Illinois Public Media News

On The 21st: Federal prosecutors have dropped all charges against former Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock. As long as he pays back the IRS and stays out of trouble for six months, he’ll walk free with a clean record. Plus, tornado season is on the way although really, they can hit any time of year. We’ll check in with the town of Taylorville to see how they’ve recovered after a tornado hit their community last winter. And the U of I’s Black Chorus joins us. They’ve been on campus since 1968 and they’re singing at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts this Sunday. 

New tax incentives could help some downstate Illinois cities rehab some old buildings for housing and businesses. But there are a few catches.

An Illinois Senate bill aims to help children who are at risk of entering state custody because of issues caused by untreated mental illness.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is asking state lawmakers to raise the tax on cigarettes, and begin taxing vaping products. It’s part of a plan he introduced last month to balance the state budget.

On The 21st: Daily expenses can cost a lot of money. The co-host of WNYC’s 'Nancy' podcast joins us to talk about life gets even more expensive for LGBTQ people. Plus, Cook County has a database that’s supposed to keep track of gang members. But it has a lot of mistakes and some say the bad data has even led to false arrests. Now, police agencies and elected officials are re-thinking what they should do with this information. And, a group of University High students in Urbana have put together a new documentary that dives into the complicated history of affirmative action.