Illinois Public Media News

The Rantoul Park Board will discuss plans for its future at next meeting --- the first since a judge nullified a referendum vote to dissolve the park district.

On the 21st: We went beyond the recent news headlines to ask: Why are so many people being killed, not only in Chicago, but in many Midwestern cities? What will it take to stop the violence? We also learned about community efforts in Danville and Peoria to reduce gun violence.

Any day now, Governor Bruce Rauner's criminal justice reform commission is expected to release its final set of recommendations. It's trying to figure out how to safely reduce Illinois' prison population by 25 percent over the next decade.

Ameya Pawar, a two-term Chicago alderman, on Tuesday became the first Democrat to formally announce he will seek his party’s nomination to run against incumbent Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Pawar, who represents Chicago's 47th Ward, said he is running because he wants to tackle income inequality and criticized Rauner’s tenure.

Vermilion County Board Chair Mike Marron is appointing a bipartisan ad-hoc committee to investigate whether the county would function under a part-time chairman and professional administrator, the same leadership structure used in Peoria and McLean Counties. He says the county has expanded to where it may need someone with more experience in public administration.