Illinois Public Media News

When students head back to school, most kids walk or ride the bus. But for some special education students whose families live in Illinois, school is a residential facility or boarding school in another state. 

More than four billion private records were exposed by data breaches in the first half of 2019. Illinois residents have seen their fair share of information compromises. In July, the state received a share of the Equifax settlement.

A proposed new medical campus for Carle in Danville would take up 17 acres on the west end of downtown. Officials with the Urbana-based healthcare provider announced their plans for the new campus on Wednesday, saying the project will be good for their patients and the community as a whole.

The minimum salary a teacher can be paid in Illinois will soon increase. Governor J.B. Pritzker joined educators and activists to sign a wage increase plan into law Thursday.

On the heels of the Trump administration's plans to potentially detain migrant children indefinitely, we hear from an Illinois Wesleyan professor who interviewed migrant children at the border and saw their living conditions firsthand. Plus, a new report describes a toxic work environment at the office of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. We also hear about changes to the Child Care Assistance Program, and talk with author and Oak Park native Claire Lombardo.

Indiana has one of the highest smoking rates in the country -- nearly one in five Hoosiers smoke. Now, a new statewide policy makes it easier for smokers to get medication to help them quit. But some people want state leaders to do more. 

Immigrants to Illinois are now able to sue their landlords if they are evicted because of their citizenship status.

Students have been paying more and more for room and board—and that cost often gets left out of conversations about lowering tuition and debt. Plus, what's behind an uptick in Hepatitis A cases in Illinois. We also talk with the lawmaker behind Illinois's new requirement that insurers cover EpiPens, and learn why colleges are turning to alcohol sales as one strategy to boost attendance at sporting events.

Illinois will soon require insurers to cover EpiPens and similar devices for children 18 and under. But questions remain about whether the law will really lower costs for consumers.

In the wake of two high profile mass shootings this month, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul's office is making gun violence prosecutions a priority. A leader of the Illinois House, meanwhile, said new gun legislation will be on the table during the next legislative session.