Illinois Public Media News

John Farney announces he wants to be the next Champiagn County Treasurer.

On the 21st: A new federal grant from the U.S. Department of Labor is sending millions of dollars to Illinois to strengthen job programs for at-risk youth. We speak with Sen. Dick Durbin about the importance of these kinds of job programs and check in with two of the organizations that have received funding. Plus, we talked to one of the authors of a new research study revealing how women of color in the field of astronomy face higher levels of harassment and hostile workplace experiences.

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza met with physicians and administrators at the Orthopaedic Institute of Southern Illinois, in Herrin. 

A Northern Illinois University expert on education says the state’s new school funding reform bill marks a paradigm shift in how Illinois treats public schools.

About 32,000 people are shot and killed every year in the United States. But twice that number — 67,000 by some estimates — survive after being shot.

Parkland College in Champaign is working to train and connect students with good-paying jobs.

The Illinois Senate voted Tuesday to approve a new system for funding schools that will reduce large disparities between wealthy and poor districts. The bill now goes to the governor, who says he will sign it quickly.

On the 21st: Chicago author Marcus Sakey joined us to talk about his newest novel, “Afterlife,” a thriller and love story that takes place between two worlds. Plus, we learned how the distribution of SNAP benefits may be linked to shoplifting. We also talked to a POLITICO reporter who reported on former Obama staffers now running for office and heard from a Springfield doctor who launched his own health care review website.

Champaign County Clerk Gordy Hulten wants to be the first-ever Champaign County Executive

Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman explains the decision to retire the music known as the 'War Chant' in an open letter to Fighting Illini fans, saying "I know that we are much bigger than a drumbeat."