Illinois Public Media News

Journalist Katherine Zoepf (zohf) covered the Middle East for The New York Times between 2004 and 2010. And she says the reality is much more nuanced than the views of the region commonly held in the US. Illinois Public Media’s Amanda Honigfort talked with Zoepf about the stories shared in her recent book "Excellent Daughters: The Secret Lives of the Young Women Who are Transforming the Arab World."

The family of Ashley Gibson has spoken for the first time since authorities reported the death of the 24-year old from Urbana, whose remains were discovered in Clinton Lake on Sunday.  Her mother, Ranae, says her daughter had dreams of leaving the area and joining the military, and never met a stranger. 

A federal judge has sentened former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois to 15 months in prison in a hush-money case.  Judge Thomas Durkin described the former high school wrestling coach as a "serial child molester." 

The Champaign City Council has given its police department the go-ahead to convene a working group to study the idea of forming a citizen police review board.

Computer synthesizers have likely become a staple of your daily life – Siri, digital music, YouTube and more – but do you know where they come from? One of the earliest synthesizer structures was invented in the University of Illinois’ Experimental Music Lab in the early 1960s as part of one of the first computer instruments – The Harmonic Tone Generator.

Many football players at the University of Illinois use scooters to get around campus. But come this fall, that will no longer be the case.

The Taylorville Republican says federal officials didn't place national security at the top of the list when deciding on a new location for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in north St. Louis.  Davis is among the lawmakers recommending they reconsider a site near Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

Members of the U of I's Non-Tenure Faculty Coalition are holding a two day 'work-in' outside the Henry Administration Building.  The union went on a two-day strike last week as a means of pressuring administrators for a new contract.

Illinois is one of only eight states with a flat income tax. The reasons can be traced to the state’s first-ever successful attempt at putting an income tax in place. An effort to change the current tax structure is underway, but supporters face a fast-approaching deadline.  

While holding back on whether a citizen police review board will be formed in Champaign, Mayor Deb Feinen says the proposal to form a working group to study the issue is a sound idea.