Illinois Public Media News

Amtrak staff testified Thursday before a Senate committee on the proposed 2016 fiscal budget.  Reductions in service would be expected under Gov. Bruce Rauner's budget proposal.

There is a changing of the guard at the Illinois State Board of Education.  The board approved hiring Tony Smith, a former Oakland, California superintendent, on Wednesday to be the next Illinois Superintendent. 

The U. S. Department of Agriculture describes a food desert as: a neighborhood or town without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food. Instead of supermarkets and grocery stores, these communities may have no food access or are served only by fast food restaurants and convenience stores that offer few healthy, affordable food options.

Moviegoers were treated to two firsts for the annual festival's opening night - a tribute to the late filmmaker/actor Harold Ramis, and a 3D screening of Jean-Luc Godard's 'Goodbye to Language.'

Common Ground is adding a second store, expanding to a downtown Champaign location in early 2016.  Its general manager expects to add to the co-op's diverse customer base and add 75 jobs when the Walnut Street location opens.