Illinois Public Media News

St. Louis is celebrating 50 years of the Gateway Arch, the city's most famous structure and the tallest monument in the Western Hemisphere. The Arch is a mainstay of St. Louis tourism, with more than two million visitors every year; but some long-time residents of the area have never taken the famous ride to the top. David Reddick of Kirkwood is one of them. He joined Illinois Public Radio's Áine O'Connor on a tram ride to the top of the Arch.

Who is Sean Anderson? The answer: The Jeopardy winner from the University of Illinois.

The story of the engineers and ironworkers who built Eero Saarinen's Gateway Arch never gets old, and Wednesday marks the 50th anniversary of "topping out" day — it also might have been one of the last opportunities for St. Louisans to meet the men and shake their hands.

Champaign Police say a man wearing an orange hardhat and a neon yellow vest held up the First Financial Bank on South Prospect Avenue Wednesday morning, fleeing on foot with an undetermined amount of cash.

Kelly McEvers knew from the first story she wrote for the Daily Illini while studying at the University of Illinois that she wanted to be a journalist. You've heard her report more recently as NPR's Beirut Bureau Chief and now as one of the new hosts of All Things Considered. 

McEvers recently talked with Illinois Public Media's Amanda Honigfort about being a foreign correspondent, bringing more of Midwest perspective to All Things Considered, and growing up in nearby Lincoln, Illinois.