Illinois Public Media News

The union for teachers and other employees at the Blue Ridge school district in central Illinois has filed paperwork, announcing plans to go on strike October 28^th. But the union president says talks on a new contract are making progress.

The U.S. spends more on health care per person than any other country. Why are we paying so much? And where is all that money going? That’s part of Dr. Marty Makary’s latest book “The Price We Pay." Plus, there’s a lot of research out there that shows paid maternity leave makes a big difference for mothers and children. Now, we’re learning more about the impact of paid leave for fathers.

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza is joining calls for state Sen. Martin Sandoval to step down from his role as chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth has called President Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria reckless and short-sighted. It was an opinion the Illinois Democrat repeated during a visit Wednesday to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

On Oct. 9, 2009, a white police officer in Champaign shot and killed an unarmed black teenager. Ten years later, community members came to the WILL studio to talk with each other about living with that pain, and what's changed (and hasn't changed) since then.