217 Today: The ancient farming practice that’s getting a new life — and reducing emissions
Monday, April 22, 2024 Today’s headlines: Illinois is, once again, home to a federally recognized tribal nation. Young adults incarcerated in Illinois prisons could soon have access to educational opportunities and mental health services. On Saturday, Crystal Lake Park in Urbana was filled with people learning about ecology ahead of Earth Day. The Fighting Illini […]
217 Today: Citing the mental health crisis, some hope to see Illinois legalize psilocybin
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 Today’s headlines: The U.S. Supreme Court seems ready to narrow a federal bribery law used in some big Chicago corruption cases. Governor J.B. Pritzker is promoting his plan to eliminate medical debt for hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans. Urbana School District 116 is set to vote Tuesday on which elementary school will […]
217 Today: Newspapers in rural areas are folding, leaving vast news deserts. But there are bright spots
Monday, April 15, 2024 Today’s headlines: Illinois lawmakers are moving to update the state’s biometric privacy law. The major theme for a service celebrating the life of local educator Dr. William Patterson was, “It don’t stop.” A shooting in a Chicago neighborhood killed a 7-year-old girl and left nearly a dozen others injured. In today’s deep […]
217 Today: People travel to southern Illinois and Missouri from across the U.S. to view solar eclipse
Tuesday, April 9, 2024 Today’s headlines: For a few minutes in the middle of the day, millions around Illinois experienced darkness as part of a total solar eclipse on Monday. More than 300 University of Illinois Chicago faculty, students and alumni are sounding the alarm about an effort to rein in campus speech. In today’s […]
217 Today: Heart screenings can detect teens’ abnormalities. But what about their problems?
Monday, April 8, 2024 Today’s headlines: Southern Illinois towns along the line of totality are holding events and celebrations for Monday’s solar eclipse. Thousands of eclipse chasers are descending on southern Illinois and Missouri hoping for a chance to see Monday’s celestial spectacle. There’s a statewide advisory board that meets four times a year to figure […]
217 Today: Chicago slowly starts evicting migrants from shelters
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 Today’s headlines: Tuesday is primary election day across Illinois, and voters in the Chicago area have choices to make for president, Cook County state’s attorney and a city tax referendum. Two Democrats and one Republican are vying for the job of coroner in Champaign County during Tuesday’s primary election. Two Republican […]
217 Today: University of Illinois student journalists travel to Sierra Leone to document ‘period poverty’
Monday, March 5, 2024 Today’s headlines: The U.S. Supreme Court is putting an end to an Illinois challenge to knock Donald Trump off the ballot. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin continues to push for a ceasefire in Gaza as conditions there worsen. The Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing tech Hub applied to receive $70 million from the Federal […]
217 Today: How Peoria’s used bookstores thrive in the digital age and build community
Monday, March 4, 2024 Today’s headlines: Reproductive rights advocates and Illinois lawmakers say a recent ruling from Alabama’s high court is an opportunity for the state to eliminate financial barriers to fertility treatments. Western Illinois University is in the market for a new president. Protesters gathered at Champaign’s West Side Park this weekend for a […]
A new Illinois re-entry guide includes resources for LGBTQ+ people after incarceration
CHAMPAIGN — Stephanie Zarate is both transgender and formerly incarcerated. Zarate says being transgender makes it difficult to find resources after incarceration — especially housing. “Unlike cisgender, straight people, it’s difficult for us because we don’t have the support that they have,” she said. That’s why the latest re-entry guide from the Education Justice Project […]
217 Today: Nadirah Shakoor talks Arrested Development, Jimmy Buffet and her musical career
Tuesday, February 27, 2024 Today’s headlines: The federal and state of Illinois environmental protection agencies signed a landmark agreement to overhaul the state’s permitting process around air pollution. University of Illinois freshman Akul Dhawan died from hypothermia in January. His father is calling for an independent investigation into the campus police department for failing to […]
217 Today: Most veterinarians are women, but they still face sexism in rural areas where they’re most needed
Monday, February 26, 2024 Today’s headlines: Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is proposing a new plan to fully fund the state’s pension systems. A new report has found that 73% of Illinois’ rural hospitals no longer provide obstetric care. Children and families from Champaign-Urbana gathered at the playground at Meadowbrook Park in Urbana on Saturday because […]
217 Today: Illinois requires public schools to teach LGBTQ+, Asian American and pre-enslavement Black history. Are teachers ready?
Tuesday, February 20, 2024 Today’s headlines: Illinois lawmakers are back in Springfield Tuesday with some potential fireworks overspending on the horizon. A new Illinois law allows gun owners to keep assault-style weapons if they disclosed them by January first. But state registration rates are low. Champaign County officials are raising money to attract an airline […]
217 Today: One man’s re-entry charts a path for more formerly incarcerated people to buy homes
Monday, February 19, 2024 Today’s headlines: Police have reclassified the shooting of Brandon Hardway as a homicide, following his death over the weekend. The federal government has sent out letters to the governors of 44 states this month, including Illinois, calling for them to improve efficiency for food assistance applications. Labor unions are targeting two […]
One man’s re-entry charts a path for more formerly incarcerated people to buy homes
CHAMPAIGN — Anthony spent about half of his life in prison and just got out last year. It was a huge adjustment because so much had changed in the decades Anthony was incarcerated. “I hadn’t seen a cell phone in almost 30 years,” Anthony said. “Now in this new world, you can’t function without a […]
217 Today: How the U-46 school district is trying to help newcomer migrant students
Tuesday, February 13, 2024 Today’s headlines: The longtime chief of staff to ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison. Dozens of parents and children packed the Champaign Unit 4 school board meeting Monday night based on rumors that a beloved principal might be fired. An online petition to fire the […]
