Illinois Public Media News

Illinois officials issued dire warnings ahead of the arctic cold blowing into the state Tuesday night.

On The 21st: Illinois is facing sub-zero temperatures for the next couple of days. How do administrators decide whether or not to close school? Plus, the Illinois Supreme Court is hearing a case today that asks: how long is too long when it comes to sentencing juvenile offenders? Also, two men from central Illinois pleaded guilty in Minnesota federal court last week for trying to bomb a mosque in August of 2017. And, a new study shows more than 80 percent of the time we’re prescribed antibiotics we don’t actually need it.

State Representative Carol Ammons wants to provide more state funding to Illinois universities and colleges. Ammons was recently appointed chair of the state's Higher Education Committee.

With subzero temperatures in the weather forecast, an agency serving the homeless in Champaign-Urbana is gearing up to offer daytime shelter from the cold. The Phoenix Drop-In Center in Champaign is expanding its hours this week to provide a place for people who are homeless to get warm. 

On The 21st: Illinois is home to some of America’s most segregated cities. Not just Chicago, but also Peoria, Rockford, and Springfield. Plus, have you checked this week’s forecast? Lots of us are going to see below zero temperatures. Meteorologist Andrew Pritchard helps us prepare. But first, the government is finally open after the longest shutdown in American history. And the state of Illinois wants to fund a hundred million dollars in low or zero-interest loans to people who’ve been affected.