GOP asks for a performance audit for state’s child protection agency
SPRINGFIELD – In the wake of the recent deaths of five children who were in contact with the state’s child protection agency and eight contempt citations against the agency’s director, House Republicans on Wednesday asked for a performance audit at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. House Resolution 824 was filed Wednesday, requesting the […]
House Dems release $45.6 billion budget as negotiations continue
SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the Illinois House unveiled their own tax cut proposals and outlined spending tied to recent public safety measures at a news conference Wednesday, just three days before the scheduled April 8 adjournment of the 2022 regular session. Those provisions are part of a $45.6 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal […]
The Midwest has lost 57 billion metric tons of topsoil over the last 160 years, new study finds
Farmers till their land to prepare soil for planting, but a new study published in the journal “Earth’s Future” found topsoil in the Midwest is eroding on average nearly 2 millimeters per year. A few years ago, Isaac Larsen attended a wedding at a pioneer church in Minnesota. After the ceremony, he wandered around a […]
Illinois Public Media staff read proclamation of WILL-AM’s 100 years on-air
On April 6, 1922, four members of the University of Illinois’s electrical engineering laboratory put WILL-AM on the air. What would follow is a century of service to bring news, music, sports, education, and entertainment to Illinois via AM radio, then FM radio, then television, and later the internet. On April 6, 2022, the staff […]
217 Today: WILL celebrates 100th anniversary with a look back at its first broadcasts
Wednesday, April 6, 2022 Today’s headlines: Illinois teachers and school staff who are vaccinated against COVID-19 are now eligible for paid sick leave for any virus-related days off. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is severely understaffed even as caseloads surge which means there are fewer investigators available to take on more cases. […]
WILL At 100: From its first broadcast on April 6 1922, WILL evolves from high-tech novelty to pioneer broadcaster.
URBANA – One hundred years ago, on the evening of Thursday, April 6, 1922, the University of Illinois’ radio station went on the air for its first broadcast at 833 kilohertz (the station moved to 1100 kHz in 1924). WRM, the service that would become WILL Radio, was cutting-edge technology in 1922. Americans were still […]