Illinois Public Media News

State Representative Carol Ammons said she didn’t vote on a historic bill to legalize the use and sale of cannabis in Illinois because she didn’t have a chance to express her concerns about the legislation.

In this special encore episode, we take you back to a conversation on tech in the classroom: should devices like Chromebooks and iPads be limited or actively used? Plus, when Prohibition became official in 1920, advocates wanted to make sure it was enforced. But that also had a darker side, including anti-immigrant violence supported by the KKK. Also, it’s been a tough few years for farmers who sell produce through CSAs, in part due to more competition from big grocery stores and others cashing into the local food market. We look at how farmers are adapting and what policymakers can do to help.

State Representative Tom Bennett (R-Gibson City) discusses the major votes of the end of the spring session in Springfield, including the new state budget, a new infrastructure plan, the legalization of recreational marijuana and a proposed constitutional amendment for a progressive state income tax.

When you go to the doctor, there is a pretty good chance that person wasn’t born in the United States. There are thousands of foreign-born doctors working here — in every specialty. But recent changes in immigration law are making the transition tougher.

Rural communities are some of the most politically disenfranchised when it comes to climate policy, and last year’s National Climate Change Report showed they’re also among the most at risk when it comes to the effect of climate change. This could mean stronger storms, more intense droughts and earlier freezes.