Illinois Public Media News

Voters in Champaign County could be asked this fall to support a 1/4-cent sales tax to address facilities needs. County Board Chair Rick Snider says priorities include closing the downtown Urbana jail, and expansion of the satellite site, as well closing the Brookens Administrative Center to move county government to downtown Urbana. The county board would have to approve the plan by August 18 for the question to appear on the November ballot.

On the 21st: We talked with evangelical pastor Jim Wallis about why he says racism is America's "original sin." Plus, Dave Isay on his book "Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work" and his own calling as founder of StoryCorps.

A Downers Grove doctor and a pregnancy center in Rockford are suing to overturn Illinois' newly updated right-of-conscience law.

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner has vetoed a bill backed by the University of Illinois that would have allowed a nonresident student to serve as a student trustee. This means three criteria will remain in place - living in Illinois for least six months, proof of residency, and being a registered voter in Illinois. The measure that failed would have only required one of the three.

Researchers at the University of Illinois have come up with a computer model to forecast the human infection rate for West Nile Virus.