Illinois Public Media News

On this encore edition of the 21st: Do you ever wonder if dirt really is good for kids? We explore how bacteria in our gut and all over our bodies affect our health. We also discuss a new book that explores how, before Roe v. Wade, some religious leaders formed a secret network to refer women to doctors for unwanted pregnancies. 

University of Illinois administrators are condemning the “hate-filled violence” in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend. The statement is signed by U of I President Tim Killeen and the chancellors of the three university campuses.

The Illinois Attorney General doesn’t know much about her possible opponent in the 2018 election, Urbana attorney Erika Harold.

Illinois Republicans are gearing up for Gov. Bruce Rauner’s re-election fight. At a state fair rally Wednesday, they made clear their campaign will focus on one man.

Suzanne Koenig and Joyce Ciyou of SAK Management Services talk about changes they're bringing to the Champaign County Nursing Home, which they've been managing since July 1st.

In a change from a commitment Gov. Bruce Rauner had previously made to immigrant rights groups, the Illinois TRUST Act, a bill that would limit the ways local police help federal authorities enforce immigration law, is currently “under review.”

On the 21st: The weekend events of Charlottesville continue to reverberate with President Trump’s insistence that yesterday that the violence was caused by “both sides.” Today, we talked with different people in Illinois about how they’re processing this. Plus, Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs the live auction taking place at the state fair this weekend.
 

Doctors who can prescribe a medication for opioid addiction, and accept Medicaid, are already scarce. But even fewer will treat pregnant women. At this most vulnerable time, when both mother’s and baby’s lives are at stake, some doctors even drop their patients.

On the 21st: Immigration rights activists in Illinois are waiting for Governor Bruce Rauner to sign a bill that limits the ways local police enforce immigration laws. Plus, despite the rise of co-working spaces across the country, there aren’t a lot of  options for parents with young children. We learn about a new co-working space with flexible childcare that's coming to central Illinois and discuss the challenges entrepreneurs face when it comes to balancing careers and kids.

Laurie Jones was one of more than 20 people who gathered at the Aurora Public Library recently to talk about their experiences with death. This was part of Death Café, a social franchise of discussion groups that tackle the difficult subject over tea and cake.