News Local/State
Gov. Bruce Rauner is bypassing traditional, behind-the-scenes methods of persuasion on the state budget stalemate. He's begun a statewide TV advertising blitz that blames Democrats. Amanda Vinicky sat down with Senate President John Cullerton to talk about the ad, and how it may change the dynamic.
News Local/State
While state leaders haggle over next year's budget, Illinois' $111 billion unfunded pension liabilty remains the elephant in the room. Don Boyd is a senior fellow at the Rockefeller Institute in Albany, New York, and studies state finance with a focus on pensions. Boyd spoke with Morning Edition Host Brian Moline about the causes of the shortfall and some possible solutions.
News Local/State
Twenty-one people died from train-related incidents in Illinois last year. That's the second most train-related deaths of any state. The effect on victims and their families is fairly obvious. But what happens to the railroad employees when that kind of trauma occurs, and how do they cope?
News Local/State
The AAUP voted Saturday to censure the Urbana campus over its decision not to hire Steven Salaita.
News Local/State
Monticello is facing a lawsuit filed by the Illinois attorney general's office, over its July, 2014 discharge of raw sewage, after a heavy rainstorm that overwhelmed the city's sanitary sewer system.
News Local/State
Without a budget agreement in Springfield, a possible government shutdown gets closer. And for already cash-strapped schools, it's not just state money that's at stake, but federal money, too.
News Local/State
Since November, U of I has repeatedly denied the FOIA requests for the emails citing that producing the documents would be unduly burdensome. Salaita’s attorney Anand Swaminathan said the issue was never about burden, but rather about access.
News Local/State
Arcola native Johnny Gruelle patented his Raggedy Ann doll in 1915, and a group of Raggedy Ann collectors are leading the celebration in Arcola this weekend.
News Local/State
Illinois lawmakers have a couple of weeks left to reach a resolution on the state budget. If they don't get it done by the end of June, the comptroller has warned that she'll no longer have authority to pay the state's bills. The programs and facilities that are on heigtened alert to potentially suspend operations include the Illinois State Museum.
News Local/State
Doctor Jeffrey Mjaanes directs the Chicago Sports Concussion Clinic at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He told Illinois Public Media's Scott Cameron that despite all the research, there's still a lot we don't know about concussions.
