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217 Today: Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022

Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022

Today’s headlines:

  • Illinois lawmakers won’t be coming back to Springfield next week because of spiking COVID-19 cases amid the spread of the Omicron variant.

  • People should look into swapping their cloth masks for surgical masks or N95 masks, according to Illinois State Medical Society President-Elect Clarence Brown. 

  • Illinois likely just experienced its fifth warmest December on record.

  • Public Health officials reported 913 new COVID-19 cases in Champaign County Wednesday. The number of active cases hit another all-time high with 5737.

Even as Illinois has shifted to more of a blue state politically, more of its counties are voting Republican. In today’s deep dive, we’ll take a closer look at these “two Illinoises” created by political polarization throughout the state.

217 Today is produced by Farrah Anderson. Reporting today contributed by Dave McKinney, Steph Whiteside and Dana Cronin.

WILL and the Illinois Newsroom are committed to bringing you in-depth, relevant coverage that keeps you informed and engages you with our community and state. Join with thousands of others to keep this important public media-based resource available to all. Donate today >>

Farrah Anderson

Farrah Anderson

Farrah Anderson is a student at the University of Illinois studying journalism. At Illinois Public Media, Anderson works as a general assignment reporter and produces and hosts the 217 Today podcast.

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