Illinois Public Media News

Illinois voters go to the polls on November 8, but they won't officially cast the votes for the next President. Both state parties have decided the handful of people who will have that privilege.

U.S. Senator Mark Kirk has gained an endorsement in his bid for re-election. It could help him win crucial votes from suburban moderates, but it might also frustrate an important part of the Republican electorate.

Final work is underway to convert a University Avenue site to a medical marijuana dispensary operated by Wheaton-based Nu Med. The CEO of partner group Education to Grow, Ben Rediger, says market demand in the state's pilot program has grown to a point where one dispensary, Phoenix Botantical in Champaign, will not be able to fully handle the flow of new patients in the region.

Legislation curbing the cost of calls made by Illinois prison inmates has been signed into law by Gov. Bruce Rauner. It sets rates for inmates in Illinois correctional facilities at a maximum of 7 cents per minute for domestic calls. Sponsor and State Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) says that's about half the current rate.  Rauner signed four other related measures at adult transition center in Chicago Monday.

A prison in central Illinois has been placed on lockdown while state officials investigate the assault of six employees by five inmates. The Pontiac Correctional Center is on lockdown following the incident Sunday and will remain on lockdown until the department has finished its investigation.