Illinois Public Media News

On the 21st: How are the residents of Washington and Gifford doing three years after the devastating tornadoes passed through? We heard from people across the state, learned about U.S. Senator Dick Durbin's efforts to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and spoke with a climatologist about the link between climate change and tornadoes.

After today's 21st: We continued our conversation with Sen. Dick Durbin and talked about the future of the Democratic Party and his belief that Bernie Sanders might have been able to beat President-elect Donald Trump.

Champaign County voters approved a ballot measure this month creating a new elected county executive position. Will County is the only other county in Illinois that uses this form of government.  The Will County Executive, Larry Walsh, offered some advice on the transition.

Illinois legislators have introduced a plan meant to save a pair of nuclear power plants. The measure, with a big hike in energy prices, has grown far beyond its original purpose. It's meant in part to save Exelon's nuclear power plants in Clinton and the Quad cities -- and many jobs in those communities.

A number of U.S. ‘sanctuary cities’ like Chicago and New York vow to protect undocumented immigrants in the wake of Donald Trump’s election as president. An online petition is seeking the same for the University of Illinois’ Urbana campus. It had just under 2-thousand signatures from students, faculty and others by late Wednesday afternoon.

On the 21st: We talked with an Illinois scientist and a photographer who collaborated on a new book about the crossover of science and artwork found at Yellowstone National Park. Plus, we followed up on the state budget post-election and how it's still affecting people in Illinois.

For the first time since summer ... Governor Bruce Rauner and the legislature's four top leaders got together Tuesday morning. The meeting didn't last long. Roughly a half an hour.  And another meeting was scheduled for Wednesday morning.

Jalen Coleman-Lands connected on 6-of-9 three-point shots Tuesday night as the Illini men’s basketball team rolled past Division II McKendree University 112-65.

The Illinois Labor Relations Board has declared contract negotiations between Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration and the largest public-employees union at an impasse. Tuesday's decision allows the Republican governor to impose his terms on the 38,000-member state council of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. That gives the union the opportunity to accept the terms or vote to go on strike.

On the 21st: We discussed concerns regarding the possible loss of protections from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy, which president-elect Donald Trump has said he would rescind. We also talked with a retired police officer about building trust with the community, and spoke with the author of the memoir "Treyf: My Life as an Unorthodox Outlaw."