Illinois Public Media News

Wilton Speight threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns in three quarters before watching No. 3 Michigan finish off Illinois 41-8 Saturday.

It's time to talk about ballot measures. Or rather, those other things voters are deciding on Nov. 8. This November, there are 156 measures being voted on in 35 states and the District of Columbia. California is in the lead, with a whopping 17 measures on its ballot.

Drinking water has been part of the national conversation since the discovery of lead in Flint, Michigan’s water supply last year. That’s one reason the Prairie Rivers Network has invited George Hawkins to speak at their annual dinner Friday in Champaign. Hawkins is the General Manager and CEO of DC Water, one of the largest municipal water companies in the country.

For the first time, Champaign County is holding a public meeting to help some people with criminal records remove those records from public access to help them move on with their lives.

Circuit Clerk Katie Blakeman says those with old convictions, particularly juvenile records, have trouble getting a job, and have few financial resources. 

Because Illinois is a northern state and the former home of Abraham Lincoln, it isn’t typically associated with slavery. But there was slavery in Illinois for more than 100 years.

Even after Illinois entered the Union, loopholes in its laws allowed the practice to continue, making the future Land of Lincoln a quasi-slave state.