Illinois Public Media News

Engineer and land surveyor Rex Bradfield is launching another campaign for the office of Urbana mayor. With three Democrats in the race, that means there will be a competitive general election for the office in April. Bradfield has twice lost to incumbent Laurel Prussing, in 2009 and 2013. He says Urbana city government needs to to more to lure business to the city, and says funds have been wasted on downtown projects like the Boneyard Creek beautification.

Unemployment dropped by 0.3 percentage points, to 4.6 percent, last month — the lowest rate since 2007 — according to the monthly jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In a sign the stalemate in Springfield is as strong as ever, Governor Bruce Rauner on Thursday vetoed a bill that had once been held up as proof he and Democratic leaders were capable of working together. The action leaves politicians divided and could leave the financially-ailing Chicago Public Schools short some $215 million.

Like President Obama, Donald Trump must deal with the millions of old-school, middle-skill jobs, like manufacturing, that just aren't coming back. 

On the 21st: We talked Illinois politics with two reporters and discussed a new report that reveals that many low-income students lag behind their wealthier peers. Plus, we spoke with an infectious disease physician about the progress made in treating HIV. Plus, Chicago-based author Elizabeth Berg joined us to talk about her latest book, a collection of her writings from Facebook.