State Museum Director Talks About Plans To Reopen

Illinois Public Radio's Jamey Dunn talks with Illinois State Museum Director Mike Wiant about the Rauner administration's decision to reopen the museum.

Gov. Bruce Rauner closed the Illinois State Museum last fall, saying that the closure was a necessary cost-saving measure.

On Tuesday, his administration announced that the main museum in Springfield and the Dickson Mounds Museum in west-central Illinois will reopen on July 2nd - that is if a legislative committee approves a plan to charge adults a $5 admission fee when it meets later in June.

Meanwhile, State Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) is calling on the governor to reopen the museum immediately. But the Illinois Department of Natural Resources says the museum can’t reopen without some sort of legislative approval of measures to institute an admission fee and keep some museum sites closed.