New Law Helps Police Find Missing People With Disabilities
By Steph Whiteside • Jan 11, 2019
Tony Webster/Flickr / Creative Commons
An Illinois law will make it easier for police to help find missing persons with intellectual disabilities.
The law, which went into effect the first of this year, requires the state to maintain a database and use a special alert system for missing people with an intellectual or developmental disability.
What Do You Want To Know About Rebuilding Illinois' Roads, Bridges And Infrastructure?
By Mary Hansen • Jan 8, 2019
The need for new or repaired roads, bridges, buildings and other infrastructure in Illinois continues to outpace the amount of funding available to complete the projects. With a new governor and legislative session starting in January, discussions have already started with an aim to change that.
Farm Bill Boosts Money To Rural Areas With Slow Or No Internet
By Mary Hansen • Dec 27, 2018
Small internet service providers in Illinois are optimistic after the farm bill – which President Trump recently signed – included more money for expanding high-speed internet access in sparsely populated areas.
The law earmarks $350 million annually for loans and grants for broadband projects. That's on top of $600 million set aside earlier this year for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Re-Connect program.
A History of Discrimination Leads to a Lingering Fear of Doctors
By Steph Whiteside • Dec 20, 2018
Few people like going to the doctor. But for some, that fear is compounded by discrimination and history. For black Americans, the pervasive history of racism in America bleeds into virtually every facet of life, including the doctor's office — with devastating results.
Rahim Khalil is a beauty supply store owner in Carbondale. He also has a degree in social work. As a black man, he says he's felt disrespected by the medical system, and he's talked to customers with similar feelings.
High On The Highway: Challenges With Marijuana DUIs
By Madelyn Beck • Dec 17, 2018
Come January 14, Illinois will have a new
Why Illinois Won't 'Ban The Box' On College Applications
By Lee V. Gaines • Dec 13, 2018
Four years ago, Chris Miner decided to apply to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Then 40-years-old, Miner was encouraged to apply by a counselor at the community college he attended. He was told he was a shoo-in.
He sat down at his computer and started the application. But then Miner faced this question: Have you ever been convicted of a crime?
"I just sat there and stared at the screen for like 10 minutes," he said. "It was like everything, every advancement I had made so far might be over with, maybe this is the end of the ride."
What Happens To Pot Convictions If Illinois Legalizes?
The push to legalize recreational marijuana in Illinois could get a jump-start early next year. State Sen. Heather Steans, a Chicago Democrat, said this week she plans to introduce legislation early next year to tax and regulate the use and sale of marijuana. Incoming Democratic governor J.B.
New Report Says Illinois Schools Need More Sexual Violence Response Guidelines
By Rachel Otwell • Dec 10, 2018
A new report says Illinois lacks comprehensive guidelines when it comes to dealing with sexual misconduct cases in elementary and high schools.
Showing Students College Isn't The Only Option For Success
By Mary Hansen • Dec 7, 2018
On a recent Tuesday afternoon, a few high school students are measuring and cutting siding.
They're building a house in the trades class at the Capital Area Career Center in Springfield and learning construction skills, like putting on a roof or installing a window.
Shelby Landers is one of the students hammering siding on to the front of the house. The 17-year-old senior says he was happy to leave the classroom and get more hands-on experience.
Illinois Education Funding Fixes Still Top Priority
By Rachel Otwell • Dec 5, 2018
Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker and a new crop of legislators will take office come January. Those crafting state education policies say they will continue one of the biggest fights in recent years, finding more funding for teachers, students and schools.
Effort To Eliminate Medical Co-Pay For Prison Inmates Fails
Illinois prison inmates will continue to pay $5 for medical and dental visits, after the legislature tried and failed to get rid of the fee last week.
Prison reform advocates want to eliminate the co-pay, saying it deters inmates from seeking necessary treatment. An Illinois Department of Corrections spokeswoman emphasized that no one is denied care for not being able to pay.
The effort to get rid of the co-pay comes at a time when medical care in the correctional system is under scrutiny due to a class-action lawsuit in federal court.
Beyond The Farm: A Look At The Wide World Of Ag Degrees
By Madelyn Beck • Dec 3, 2018
Fields, crops and farm animals are part of the agriculture-industry landscape, but an increasingly small one.
The number of farm and ranch managers shrunk by about 20 percent between 1996 and 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor statistics. At the same time, there are more students graduating from ag colleges, and, in many parts of the country, 80 percent to 90 percent of them find a job (or go for an advanced degree) within a few months of graduating.
IL Struggles With Lack Of Long-Term Addiction Recovery Options
By Steph Whiteside • Nov 27, 2018
Flickr/Sacred Heart
Earlier this year, we covered the difficulties faced by Illinoisans in recovery - especially those who had successfully detoxed, and were hoping to change their lives and stay sober. One of the challenges people faced was finding help getting their lives back on track.
Illinois Students Act In Response To Proposed Title IX Changes
By Rachel Otwell • Nov 21, 2018
Students across Illinois are calling for tougher campus policies on sexual harassment and misconduct as the Trump administration proposes changes to federal law that victims' rights advocates say would weaken guidelines that are already lacking.
Reporter's Notebook: Why We're Investigating Education And Incarceration In Illinois
By Lee V. Gaines • Nov 20, 2018
Earlier this year, I reported for Illinois Newsroom that the Illinois Department of Corrections spent less than $300 on books for its educational programs across more than two dozen state prisons last year. I also reported that figure represents a dramatic decrease in spending since the early 2000s when IDOC was spending roughly three-quarters of a million dollars per year on books in prisons.
How Seeking Justice Retraumatizes Assault Survivors
Rape and sexual assault are issues that have dominated the headlines recently. The response to those stories - whether they are about Brett Kavanaugh, Bill Cosby, or #MeToo - reveals a divide among Americans on what to do when someone says they've been assaulted.
As a society, we are still struggling to understand how rape and sexual assault affect victims and how to seek justice for these crimes.
It's an issue that hits close to home for a significant number of Americans.
E-Cigarette Use Soars Among Illinois Teens
Lindsay Fox/Flickr
E-cigarettes are setting anti-smoking efforts back by as much as a decade.
That's what researchers found after analyzing this year's Illinois Youth Survey.
Women Make Some Gains In Illinois Elections
By Mary Hansen • Nov 12, 2018
This week's election was expected to bring a second "Year of the Woman" to American politics.
After Tuesday, here's what that looks like in Illinois: The state's congressional delegation added one woman, and there will be at least one, maybe up to three, more women serving in Springfield come January.
Do Campus Sexual Misconduct Policies Allow Harassment To Persist?
By editor • Nov 9, 2018
Every college campus has standards and policies to prevent sexual harassment. But time and again, repeated complaints are filed against professors for saying and doing inappropriate things -- yet they often keep their jobs. Documents and interviews from two recent cases on campuses in Illinois shed some light on the reasons why this remains a persistent issue at many schools.
High Schoolers To Help At Polling Places In Sangamon County
By Mary Hansen • Nov 5, 2018
At the county health building in east Springfield, election judge trainees sit through a presentation and comb through packets of information.
On November 6, they'll check voter rolls, hand out ballots and oversee counting machines.
One group at the training sticks out; about a dozen high school students sit together in the back of the room.
Non-Profit Sues IDOC Over Censorship Of LGBTQ Publications
By Lee V. Gaines • Nov 2, 2018
Knowing there were other transgender inmates in prisons in Illinois and across the country made Leila Lee feel as though she wasn't alone. She said it also made her want to help people like herself when she was released from prison.
Illinois Sex Ed Law Requires 'Honor And Respect For Monogamous Heterosexual Marriage'
Lily Furgeson had a great experience in sex ed in middle school. Furgeson, who is a 17-year-old senior at a Chicago Public Schools high school, said her eighth grade sex ed teacher made sure to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender identities as part of their curriculum.
Illinois Early Childhood Educators Share Election Hopes
By Rachel Otwell • Oct 30, 2018
Preschool is a key part of building a solid foundation for lifelong learning, some experts even say it's
President Trump Signs Water Infrastructure Bill
By Madelyn Beck • Oct 26, 2018
President Donald Trump signed America's Water Infrastructure Act on Tuesday, which authorizes work on many projects around the U.S., ranging from water treatment to mitigating invasive species to transportation.
What The 'Year Of The Woman' Looks Like In Illinois
Erin Cetindag and Delaney Flattery stopped by the Sangamon County building to vote early on a recent Saturday. The two college students were home in Springfield on break from schools out-of-state.
"That was the most fun test I've ever taken," laughed Cetindag, a senior at American University.
"We turned it in and got stickers," Flattery, a senior at Butler University added.
When asked about the gender diversity of the candidates they just voted for, both noticed something.
Putting The Brakes On: Transportation Department Rolls Back Oil Train Regulation
Worried About Voting? Here's What You Need To Know
By Steph Whiteside • Oct 18, 2018
Wokandapix / Pixabay
Election day is looming and we've gotten questions through our Ask The Newsroom project about things that could go wrong on election day. Here's what you can do if you run into trouble while voting.
More Illinois Schools Have Access To High-Speed Internet, But Some Still Suffer Without It
By Lee V. Gaines • Oct 18, 2018
Access to high-speed internet stops about seven miles east of both Nippersink School District 2 and Richmond-Burton Community High School District 157, according to Tom Lind. He's the superintendent of both districts, located near the border of Wisconsin — about 70 miles northwest of Chicago.
Candidates Struggle To Sway This Moderate First-Time Voter
Athens is a town like many others in central Illinois. With a population of about 2,000, it's rural, and encapsulated by fields of crops like corn and soybeans. Visitors driving into town off the interstate are ushered in by numerous American flags and a welcome sign listing several area churches.
What We're Hearing From Illinoisans In The Know
By editor • Oct 13, 2018
Illinois Newsroom holds Listening Sessions across the state to hear what's top of mind for community members.