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News Local/State

Opening statements begin Wednesday morning in Peoria in the federal capital murder trial of Brent Christensen, charged in connection with the disappearance of Yingying Zhang..

News Local/State

The Illinois high school basketball finals are where the term March Madness was coined.

The NCAA basketball tournament, where the phrase is most often used now, has been hurting attendance at the prep finals in recent years. So, the Illinois High School Association is making the girls and boys state tournaments one weekend each in early March.

News Local/State

It’s been almost three months since massive flooding from the Missouri River washed over parts of Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri, but for many farmers, recovery has been slow. Continued wet weather and lingering high water has delayed planting for many growers who can’t afford to miss out on a good crop this season.

News Local/State

The estate of missing Chinese scholar Yingying Zhang is suing two University of Illinois counselors who treated her accused killer for wrongful death and negligence.

News Local/State

Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker is starting to act on the flurry of bills sent to his desk in the wake of this year’s spring legislative session. Among the first that he’s signed requires schools to provide a minimum of five hours of learning time.

News Local/State

For the second year in a row, Urbana's budget plan includes spending cuts meant to address a structural deficit. They'll be part of the discussion on Monday June 10 at 7 PM, when the Urbana City Council holds a public hearing on the budget proposal, followed by a discussion and vote in its Committee of the Whole meeting (a final city council vote is scheduled for June 17). But what's a structural deficit?

News Local/State

Illinoisans are likely to have to pay more sales tax when shopping online after state lawmakers made two big changes to tax rules. State tax collections are expected to increase by $288 million this year.

News Local/State

The Autism Program on the University of Illinois Urbana campus is a statewide network of agencies that provides resources and services for children and adults with autism. Illinois Public Media spoke with the program’s director, Linda Tortorelli, about the challenges people with autism face living in central Illinois and how The Autism Program aims to help.

News Local/State

A commission with members on both sides of the Chief Illiniwek debate is recommending ways to move forward together --- twelve years after the University of Illinois retired the controversial symbol. But Chief supporterswere criticizing its findings on the day they were issued.

News Local/State

A string of natural disasters has hit the central U.S. in recent weeks. Tornadoes have devastated communities, tearing up trees and homes. Record rainfall has prevented countless farmers in America's breadbasket from planting crops. Rising rivers continue to flood fields, inundate homes and threaten aging levees from Iowa to Mississippi. And while none of these events can be directly attributed to climate change, extreme rains are happening more frequently in many parts of the U.S. and that trend is expected to continue as the Earth continues to warm.