Illinois Public Media News

State Representative Mike Marron says he’s formed an exploratory committee for a possible run to succeed U.S. Rep. John Shimkus in Congress.

An investigation by ProPublica and NPR Illinois recently found that the University of Illinois may have helped preserve the reputations of sexual harassers. We spoke about how the U of I handles sexual misconduct allegations, and how some people want the process to change. Plus, some descendants of Black civil rights leaders in Chicago want the public to know more about their family members while also protecting them at the same time. And, a road in southern Illinois more than two miles long closes until the end of October every year to make way for migrating snakes. Also, we learned about Illinois’ newest invasive species, the jumping worm.

Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis says at least five people have died in the Abaco Islands, where Hurricane Dorian made landfall Sunday as "the strongest hurricane in modern records" to hit the archipelago.

This year, lawmakers approved a slew of new legislation intended to address Illinois’ teacher shortage. But Mark Klaisner, the new president of the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, said school districts across the state are still struggling to fill open teaching positions.

On this special Labor Day encore episode, we talked about one of the largest earthquakes recorded in the US that happened in the Midwest in 1811. So how likely are earthquakes in the Midwest today? Plus, conspiracy theories have been part of our politics for a long time. These days, belief in those theories are part of why our country is so divided. We learned how that happened. Also, what’s the difference between feeling stressed and experiencing burnout? And, how can understanding that difference help challenge stigma around mental health?