Illinois Public Media News

Former WILL-TV news director and anchorman Henry Lippold has died. Lippold oversaw student reporters and anchored newscasts at WILL-TV during the 1960s, covering major events like the assassination of President Kennedy and the Vietnam War. 

On The 21st: Four plaintiffs have sued every Catholic diocese in the state of Illinois, and they want bishops to publicly list the names of every priest who was credibly accused of sexual abuse. Plus, with Sears bankruptcy filing, many are thinking about the retailer’s storied history. That past includes how the company’s catalog helped disrupt Jim Crow-era racism. But first, Americans owe a total of nearly $1.5 trillion in student loans. We’ll break down where Illinois candidates stand on how to fix the problem of student debt.

A statewide series of forums this year found plenty of concern about the direction Illinois is heading.  But we also found work is being done at the local level to solve some of the problems.

As life expectancy increases, farmers are staying in the business, but there’s still a need to plan for what happens when they die. At the same time, young farmers who come from non-farming backgrounds are looking for the space to grow their own careers.

The Urbana City Council endorsed the repeal of its ordinance against aggressive panhandling Monday night, after the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups that advocate for the homeless urged city leaders to do so to avoid potential litigation.