Illinois Public Media News

It took three full weeks — 21 days — for President Bill Clinton and the Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich to settle an impasse that partially shut down the government in 1995-96. That particular moment is a landmark in U.S. political history, birthing a new era of American gridlock that arguably led to the sharp partisanship that has gripped the nation — and delivered a new record for a partial government shutdown, marking Day 22 on Saturday.

Forecasters are predicting up to eight inches of snow to fall in the Champaign-Urbana area beginning late Friday evening through much of the day Saturday.

Second-ranked Michigan stayed unbeaten with a 79-69 win over the Illini men's basketball team last night in Champaign.

For crop farmers, winter is the offseason. But that doesn’t mean they take the winter off. It’s meeting season — going to endless seminars or having discussions about better ways to farm — and planning season.

For the first time in more than two decades, the Illinois House of Representatives has a new majority leader. And the appointment is breaking new ground.

Today on the 21st: Yesterday, your representatives convened in Springfield to take their oaths of office. And on Monday, Governor Pritzker will take a similar oath. But what will they do as your elected officials? And what are different stakeholders in the process thinking? We speak with Illinois Public Radio statehouse reporter Brian Mackey and WTTW Politics reporter Amanda Vinicky. Plus, a new study finds that fake news is shared most by older Americans. We speak with someone very interested in this topic, journalism professor Nikki Usher. Also, an Illinois researcher shares how her work with natural disasters, like Hurricane Maria, is now being used to help children overcome other trauma.

Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker takes office next week on the heels of the most decisive election victory in a generation. And he’ll be working to pass his agenda through the biggest Democratic majorities in the General Assembly since the 1960s.

The Illinois General Assembly began a new legislative session Wednesday—with both new and familiar faces. Though the legislative leaders remain the same, making what was old “new” again,  Democrats have expanded their veto-proof majority, known as a “supermajority."

On The 21st: Sen. Tammy Duckworth joined us to talk about the latest in politics, including the government shutdown. Also, a new law signed last month is focused on advancing dental healthcare in rural areas. How might communities here in Illinois benefit? Plus, early research shows there are benefits for women who use mindfulness techniques to turn toward the experience of childbirth, rather than run away from it. And, prosecutors in Chicago and Atlanta are investigating singer R. Kelly after the documentary, 'Surviving R. Kelly' aired on Lifetime last week.

A law professor in Illinois wants to put a stop to a medical practice that she says treats women’s bodies like cadavers. Across most of the U.S., teaching hospitals allow medical students to conduct pelvic exams on female patients without their knowledge or explicit consent.