Illinois Public Media News

With Labor Day parades stepping off across Illinois today, Democratic politicians are thinking about how to win back the once-solid support of union members.

The Illini football team made their home opener more exciting than fans might have wanted, beating Ball State 24-21 in Champaign on Saturday.

Illinois State Representative Brandon Phelps has stepped down. The Harrisburg Democrat's resignation from the seat he's held in the 118th District in southern Illinois since 2003 was effective Friday.  

On the 21st: Sue, the world-famous T. rex that greets visitors of the Field Museum in Chicago, is soon moving to make room for a gigantic, new plant-eating dinosaur. We discussed the upcoming changes with Field Museum paleontologist Bill Simpson. Plus, to prepare for the Labor Day holiday and lots of weekend grilling, we heard from some of the state's top BBQ experts, including chef Benjamin Grice from The Humble Hog and Pat Burke from Pat’s BBQ.

A monthly survey indicates the Illinois economy continues to be sluggish, but growing.