Keep up with news in Central Illinois every weekday with 217 Today. Hear the day's headlines, along with one deeper dive, in just ten minutes. Learn about the people and places that make Central Illinois unique with 217 Today.
In today’s deep dive, we’re revisiting a conversation with Charles Isbell and his top priorities for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as its new Chancellor.
In today’s deep dive, Illinois Public Media is teaming up with Illinois’ top scientists to talk about climate and weather in a new podcast called “Weather Realness.”
In today's deep dive, we’ll learn about what is coming to the Central Illinois area in the world of arts, culture and entertainment.
In today’s deep dive, a Chicago migrant woman struggles to get by with her three children after her husband was arrested and deported.
In today’s deep dive, a Chicago migrant recently deported to Venezuela says conditions in detention are inhumane.
In today’s deep dive, State Farm's recent 27% rate hike for Illinois homeowners has prompted calls for regulations in the state. A consumer advocate is supporting state oversight over excessive insurance prices.
In today’s deep dive, we bring you a closer look at a high school dance camp on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus.
In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn about what is coming to the Central Illinois area in the world of arts, culture and entertainment.
In today’s deep dive, Republicans in Congress approved President Trump’s request to cut two year’s worth of funding for public radio and television. We talk about how this will impact Illinois.
In today’s deep dive, we talk to Chancellor Robert Jones who tells us why leaving the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is the toughest decision he had to make in 46-years of higher education.
In today’s deep dive, in the midst of climate change, figuring out what’s drought or just the new normal can be difficult. Climatologists are working to define what makes a drought.
In today’s deep dive, meteorologists are expressing concerns about how the federal budget proposal could impact weather forecasting.
In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn about what is coming to the Central Illinois area in the world of arts, culture and entertainment.
In today’s deep dive, much of Michigan’s forests were damaged by a massive ice storm in March. Now officials are scrambling to clean up thousands of acres of broken trees and dead limbs.
In today’s deep dive, we'll bring you a conversation with Illinois Congressman Darin LaHood and he explains his support for President Trump's tax and spending package.
In today’s deep dive, with climate change, the Midwest is expected to have shorter, heavier bursts of rain in the winter and spring, which could lead to more flooding. An experimental farming practice could help.
In today’s deep dive, state lawmakers are calling for a partial ban on carbon sequestration over concerns that it could contaminate drinking water in important resources like the Mahomet Aquifer. But some scientists say those risks are minimal.
In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn about what is coming to the Central Illinois area in the world of arts, culture and entertainment.
In today’s deep dive, a unique breed of mental health professionals are traveling across Illinois to provide emotional support therapy dogs.
In today’s deep dive, medicaid cuts and potential reductions to HIV prevention and testing dollars could both hit patients living with the disease.
In today’s deep dive, China is a major buyer of U.S. agricultural goods including specialty products that have few alternative markets. Some producers worry the on-and-off tariffs with the country could hurt America's reputation as a reliable seller.
In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn about what is coming to the Central Illinois area in the world of arts, culture and entertainment.
In today’s deep dive, a transgender migrant woman in Chicago talks about her journey trying to find a place to live where human rights are protected.
In today’s deep dive, we'll bring you a conversation about responses to federal immigration enforcement in Illinois including the recent Supreme Court ruling on birthright citizenship.
In today’s deep dive, a woman from Central Illinois just returned from a trip to Egypt. Her journey was part of a campaign to bring food and relief supplies into Gaza.
In today’s deep dive, Illinois lawmakers just passed a bill creating a “direct admission” program to simplify the college application process.
In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn about what is coming to the Central Illinois area in the world of arts, culture and entertainment.
In today’s deep dive, Native Americans in the U.S. lost much of their land by the 20th century with even portions of their reservations sold. But in the Midwest more tribes are reclaiming their ancestral lands.
In today’s deep dive, before Robert Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV, he wrote a note commenting on an Illinois law passed nearly 15 years ago.
In today’s deep dive, we'll bring you a conversation about how East Central Illinois' Congolese community is reacting to President Trump's travel ban.
In today’s deep dive, we'll bring you a look at how the Illinois General Assembly passed a measure to strengthen protections for survivors of sexual abuse.
In today’s deep dive, the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts has announced its 2025-2026 performance season, which officially starts this September.
In today’s deep dive, shame tied to menstruation is more common than you might expect. We hear from young women in Illinois about their experiences.
In today’s deep dive, period poverty isn’t just about products. It’s also about stigma and the barrier it creates to education, for girls across the globe.
In today’s deep dive, we talked with the next chancellor of the University of Illinois about how he plans to respond to pressures from the Trump administration and his favorite comic book.
In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn about what is coming to the Central Illinois area in the world of arts, culture and entertainment.
In today’s deep dive, after former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is sentenced this week, could his next move be to seek President Trump’s intervention?
In today’s deep dive, a parasite has cattle ranchers worried. New World Screwworms were pushed south of the U.S. border for decades but they’re on their way back. Ranchers recall what it was like to fight screwworms and the efforts they’d like to see to keep them out of the U.S.
In today’s deep dive, a new song explores former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s grip on power as he awaits sentencing.
In today’s deep dive, the Illinois General Assembly's spring session has come to an end. State lawmakers passed dozens of education bills, but they also left hundreds more on the table when they wrapped up this past weekend.
In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn about what is coming to the Central Illinois area in the world of arts, culture and entertainment.
In today’s deep dive, we'll bring you the story behind a South Asian grocery store in Champaign and why the owner offers a free cup of tea to his customers at no cost.
In today’s deep dive, a look at why farmers are taking on more debt and why some ag economists believe it could be a sign of better things to come.
In today’s deep dive, researchers at the University of Illinois are investigating how to turn prairie grass into sustainable aviation fuel.
In today's deep dive, we bring you a conversation with a former professor at the U of I about his experiences in North America as what he calls "an accidental immigrant" from China.
In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn about what is coming to the Central Illinois area in the world of arts, culture and entertainment.
In today’s deepdive, a profile of the Korean American professor who helped create the Asian American history curriculum taught in Illinois public schools.
In today’s deep dive, we take you to a place in Central Illinois featuring peace and exposure to the Japanese culture for nearly 50 years.
In today’s deep dive, we take you into an international grocery store in Champaign and explore how the family running the shop journeyed from Vietnam to Central Illinois.
In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn about what is coming to the Central Illinois area in the world of arts, culture and entertainment.
In today's deep dive, we'll listen to a conversation with writer and journalist Hua Hsu about how he understands Asian American history.