When Morning Edition host Kimberly Schofield isn’t live over the airways, she reports and produces arts and entertainment news happening in Central Illinois.

From covering school districts, politics, campus news, and more, Illinois Public Media reporter Emily Hays is a versatile journalist who loves keeping it local.

Abigail Bottar joined Illinois Public Media in early March 2026 as our Agriculture/Environmental reporter after six years at Ideastream Public Media in Ohio.

Christine Herman initially joined IPM as a part-time producer. Now, she is the editor for the Illinois Student Newsroom, overseeing 15 to 20 U of I student reporters.

At Illinois Public Media, Arjun Thakkar helps reporters with story pitches, sources, and final editing, and sometimes reports stories himself.