WILL-AM

News Local/State

He may be the state's highest-ranking Republican. But Governor Bruce Rauner continued to be cagey during an appearance in Springfield Thursday about where he stands on Donald Trump.     

News Local/State

A genetically modified variety of cassava developed at a St. Louis area lab is being tested in Uganda and Kenya.  Durrie Bouscaren reports from Uganda.

News Local/State

Incumbent Republican Congressman Rodney Davis of Taylorville and Democratic challenger Mark Wicklund of Decatur shared similar concerns in areas like criminal justice reform and student loan interest rates, but they also found plenty to disgree on in their first debate of the season, including the future of the Affordable Care Act, and the approval ratings of Congress during the Obama administration.

News Local/State

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan has been open to criticism in saying he will not defend Donald Trump, but not rescinding his endorsement following the controversy over a video tape of Trump advocating sexual assault recorded in 2005. But during a stop in Normal Thursday, U.S. Senator Mark Kirk said Ryan had done enough to distance himself from the GOP nominee.

News Local/State

The Taylorville Republican spoke with Illinois Public Media's Brian Moline about issues facing the 13th district, including trade, immigration and healthcare ahead of his debate with Democrat Mark Wicklund.

News Local/State

The animal rights group Stop Animal Exploitation Now says the University of Illinois has shown a pattern of negligence, after 22 animal deaths in just over a year.  There's still an open investigation with the USDA tied to the deaths of five cows in August of 2015.

News Local/State

Bob Dylan has won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first American to win the prize in more than two decades. 

News Local/State

Democrat Mark Wicklund is challenging incumbent Republican Rodney Davis for Illinois’ 13th Congressional District seat.  Wicklund’s lone political experience is a three-year stint on the Macon County Board that ended in 2013. The Decatur resident currently serves as the president of the board of directors for the Decatur-Macon County Opportunities Corporation, a not-for-profit agency that provides services such as meals for seniors and energy assistance.

News Local/State

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and his allies are shoveling historic piles of cash into legislative races this year. A new federal super-PAC that goes by the acronym "LIFT" is seeking to counter that, by tying Rauner to Donald Trump.

News Local/State

Steve Shoemaker, pastor, poet and long-time host of WILL-AM's "Keepin' the Faith", died Monday night after a ten-month battle with pancreatic cancer.