Illinois Public Media News

As women rallied at the Illinois Capitol Tuesday, the House passed a measure that would allow abortion to be covered by Medicaid and state-employee health insurance. If it also passes the Senate, it would be the first abortion legislation sent to the governor’s desk in 17 years.

WILL AM-580 is welcoming a new voice to our airwaves beginning Monday, May 1. The talk show 1A will air weekdays from 9-11am, just before Illinois Public Media's daily talk show “The 21st.”

Actor and alumnus Nick Offerman will be the commencement speaker for the University of Illinois' Urbana campus on May 13. The selection was confirmed late Tuesday afternoon with a short video of Offerman posted to the U of I's Facebook page. In the video, Offerman took on the mannerisms of Ron Swanson, the character he played on the TV show "Parks and Recreation." 

State Representative Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) says she’ll announce by late June if she’s running for Illinois’ 13th Congressional District in 2018. For now, she's formed an exploratory committee to help her decide whether to challenge Republican Congressman Rodney Davis of Taylorville. She announced her possible run for Congress after Tuesday's women's march in downtown Springfield.

On The 21st: We talked about why progressives went to the state capitol for a Women's March in Springfield. We also learned about what former President Obama said in his first public appearance since leaving office. Then, we talked about the nursing shortage in the U.S and what it could mean for our healthcare system.