Illinois Public Media News

Do you have summer road trip plans yet? Because there are great food destinations that aren’t too far from Illinois. And, a Naperville native has racked up nearly $1.7 million on Jeopardy. We’ll talk about what it’s really like to be a contestant on a game show that millions of people watch every night. Plus, Science fiction is everywhere in today’s pop culture. And much of that can be traced back to the 30s and 40s in the form of a pulp magazine called 'Astounding.'

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.