It is the end of the beginning for Illinois State University’s new fine arts complex. Key stakeholders, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, gathered Tuesday for a ceremonial groundbreaking on a construction project making long-awaited facilities improvements to the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts.

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Now that the holiday season has passed, January can feel like a letdown for many. Counselors say January is the most depressing month of the year. Carrie Company, a licensed counselor in Bloomington, said the winter blues are common this time of year as longer nights disrupt our circadian rhythms.

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Illinois and the four other Democratic-led states that were subject to the Trump administration’s freeze on $10 billion in federal funding for child care and family services secured a restraining order on Friday in their lawsuit seeking to block the move, WGLT's Charlie Schlenker reports.

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The Safe Schools for All Act is one of many new Illinois laws that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2026. Democratic State Sen. Karina Villa sponsored the legislation. IPR’s Peter Medlin talked with her about what the new law does.

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For the first time at Normal Community High School [NCHS], students will have the chance to participate in presentations on technology, entertainment or design. It’s better known as a TEDTalk.

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Scientists in the middle of the country told Harvest Public Media that 2025 was a year of major changes and uncertainty.

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2026 is a year of change for the Community Players. The century-old amateur theater company is temporarily closing its doors this week for a long-anticipated renovation. The theater is getting new seats and a more accessible floor plan for audiences, but the players aren’t going to stop doing theater in the meantime. Waiting in the Wings, a new play by New York-based playwright Tony Manzo, opens next week at Illinois Art Station in Normal, the first of three satellite locations hosting Community Players this spring.

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A group of 17 House Republicans joined with Democrats on Thursday, against the wishes of House Speaker Mike Johnson, to pass a measure to restore Affordable Care Act [ACA] subsidies that lapsed at the end of last year. U. S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, a Democrat from Moline, said he’s willing to consider some limits or cost controls that would help the plan pass in the Senate, where 60 votes are required for approval.

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