WILL-AM

News Local/State

As we all know, Donald Trump's tweets have become a potent force in our new era. On the one hand, a single tweet can cripple opponents, activate supporters, move markets, and subsume the news cycle. On the other, they're a window into Trump's wee-hours, unfiltered id.

News Local/State

Most of the WILL Severe Weather Coverage Area is under a freezing rain advisory until Sunday night, while counties to the west (including McLean) are under a Winter Storm Watch.

News Local/State

Fleeing, unarmed people shot in the back. Mentally ill men and women, not suspected of any crime, stunned by a Taser while they lay on the ground. People already detained or incapacitated who were beaten, with police accounts falsely describing the force as necessary. A 161-page report from the Justice Department details harrowing accounts of excessive force by the Chicago Police Department and highlights systemic failures that allow the violence to continue even as members of the public attempt to protest or report the brutality.

News Local/State

Gov. Bruce Rauner has named a former political rival and a retired state lawmaker to state posts.

The first-term Republican appointed Democrat Paul Vallas on Friday to the Chicago State University Board of Trustees. Vallas is one of four people Rauner appointed to the board.

News Local/State

The largest public-employee union in Illinois will ask its members this month whether they'd support a strike in a contract dispute with Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration. The state council of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees told members Friday that they'll vote on authorizing the union's bargaining committee to call a strike.

News Local/State

John Groce announced today that Illini sophomore forward DJ Williams has returned to practice, and will be ready to play against Maryland Saturday evening. Williams was absent from Wednesday's game against Michigan, prompting speculation on social media that he may have left the team with the intention of transferring.

News Local/State

The Justice Department says an investigation has found Chicago police are systematically violating the civil rights of people in the city through excessive use of force, poor oversight and inadequate training of officers.

News Local/State

Parts of downstate Illinois are under a Winter Storm Watch, a Freezing Rain Advisory and an Ice Storm Warning, as a winter storm moves into the southern Plains.

News Local/State

The six faith leaders President-elect Donald Trump has invited to pray at his inauguration come from diverse backgrounds, but they have something in common: All have personal ties to Trump or his family or have in some way signaled their approval of him, his politics or his wealth.

News Local/State

 Jamey Dunn is leaving the position of Illinois Issues editor. In this week’s Illinois Issues report, she reflects on her time working here and covering state government.