WGLT Newscasts - 4:04pm 6-5-2025

Published Jun 5, 2025, 9:06 PM

This newscast aired at 4:04pm on 6-5-2025 on WGLT.

From the WGLT newsroom, I'm Ben Howell. As Constellation Energy considers whether to build a second nuclear reactor in Dewitt County, a key question to answer is how big. Constellation Policy Vice President Mason Emnet says it could be about the same size as the existing 1000 megawatt reactor or a small.

unit which will typically be in the 3 to maybe 400 megawatt clumps, although sometimes they are larger and they're bucketed together, so maybe you'll get say 60 megawatt reactors that are sold in a six pack. Enet says the decision hinges on customer needs.

A state lawmaker who represents Bloomington Normal says it was a difficult vote to eliminate funding for non-citizen healthcare in the state budget. Democratic Senator Dave Kaler says cutting the program could overburden safety net hospitals.

No hospital is allowed to turn anybody away, but who picks up that cost? Well, it's anybody with health insurance.

So there is a cost to the system. So why don't we just admit that up front and provide, you know, what kind of care we can.

The program provided healthcare for immigrants ages 42 to 64. Critics pointed out the price tag was much higher than first projected. The new state budget keeps healthcare funding for immigrant seniors.

Carl Health's decision to cancel all of its coverage through Health Alliance by the end of the year will lead to hundreds of job losses. According to documents filed with the state. Health Alliance will begin laying off its workforce of more than 600 starting in July and will continue over the next year. Carl Health has said the insurance provider struggled to remain financially stable, and a lead negotiator in the effort to overhaul public transportation in Illinois continues defending one of its key components.

The plan change raises $1.5 billion in new revenue to help pay for improvements. It includes a $1.50 tax on all deliveries across the state.

State Senator Ron Viliam says the tax affects major corporations like Amazon, and he says they should help too. Instead of defending tech billionaires, I would suggest that they advocate for their residents who rely on public transit. Republicans called the tax a transit bailout that they won't benefit from. The plan passed the Senate but not the House. I'm Ben.

WGLT Newscasts

Local newscasts from WGLT, Bloomington-Normal's Public Media, part of the NPR Network. Updated throu 
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