January 12, 2017

Urbana Man Arrested In 2016 Flag-Burning Incident Files Lawsuit

Bryton Mellott, who was arrested last July for burning an American flag and posting pictures of it on Facebook, has filed a federal lawsuit against four Urbana police officers. He wants to see Illinois' flag descreation law officially declared unconstitutional. The 22-year old Urbana resident says he burned the flag in response to the current political climate, and mass shootings, including the incident that claimed 49 lives at a gay nightclub in Orlando last summer.

January 12, 2017

Suspects Arrested In Two C-U Homicides

Two men, each of them suspects in a separate murder case in Champaign-Urbana, were found and arrested at an apartment in Urbana Wednesday. The suspects were wanted in connection with the deaths of Rakim Vineyard in Champaign and Robert Lee Brown in Urbana.

January 12, 2017

FACT CHECK: Trump Lawyer’s Claim And Comparison to Rockefeller Is a Head Scratcher

Among the unusual elements of President-elect Donald Trump's Wednesday news conference was a 15-minute interlude in which an attorney took the podium and described Trump's plan to address potential conflicts of interest between his businesses and the responsibilities of his office.

January 12, 2017

Despite Pivot To Economy, Madigan Still Says Budget Is Top Issue

Michael Madigan was re-elected speaker of the Illinois House for the 17th time Wednesday as the 100 Illinois General Assembly got under way. Madigan's election came despite a Republican Party campaign to pressure Democrats into dropping him. The Chicago Democrat used the occasion to call for a focus on economic growth.

January 12, 2017

We Asked People What They Know About Obamacare. See If You Know The Answers.

Test your knowledge on the Affordable Care Act, and compare it to respondants in a new NPR/Ipsos poll. Only 14% of those polled want to repeal the ACA without a replacement.

January 12, 2017

Senate President Calls For End Of Permanent Campaign

Illinois state legislators opened a new two-year session of the Illinois General Assembly Wednesday. Amid the ceremonies and celebrations, the focus remains on the political stalemate that's left Illinois without a budget for more than 18 months.

January 12, 2017

Encore: Law Professor Dissects Property Tax Exemption Case

The Illinois Supreme Court will hear arguments today in a case on the constitutionality of hospital tax exemptions involving Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana. In this encore conversation, University of Illinois Law Professor John Colombo spoke about the arguments both sides are making in the case.

January 12, 2017

Youth Movement Propels Illini Men Past Michigan

Newcomers Kipper Nichols and Te'Jon Lucas led the way as the Illini men plowed past MIchigan 85-69 last night in Champaign. Illinois evened its Big Ten record at 2-2, while improving to 12-5 overall. Michigan drops to 11-6, 1-3 in the conference.

January 11, 2017

A Month To Get Back On Their Feet: That’s The Offer From A Danville Program For Homeless Men

A new emergency shelter program for homeless men in Champaign-Urbana opened on January 6th during the recent cold snap. Two local churches are  hosting the shelter program, to replaces others that closed down last year.

Meanwhile in Danville, a men’s emergency shelter program has been running for years --- with an emphasis on getting participants into jobs and their own housing.

January 11, 2017

Live Fact Check: Trump News Conference

The NPR Politics team and reporters across the newsroom will be live-annotating a news conference with President-elect Donald Trump, expected at 11 am ET/8am PT on Wednesday. We will be fact-checking and providing background to his remarks in real-time. We will be paying special attention to any comments about conflicts of interest, health care and national security.