217 Today: U of I professor argues college debt is making jobs and care less accessible

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Kevin Leicht, a sociology professor at UI, published a book about the declining respect for professional jobs. Titled "Crisis in the Professions: The New Dark Age," the book discussed how college debt forces professionals to pursue higher-paying jobs.
  • Photo: Photo by L. Brian Stauffer, courtesy of Sharita Forrest

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Today’s headlines:

  • New York City is about to join seven cities – including Champaign and Urbana – that have banned weight discrimination.
  • A $120 million earmark request for the upcoming federal budget could fund long-awaited upgrades to antiquated locks on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers.
  • Western Illinois University’s sports teams are moving to the Ohio Valley conference.
  • A proposal in Springfield to help the Bears move to Arlington Heights is scheduled for a committee hearing this morning.

In today’s deep dive, we hear a conversation with a sociology professor about how college debt is preventing access to affordable services like medical care.

Reporting today contributed by Emily Hays, Tim Shelley, Rich Egger, Alex Degman and Piotr Fedczuk.

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Owen Henderson

Owen Henderson covers arts and culture, as well as LGBTQ issues for Illinois Public Media News. He studied journalism, Spanish and theater at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and has worked with Illinois Public Media in various capacities since 2021.