Illinois Issues show

Illinois Issues

Summary: Reporting and analysis taking you beyond the daily news and providing a deeper understanding of our state.

Podcasts:

 On Y-Block Plans, Governor At Odds With Local Businesses | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 264

Pickup trucks and construction equipment crowd the lawn of the Illinois Executive Mansion and the block across the street. Gov. Bruce Rauner and his wife, Diana, have raised the money for the $15 million mansion makeover, which is slated to be complete by the end of the summer. And the governor is eyeing the city-owned block, dubbed the “Y-block” for the YWCA that used to sit there, as an extension of that project.

 Rauner's Uphill Climb To A Second Term | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 399

Commentary: Insights from the 2018 primary election "Is this embattled Republican governor toast?" -- Natasha Korecki, Politico "Is Gov. Bruce Rauner a lame duck limping?" -- Chuck Sweeny, Rockford Register Star "Illinois Gov Bruce Rauner is dead meat" -- Dennis Byrne, ChicagoNow November 6 is still quite a ways away, but as the writers and pundits suggest, Gov. Bruce Rauner has a long uphill climb in front of him if he hopes to convince Illinois voters to give him a second term after narrowly

 Is Illinois Ready For A Retail Shift? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 252

As big box stores continue to close, some worry Illinois isn't ready for the changing economy.

 Money And The Legal Weed Debate In Illinois | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 273

Lawmakers see chance for green with recreational marijuana. Marijuana legalization is getting another look in Illinois, particularly for the money it could bring the state. The state has overdue bills nearing $9 billion after a more than two-year budget stalemate, and some argue a little extra cash could go a long way.

 Madigan’s #MeToo Problem | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 229

Will the pressure be too much for the long-standing speaker and state party chair?

 Fight Or Flight — Attorney General Candidates On Impasse Politics | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 249

How would contenders for the state's top legal office have handled the budget stalemate?

 Illinois’ Storied History of Choosing Its Second-in-Command | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 253

In 2010, lawmakers changed the rules for how the state picks its second-in-command. No longer would voters separately nominate candidates for lieutenant governor and governor in the primary, and hope for a successful match.

 Women Rising: The Push For Gender Parity In State Government | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 262

The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, as well as the 2016 election, have sparked renewed passion for electing women to office in Illinois.

 A Call For Immunization | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 296

With more cases of vaccine-preventable disease in Illinois, doctors say shots should not be skipped.

 The Radium Girls: Cleaning Up Contamination | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 274

Part 2: Most of the radium-tainted earth from decades-old manufacturing in Ottawa has been removed, but one major site still needs cleanup.

 The Radium Girls: An Illinois Tragedy | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 360

Part 1: Radium poisoning took the lives of perhaps thousands of female factory workers, many in Ottawa, Illinois, in the last century.

 A Prescription For Fruits And Veggies: One Solution To Food Insecurity in Illinois | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 234

Health centers in Illinois are forming partnerships with local food banks to offer fresh fruits and vegetables to some patients. With an estimated 1.5 million residents in the state classified as food insecure by the U.S. census, could this be a key approach to improving food access?

 'Moneyball' : The 2018 Illinois Governor's Race | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 243

This year’s campaign pits a multimillionaire incumbent against a field that includes a multibillionaire in what could be the costliest governor's race in U.S. history.

 For East St. Louis, A Glimmer Of Hope For Housing Revitalization | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 265

The federal government returned the East St. Louis Housing Authority to local control last fall, a sign of confidence in the city's new leadership. But challenges remain, including millions of dollars in repairs and concerns about the conditions at its aging public housing complexes.

 New Illinois Laws In 2018 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 238

Laws about divorce, pets and traveling elephants will take effect January 1. With Gov. Bruce Rauner's approval, Illinois legislators designated August 4 as Barack Obama Day in the state. That law along with more than 200 others take effect January 1. In addition to overhauling the school funding formula and passing a spending plan for the first time in two years, lawmakers approved new consumer protections, rules for electric bikes and animal welfare measures.

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