WNIJ and WNIU | Northern Public Radio

Sen. Lisa Murkowski Reiterates Opposition To Confirmation Vote Before The Election

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said on Sunday that she will not support nominating a successor to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court before the 2020 presidential election. The announcement makes her the second Senate Republican to publicly take that position. "For weeks, I have stated that I would not support taking up a potential Supreme Court vacancy this close to the election," Murkowski said in a statement . "Sadly, what was then a hypothetical is now our reality,...

Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration's U.S. WeChat Ban

The Heartbreaking & Hilarious Notes From Kids On COVID School Closings | Teachers' Lounge Podcast

Response To Suicide Attempt ’Like I Was A Criminal’

By Jeff Kolkey • 13 hours ago

Officials are working to produce programs that could change how we respond to mental health crises, suicide attempts and addiction across Winnebago County.

Logan Lundberg tried to kill himself days after leading a peaceful march through downtown, demanding an end to police brutality.

Lundberg, 22, said he struggles with bipolar disorder and depression despite his emergence as a prominent activist in the local civil rights movement.

Groups Gathering Across Illinois For Vigils Honoring Justice Ginsburg

By Susan Stephens • Sep 19, 2020

Mourners have been gathering at the U.S. Supreme Court since the death Friday of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, leaving flowers, candles, and messages to honor the women's rights icon.

Impromptu vigils are popping up across the nation as people grapple with the loss of a liberal hero and what this means politically.

Artists Depict Country Living In Dixon Art Show

By Yvonne Boose • Sep 18, 2020

A uniquely Midwestern art exhibit found a way to crown its winners despite the pandemic.

The 16th annual Farms & Barns exhibit features 82 artists’ original works celebrating country life. Some include photography, wood carving and mixed media. This year, the art show honored eight local and regional artists.

Michael Glenn, the executive director of The Next Picture Show in Dixon, said the process for awarding the artists is different due to the pandemic.

Infant Death Reported In DeKalb County From COVID-19

By WNIJ News • Sep 18, 2020

The Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday reported 2,120 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 20 additional confirmed deaths. A DeKalb County infant is among the reported deaths in the most recent numbers from the state health department.

Poetically Yours - Ep. 7 'Forever Goes On'

By Yvonne Boose • Sep 18, 2020

Welcome to Poetically Yours, where you'll hear the voices of Illinois poets as they share their words about the world around them. This week features Paula Morhardt. Her poem is called, "Forever Goes On."

Forever Goes On

Just when I think I am coming to a good resolution,

I find something of yours.

Today it was a shirt that hadn’t yet been washed,

and it smelled like you.

The wave came crashing down,

and I fell to the floor,

New Housing Assistance Available For 61016 Residents

By Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco • Sep 18, 2020

There’s a new housing rental assistance program available in areas around Cherry Valley.

The Community Action Agency announced housing assistance funds are available to those who experienced hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic. $69,000 dollars will go to residents in the 61016 zip code for immediate use, which the state health department has deemed as especially impacted by the pandemic.

Statewide: Food Insecurity During The Pandemic

By Sean Crawford • Sep 18, 2020

This week on Statewide, we take a look at the growing problem of food insecurity. It's an issue in big cities and small towns and the economic hardships created this year have made it worse. We'll learn about some efforts being made to help.

And, with many schools going remote, that's left working parents in a bind when it comes to finding child care and being able to afford it.

That and more on this episode.

Perspective: What I Didn't Do At 17

By Jim Kline • Sep 18, 2020

When I was 17, my goals were to turn 18, graduate from high school, attend the University of Illinois, and make my way in the world.

Like many of my friends, I owned a rifle. It was stored safely on a rack in my bedroom, except when I was target shooting or small game hunting.

When I headed to college in the fall of 1969, that rifle remained 150 miles away, still on my bedroom wall. The thought of taking it to a protest or demonstration would have seemed ludicrous.

State Unemployment Rate At 11%; Small Decrease From Month Prior

By Jerry Nowicki • Sep 17, 2020

Illinois Department of Employment Security

The unemployment rate in Illinois fell to 11 percent for the month of August, a decrease of a half of a percentage point from the previous month as the state added 66,000 nonfarm jobs, according to preliminary figures released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security Thursday.

That was 2.6 percentage points higher than the national rate for the month, which was 8.4 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The national rate reflected a decrease of 1.8 percentage points from the week prior.

NIU President Denounces Derogatory Term Painted On Campus Building

By WNIJ News • Sep 17, 2020

Northern Illinois University officials plan to pursue charges after a derogatory word was spray-painted on the Center for Black Studies building. Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime. President Lisa Freeman issued a campus wide statement decrying the action. She said the paint has since been removed. The university will host a virtual, campus conversation Thursday night to discuss the incident.

Dear Huskies,

I’m writing to make you aware of an incident that occurred overnight and the actions we’re taking to address it.

Community Events Calendar

News From NPR

If Republicans Confirm New Justice, Scholars Say Democratic Court Packing Is Possible

By Matthew S. Schwartz • 1 hour ago

With President Trump soon to nominate a replacement for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, some Democrats are returning to an idea that hasn't been seriously proposed since the days of Franklin D. Roosevelt: increasing the number of justices on the Supreme Court.

Cory Booker: GOP Should 'Honor Their Word' On Court Vacancy

By Rachel Treisman • 2 hours ago

Tributes and remembrances have poured in from across the country following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday night.

Jiayang Fan On 'How My Mother And I Became Chinese Propaganda'

By editor • 2 hours ago

Republicans Fight To Win Back Swing State Nevada

By Paul Boger • 2 hours ago

Reimagining The James Baldwin And William F. Buckley Debate

By James Doubek • 2 hours ago

In February 1965, two of America's most towering public intellectuals faced off at the University of Cambridge in England. They were there to debate the proposition: "The American Dream is at the expense of the American Negro."

Novelist and essayist James Baldwin argued in favor. He did so by pointing to the experience of the Black man in America. He said the legacy of slavery and white supremacy had in effect "destroy[ed] his sense of reality." Black fathers have no authority over their sons, Baldwin said, because a Black boy's "father has no power in the world."

More News

Pages

News From NPR