Illinois Public Media News

A few dozen southern Illinois communities have faced a substantial portion of the state's reported sewer overflows. This is the subject of a new investigation from the Illinois Answers Project.The reporter behind the story joins the program today.

A journalist covering agriculture weighs in on what has transpired so far after the Federal Trade Commission as well as several states, including Illinois, sued farming equipment manufacturer John Deere earlier this year. We also talk about what to expect from the upcoming trial. 

The Forgottonia Project was a podcast created by a social studies teacher and the incoming Dean of Students at Spoon River Valley High School in Fulton County. The goal is to teach students living in the western part of Illinois and other rural areas about the history of where they live and also to hear from rural voices that might otherwise be ignored. The teacher joins the program today as well as two students who participated in the project.

For this week's Friday Reporter Roundtable, we're focusing on the Metro East, from the fate of Granite City Works to flooding.

For the first time in more than four decades, a sitting Illinois governor will be seeking a third term. On top of that, the debate's continuing over whether JB Pritzker might seek even higher office. A longtime chief politics reporter for the Chicago Tribune discusses what Pritzker's decision means for Illinois in this week's Politics News Roundup.