WILL-AM

News Local/State

Looking at the well-being of Illinois’ children through a racial lens shows big disparities, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual KIDS count report.

News Local/State

Testimony resumes Tuesday morning in Peoria, in the capital murder trial of Brendt Christensen. Prosecution witnesses are continuing to describe their investigation of the disappearance of University of Illinois visiting scholar Yingying Zhang, and the man they believe kidnapped and killed her.

News Local/State

A new exhibit at the University of Illinois Rare Book and Manuscript Library features the tools that writers have used throughout history to record their words. One of the items displayed at the “Writers and Their Tools” exhibit is a typewriter that belonged to a U of I student named Hugh Hefner.

News Local/State

Last month, state lawmakers passed a bill mandating the Illinois Department of Corrections and Prisoner Review Board track and publicly report data on the program.

News Local/State

The Illinois budget that goes into effect July 1st includes a 3.5% rate increase for state-funded agencies that provide services to people with disabilities. But after more than a decade with no significant rate increases, some who work in the disabilities services sector say the new funding is not enough to ensure people with disabilities get the care they need.

News Local/State

Western Illinois University President Jack Thomas said his final day on the job will be June 30, 2019, ending a presidency marred by employee layoffs, declining student enrollment, and increasing tensions between the administration and faculty. 

News Local/State

Audio and video recordings were played for a federal jury in the murder-kidnapping trial of Brendt Christensen on Friday --- including a recording of Christensen’s chilling account of how he kidnapped and murdered Yingying Zhang, a promising young environmental engineer from China in June 2017. Please note: the details that follow could be disturbing.

News Local/State

The signing of Illinois' new abortion rights bill was an important moment for Sharon, who underwent an illegal abortion nearly 40 years ago.

News Local/State

UPDATE: In an unexpected development Friday morning, public defenders representing Brendt Christensen asked the judge in his kidnapping-murder trial to disregard the notion that Christensen may have killed other victims.

News Local/State

Binge drinkers are twice as likely to misuse opioids compared to non-drinkers, according to new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Looking at data from 2012 to 2014, researchers found alcohol was involved in 1 in 5 deaths involving prescription opioids.