The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: What to know about algal blooms after Mattoon’s recent water crisis

Kimberly Schofield and Stephanie Orellana
 

Courtesy of University of Michigan Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research

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Monday, September 8, 2025

Today’s headlines: 

  • Over the weekend, the Krannert Art Museum in Champaign hosted families for an afternoon of storytelling, gallery exploration and hands-on activities.
  • Today is 988 Day. This day is meant to raise awareness about the National Alliance on Mental Illness support hotline.
  • A west suburban police department is sharing details about the inadvertent release of license plate data with federal immigration officials.
  • Immigration officials will be limited in how they can use a suburban naval base as a staging ground this month.

In today’s deep dive, an algal bloom in Mattoon's water reservoirs forced the city to place a do-not-drink order in place this earlier this summer. 

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Orellana. Reporting today contributed by Diana Zhang, Yvonne Boose, Mawa Iqbal, Alex Degman and Jim Meadows.