News

Reporting on gun violence in Chicago primarily focuses only on those killed.  But shooting survivors often struggle to come to terms with what happened.  In some cases, it takes years to overcome the trauma.  Others never get past it.  A shooting survivor shares his story. 

Illinois was struggling to attract and keep teachers prior to last year.  The pandemic has made things worse.  We'll hear some possible solutions. 

And a journalist who covered the 1970 Illinois Constitutional Convention shares his thoughts on the work done more than 50 years ago and how it has held up through the years.  

That and more on this episode of Statewide.

Lunch & Learn Series:  Societal Norms - Now and Then

Panelists

• Dr. Sean McCandless, Assistant Professor and Assoc. Director, DPA Program
• Dr. Jason Pierceson, Professor, Political Science

 Moderator

• Rachel Otwell, Staff Writer, Illinois Times

 Presented by:

• UIS Office of Advancement
• UIS Alumni SAGE Society
• Illinois State Historical Society

Every decade, the year after a Census, state lawmakers are tasked with adopting new legislative maps for Illinois, which can shift the balance of power in certain areas with demographic changes.

Lunch & Learn Series:  The American People, Government, Finances and the Public TrustPresented by the UIS Office of Advancement

Panelists:

• Rich Miller, Owner and Publisher, Capitol Fax.com
• Dr. Kenneth Kriz, Distinguished Professor, Public Administration & Director, Institute for Illinois Public Finance
• The Honorable Tim Butler, Illinois State Representative

 Moderator: Dr. Robert Smith, Dean, College of Public Affairs and Administration Presented by:

Democratic state Sen. Andy Manar of downstate Bunker Hill announced Monday he will resign from the General Assembly effective Jan. 17 to join the governor’s office as an advisor two days later.

Fall 2020 UIS Lunch & Learn Series - Streaming the Future:  Impact of Cable News Networks and Social Media

The panel marks the end of 2020 and looks ahead to 2021, joined by Amanda Vinicky of Chicago's WTTW.

Illinois Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) will resign his Senate seat effective 11:59 p.m. on Thursday — New Year’s Eve.

It has been a year since Illinois legalized recreational adult use cannabis.  And despite the pandemic, marijuana sales beat expectations.  We'll hear from a reporter who covers the industry about where it goes from here.

We'll also learn about a mental health crisis clinic in central Illinois.  

That and more on this episode of Statewide.

This week, Washington D.C. worked on a new COVID-19 pandemic stimulus package, while the first batch of vaccines continue to be distributed to health care workers.  Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is facing criticism for her handling of a new scandal involving the Chicago Police Department.

Greg Hinz of Crain’s Chicago Business joins the panel.

There is a lot of incivility in the public sphere and that includes comments about politicians.  While their decisions are fair game for critiques, often it gets more personal.  That includes attacks on their appearance.  Take Gov. J.B. Pritzker for example.   Some have used derogatory terms to poke fun at his weight.  A newspaper columnist says it's no laughing matter.  

We also recall the violent and bloody era of prohibition-era gangsters in southern Illinois.  

That and more on this week's Statewide.

  More than 63,000 frontline healthcare workers in Illinois have been vaccinated for COVID-19 in the last week — on top of thousands more healthcare workers in the city of Chicago.

Citizens of Illinois, I believe, should measure the product of our efforts by these tests: Is the Constitution of 1970 superior to the Constitution of 1870? Is the Constitution of 1970 relevant to the problems of our state at this time? By either test, I submit, the 1970 Constitution possesses a more efficient and economical governmental structure, while strengthening at the same time our commitment to the human needs of our people… the 1970 Constitution talks to a human purpose and a human society.

Illinois lawmakers have not officially met for a full legislative session day since late May — more than 200 days ago.

The November COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ home has killed a 34th resident, the facility reported Friday — just as attorneys for four families of dead residents announced forthcoming lawsuits against the state.

This week, Governor J.B. Pritzker announced $700 million in cuts to the current fiscal year's state budget; a special investigating committee looking into House Speaker Michael Madigan's involvement in the ComEd bribery scandal wrapped up with no action; and Pritzker continues to weather criticism of his administration's handling of the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans' Home.

Tony Arnold of WBEZ and Rick Pearson of the Chicago Tribune join the panel this week.

On this episode of Statewide, the Bergner's chain liquidated in 2018, the final chapter in a retail history that dated back to the 1800s.  For some communities, Bergner's was a an anchor store in a shopping mall.  In Peoria, where it all began, the name meant a lot more.  We'll talk with a Peoria journalist about Bergner's -- from its start through its heyday -- and how it all ended.

We'll also recall the holiday shopping traditions at the former Marshall Field's in Chicago. 

And we'll look back on the year in Springfield with various community leaders and their hopes for 2021 in the capital city.  

A pandemic, a civil rights uprising, economic turmoil, an historic election – this year has brought many hardships. It has made the inequalities and divisions in our society clearer. It’s also been a time for reflection and change.

John Stremsterfer is the President and CEO of the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln. He comes back on Community Voices to give an update on The Next 10 project and more with Community Voices' Randy Eccles.

Ameilia Hopkins is a high school student from Pleasant Plains, Illinois. She is a former Podcast Academy participant and has used skills learned in the program to help other people and organziations. Ameilia talks about this and more with Community Voices' Bea Bonner and Randy Eccles.