Illinois Public Media News

The war on drugs has affected communities of color the most. Now, as Illinois gets ready for legal recreational marijuana, state officials say they want the new legal industry to be more equitable. Plus, ten years ago today, an unarmed black teenager in Champaign was shot and killed by a white police officer. We’ll hear community members talk with each other about how they’ve been dealing with that pain. And, we’ll talk with one Illinois man about a condition that temporarily erased his memory for a day with no lasting physical or mental effects.

Anne Burke becomes the Illinois Supreme Court's chief justice later this month. A WBEZ investigation finds several cases she heard on the Supreme Court, even though they involved clients of her husband's law firm.

Winter is still months away, but road crews are already stockpiling salt — millions of pounds of it. 

A broad majority of Illinois voters support major changes to the state income tax, favoring a system where the wealthy pay more. That’s according to new survey data from NPR Illinois and the University of Illinois Springfield.

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments about whether it’s legal to fire someone for being gay or transgender. Plus, Native Americans in the Midwest helped black men, women and children escape slavery through the Underground Railroad. We spoke about why that history is often overlooked. And, a Champaign-Urbana organization is celebrating its fifth annual Black Girl Genius Week through art, music and workshops.