Illinois Public Media News

For years, an organization known as the International Women’s Baseball Center has envisioned a women’s baseball museum on the grounds of Beyer Stadium — one that would honor the accomplishments of female baseball players like those of the Rockford Peaches. But as of now, plans for a museum are at a standstill.

For years, Peoria’s south end has been dying: decaying homes, a lack of investment, and fleeing residents, but this summer, buyers from all over America — some of whom had never even heard of Peoria — started buying up homes sight unseen. And that's raising concerns.

A conversation with Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly, who says he’s working to improve diversity at the agency and expand capacity. But that comes after years of criticism over a huge backlog in DNA evidence and the slow processing of firearm licenses.

Why is Illinois one of the few states that now has designated a microscopic organism as its own? We talk to an archivist and research chemist about the history behind last week's announcement.

With another wave of COVID-19 washing across Illinois, there’s confusion about how to keep safe. We talked with public health officials and a virologist about what they're comfortable doing and what they avoid.