroom reports, teachers in dual-language classrooms are trying to teach students at all different language proficiencies now that they're back in class. 

217 Today is produced by Farrah Anderson. Reporting today contributed by Hannah Meisel, Luis Velazquez and Carolina Garibay