Illinois Public Media News

Illinois has 852 school districts — the third highest number of any state in the nation. Some are just single schools, with fewer than a hundred students. But getting districts to merge, or consolidate, has proven difficult.

Last November, Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, a Democrat, failed to unseat Republican Congressman Rodney Davis in Illinois’ 13th district. On Thursday, she announced she’ll make another run for it. 

Senator Tammy Duckworth just introduced a resolution that would repeal President Trump’s travel ban on five majority-Muslim countries. Today, she joins us from Washington to talk about all of that and more. Plus, when you think performing arts, you might think of Chicago. But for 50 years, the Krannert Center in Urbana has been a thriving place for theater, music, and dance. And some of the biggest shows on television are wrapping up this year.

Director Mike Ross spoke with Illinois Public Media about the role the Krannert Center has played over the past 50 years in the arts community in central Illinois and beyond.

Hundreds of proposals for solar electricity projects in Illinois competed to win renewable energy credits in a special lottery that was held Wednesday.