Illinois Public Media News

The 8th annual C-U Folk and Roots Festival starts Thursday at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on the University of Illinois Urbana campus, and continues Friday and Saturday in downtown Urbana.  The Hobnob String Band and Hubby Jenkins are performing Thursday at Krannert.  Three members of the Hobnob String Band joined Illinois Public Media’s Brian Moline for the latest edition of “Live from Studio F.” 

On the 21st: The Cubs are one game away from ending a century-long World Series Championship drought. We talked about that, plus we learned why more than 60 percent of Illinois state house races are going uncontested this election year. We also spoke with members of an Illinois coalition seeking to change the state's bail system.

A suspect is being sought in the killing of two police officers in the Des Moines, Iowa, area. The two officers were shot and killed early Wednesday as they sat in their squad cars.

"The shootings appear to have been ambush-style attacks," police spokesman Paul Parizek said in a statement.

A bond referendum to fund school construction is back on the ballot in the Champaign Unit Four school district this election season. This third version of the proposal is bigger than previous ones. Plus, there’s a big change of address for the most controversial project.

The Chicago Cubs have closed out a 9-3 victory over the Indians to force the World Series to Game 7 on Wednesday night in Cleveland. Addison Russell hit a grand slam, Anthony Rizzo had a two-run shot, and Kris Bryant had four hits as the Cubs tied the series with the Cleveland Indians at three games apiece. 

On the 21st: We talked with author Deirdre Bair about her new book that takes a closer look at Al Capone's life. Plus, Cook County plans to gradually increase its minimum wage to $13 an hour by July 2020. We spoke about how that's affecting workers, especially in surrounding areas.

Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lloyd Karmeier has been sworn in as the 120th chief justice of the state's highest court in a ceremony in Springfield. The 76-year-old Karmeier was sworn in Monday by Justice Rita Garman, who served three years as chief justice. In remarks, Karmeier thanked his colleges for their support, adding that they "hold a special place" in his heart.

Voters in Champaign County have three countywide referenda on the ballot this year.  Two of them are dueling proposals about whether to elect a countywide board chair or executive.  The third would raise the county’s sales tax one quarter of a percentage point for a period of twelve years, with the revenue slated to go toward facilities projects, including an expanded county jail at the satellite location in east Urbana.

Illinois has taken steps to prevent 260,000 residents from losing government food assistance. That gives the state a year to prepare these individuals for the job market.

Under federal law, poor people without kids or significant health problems are cut off from food stamps; they're limited to three months of eligibility in three years' time.