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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

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.

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