Illinois Public Media News

Commentary: A North Shore suburban native reflects on the community's troubled racial history.

When the Illinois state legislature passed its new school funding law, it changed more than just the dollar amount each school district receives. It also changed the number of hours of instruction schools have to provide.

On the 21st: It's officially the dreaded holiday travel season. In Illinois, that means it’s cold outside, and it’s busy out on the roads and in airports. Today, we run down some tips for people driving out in the snow and getting your car ready if you’re hitting the road. Plus, we’ll get the latest in travel news with NPR’s David Schaper. But first, farming has always been part of American life. But Native American communities have to do more with a lot less land. They’re also worried about how the government’s food policies will affect them.

Farmers know every year they’re going to encounter surprises from things out of their control, like drought or pests. This year, great growing conditions led to a bin-busting soybean harvest, but a tit-for-tat exchange of tariffs with China meant that country went from being a major buyer to virtually ignoring U.S. soybeans.

Illinois lawmakers say they’ve begun discussing a potential capital bill. It would fund construction and repair projects for the state’s infrastructure over the next several years.