InFocus News

(Better Business Bureau)

As we approach Valentine’s Day, the Better Business Bureau is out with a scam alert involving romance.

WSIU's Brad Palmer talked with the BBB’s regional director Sydney Waters about how if someone offers you money for nothing, there’s probably a catch and scammers are actually out to trick you out of money.

(Unseen Histories/Unsplash)

The Southern Illinois Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration is right around the corner.

WSIU's Brad Palmer talked about the event with Carbondale Mayor and Southern Illinois MLK Event Committee member Carolin Harvey.

The Southern Illinois MLK Community Celebration is Sunday, January 14 starting at 2 p.m. at the Carbondale Civic Center. It’s free and open to the public, pre-registration is not required.

Non-profits wanting to set up a display can learn more by calling Carolin Harvey at 618-303-1973 or by going to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Community Celebration Facebook page. The deadline is January 8.

(Southern Illinois University / Provided)

Recently, the leaders of Harvard, M.I.T. and the Univ. of Pennsylvania came under fire after they appeared to evade questions about whether students should be disciplined if they call for the genocide of Jews during a hearing of the House Committee on Education.

WSIU’s Brad Palmer spoke with SIU System President Dan Mahony about that and much more.

(Jason Hawke/Unsplash)

If you haven’t started already, now is the perfect time to prepare your home and car for winter weather.

WSIU's Brad Palmer spoke with Sydney Waters, the regional director of the Better Business Bureau, about what to do to get ready for harsher weather.

(WSIU / WSIU)

Leah Lerner reports the news.

JFK expert: John Shaw, director, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, has written two books on John F. Kennedy, and is an expert commentator for an upcoming documentary on Kennedy that premieres on The History Channel, just days ahead of the 60th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination.(SIU-Carbondale)

As we approach the 60th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, WSIU's Brad Palmer sat down with JFK expert and director of SIU-Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute John Shaw.

The interview starts with Shaw’s involvement as an expert commentator in a new documentary entitled “Kennedy,” which premieres November 18 on The History Channel. The eight one-hour episodes will air in primetime from November 18-20.

(Better Business Bureau)

On October 7, Hamas militants from Gaza launched a surprise attack against towns in Israel.

In response, Israel declared war on Hamas and sent airstrikes into Gaza on October 8. Thousands of people have been killed, wounded, or displaced in Israel and Gaza.

WSIU's Brad Palmer spoke with Sydney Waters of the Better Business Bureau about how to donate wisely to relief efforts.

(Southern Illinois University / Provided)

Two SIU-Carbondale alumni, Roger Tedrick and his wife Sally, made a historic six-million-dollar donation to their alma mater last week. Mr. Tedrick is a member of the Board of Trustees and the SIU Foundation Board of Directors.

In honor of their donation, a planned new building on campus will be named the Tedrick Welcome Center.

I spoke last Friday with SIU System President Dan Mahony about what the new welcome center will include.

(Capitol News Illinois / https://capitolnewsillinois.com)

The supply of education professionals continues to improve in Illinois despite strains brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, but persistent issues remain in certain regions of the state and within some teaching fields.

That’s the conclusion of a new report by the education advocacy group Advance Illinois, which was instrumental in the 2017 passage of the state’s Evidence-Based Funding formula that overhauled the way state funds public education.

(WSIU / WSIU)

Leah Lerner reports the news.