Illinois Public Media News

With the Super Bowl on Sunday, all eyes are on football. The sport also happens to be Kevin Jackson’s area of scientific expertise. He came to the University of Illinois to play football while pursuing a career in science, and now he’s developing a cooling helmet that may help with athletes’ head injuries. Through his research with the University’s Beckman Institute and the Athletics Department, Jackson wants to reduce the side effects of concussions and other brain injuries for athletes.

The murder trial of Curtis Lovelace, accused of suffocating his first wife, Cory, has resulted in a hung jury.  The retrial for the former Adams County assistant state's attorney has been set for May 31.

Chicago State University trustees have declared a financial emergency that could lead to some big cuts during the current school year.

Like the fault lines they stem from, earthquakes are often little thought of until they actually happen. But Tim Larson, a senior geophysicist at the Illinois State Geological Survey, is bringing them back to mind with his presentation - “Earthquakes: Fact and Fiction” at Parkland's Staerkel Planetarium tonight.

State Rep. Carol Ammons, a freshman Democratic lawmaker in the Illinois House, discusses what it might take in order for the state to reach an end to its eight-month budget impasse.