Illinois Public Media News

It started with a Facebook post. Fayth Springer said that sparked her desire to protest.

Illinois lawmakers say they’re ready to move ahead with a major road construction program. It would mean tax and fee increases on gasoline, license plates and driver’s licenses.

Tens of thousands of people in Illinois represent themselves in court each year, and many of them do so because they can’t afford an attorney. A program coming to the Champaign County Courthouse aims to help. 

Last year, the department requested and received $7,000 to spend on educational supplies. This year, the agency requested $350,000, according to Lindsey Hess, a spokesperson for IDOC.

If the proposed budget is approved by state lawmakers, IDOC Director John Baldwin said a portion of the funding would be used to purchase books for state prisons.

The U.S. Coast Guard has closed the Illinois River to all traffic due to major flooding, including a major levee breach this past weekend. And, syphilis is on the rise in counties in rural Illinois. We hear more about why this treatable disease is spreading. Plus, many Americans can’t afford a lawyer to help with their civil cases, but the Ask-A-Lawyer desk is here to help. And U of I and Northwestern have teamed up to form Illinois’ first database dedicated to twins and their genetic makeup. Also, people in southern Illinois have adopted a new unofficial mascot, Porkchop the pig.