News Local/State
University of Illinois leaders are backing proposed legislation that would tie levels of state funding with performance metrics like awarding financial aid, graduation rates, and holding down tuition costs. President Tim Killeen says the 5-year pact would guarantee ‘baseline’ state funding would increase by the rate of inflation during each remaining year.
News Local/State
The grand jury indictment against Aaron Schock accuses the former Illinois congressman of spending $40,000 in government funds to redecorate his Washington office - including the purchase of a $5,000 chandelier. The U.S. attorney's office in Springfield announced the 24-count, 52-page indictment on Thursday. Schock says he will fight the allegations and expose the investigation as a politically-driven witch hunt.
News Local/State
A University of Illinois professor says students of color on the Urbana campus have reported being threatened and harassed after the presidential election.
Latino/Latina Studies Professor Julie Dowling says she's heard students describe seeing a knife flashed at a Muslim student and other cases of harassment.
News Local/State
Protests held around the US reacting to the election of Donald Trump as president included one on the University of Illinois’ main Urbana campus quad Wednesday afternoon. The Daily Illini reports over 100 students held anti-Trump signs - but also held each other’s hands, chanting ‘Keep Loving, Keep Fighting’. Meanwhile, thousands gathered in Chicago for a rally outside the Trump Hotel and Tower Wednesday night.
__medium.jpg)
News Local/State
University of Illinois President Timothy Killeen is again pushing a plan for the state to agree to multi-year budget for the school in exchange for controls on tuition increases and other benchmarks. He previously discussed the idea as a way to provide financial stability as the state continues to struggle with its budget crisis. The president will discuss the legislation in Thursday's U of I Trustees meeting.
News Local/State
Sign up started last week for coverage under Obamacare in 2017. Like much of the country, people across Illinois are seeing fewer choices and higher monthly premiums. But one group that’s helping people sign up for coverage says, at least so far, they don’t expect customers to have to scramble to find affordable coverage.
News Local/State
Republican County Auditor John Farney retains his office by a slim 129-vote margin over Democrat George Danos. Democrat Julia Rietz was re-elected comfortably in the race for Champaign County State's Attorney.
News Local/State
Illinois legislators will only get a brief post-election respite from politics; a week from Wednesday they’ll be back in Springfield to begin the veto session.The current makeup of the General Assembly will remain in place for that, but come the new year -- when the Capitol welcomes a new set of lawmakers elected Tuesday night -- the balance of power will shift, slightly.
News Local/State
Proposals to raise local taxes were a mixed bag with voters in east-central Illinois. Voters approved school bond referendum in the Champaign and Paxton Buckley-Loda school districts, and said yes to sales tax hikes in Coles and Iroquois Counties. But a sales tax hike for Macon County and a property tax increase for the Maroa-Forsyth school district went down to defeat.
News Local/State
President-elect Donald Trump says now it's time for America to "bind the wounds of division.'' Trump spoke to a crowd of supporters early Wednesday at his headquarters in New York City. Trump says he received a phone call from Hillary Clinton, congratulating him on his victory. Trump says he's pledging to be a president "for all Americans.''
