Illinois Public Media News

In Illinois, the quality of a child’s health, education, housing and economic situation often correlates with a child's race, ethnicity and geographic location, according to a new KIDS COUNT report from Voices For Illinois Children, an organization that advocates for state investments that benefit children across the state.

Holmes Co., Ohio, is a patchwork of farmland. Modest houses perch on sloping hills and laundry hangs from clothes lines, flapping in the wind. There are horses and buggies – some driven by farmers in straw hats, others by women with their hair covered in bonnets, babies on their laps. Holmes is one of the healthiest counties in Ohio. It’s also the least insured.

"A lot of people need to do a better job, including me," said Illinois coach Lovie Smith, following Eastern Michigan's impressive last-second 34-31 win over the Illini on Saturday at the State Farm Center.

UPDATE on September 13, 2019: Urbana Police say they’ve found no evidence to support allegations of inappropriate contact between a staff member and a student at Thomas Paine Elementary School. The allegation that such an incident occurred during recess at the school playground came to light earlier this week and led to a hotline call to the state Department of Children and Family Services.

 Restoration work is finally underway on a northern Illinois landmark known as the Black Hawk statue following weather-related delays.

Charlie Wheeler has been covering Illinois government for 50 years. As he retires from leading the Public Affairs Reporting program at the University of Illinois Springfield, he reflects on the decline of the Statehouse press corps, the threat that poses to democracy, and the rays of hope in non-profit news.

Enrollment at the University of Illinois’ Urbana-Champaign campus has topped fifty thousand for the first time, according to preliminary fall enrollment figures released Thursday.

Champaign-Urbana is the site of dozens of events celebrating the contributions of immigrants, during National Welcoming Week, beginning Friday.

Ten candidates are on stage for the three-hour event hosted by ABC News and Univision, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

A gathering this weekend in Champaign will bring together people from various faith communities and organizations to grieve for those who have died from gun violence. The Interfaith Vigil of Remembrance begins at 3 pm Sunday at the Randolph Street Community Garden in Champaign. It will be led by local clergy, in coordination with the CU chapter of Moms Demand Action, a group that advocates for stricter gun laws.