The Champaign County Drug Court is designed to help people with decades of substance abuse issues. This week, 14 people will celebrate a year of sobriety as they graduate from the voluntary program that’s been running for almost 20 years.

On the 21st: We learned about a program led by Democratic Congresswoman Cheri Bustos aimed at getting more women to run for office. Plus, we began our week-long series on the opioid crisis in Illinois with a look at how funding shortages have affected providers across the state.

Illinois legislators voted against letting people with drug-related convictions receive welfare benefits Friday. Urbana Democrat Carol Ammons was a supporter of the measure, which garnered only 36 votes.

On the 21st: we talked about heroin use in Central Illinois with two Bloomington-Normal Pantagraph reporters and a Pontiac woman who was addicted for a decade and lost loved ones to the drug; we learned of the impending closure of a mental health treatment center in central Illinois; and we also talked about new guidelines for pediatric sleep, for children from infants to age 18.