This week, learn how to take a more active role in conversations with your healthcare providers. Discover simple ways to prepare for appointments, ask questions, communicate concerns, and make sure you understand your care plan before you leave. Good healthcare communication starts with making sure your voice is heard.

State Senator Mike Halpin, Democrat representing the 36th District which includes the Illinois Quad Cities, talks about the high cost of gas, food and housing, education and workforce development, AI, the recent closure of the Tyson plant, and his priorities for another term.

Mason Moss, a 32-year-old alum of Rock Island High School, is literally living his dream, as music director, conductor and keyboard player for “Come From Away” at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C.

Rock Island County is one of very few Illinois counties not to currently take part in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, but that will change with a new fundraising campaign launched Oct. 14.

A new University of Illinois report examining the state’s Displaced Energy Workers Bill of Rights found shortcomings in the law.

Youth at the only juvenile prison in Central Illinois say its bright atmosphere and green space make a big difference in setting them on a more positive path.

Feds denied aid for August storms, ruling it ‘not warranted’

Gov. JB Pritzker and Republican challenger met in the WTTW studios just weeks ahead of Election Day.

Iowa officials project modest revenue growth over the next two years, but Democrats warn collections remain more than a billion dollars below current state spending.

Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate and three congressional districts outraised their Republican opponents, according to the latest federal campaign finance filings.

Democrat Lindsay James and Republican Joe Mitchell are in a tight race in the 2nd U.S. House District. They're offering different approaches to a familiar problem: the high cost-of-living.

Fatou Traore was granted humanitarian relief in the U.S. due to a high risk of violence against her in Ivory Coast. In September, she was pulled out of her car by unmarked immigration officers. Now, she's in Sierra Leone, where officials are likely to send her back to her birth country.

Schools in the U.S. serve almost 30 million lunches every day. But rising food costs, regulations and cuts to food assistance mean school kitchens have to do more with less.

Farmers are cutting less hay this year due to persistent drought, the soaring price of fuel and a new pest. That’s driving up the cost for livestock producers, who often rely on hay to feed their animals during the winter.

Researchers recently traced the birthplace of the world’s dominant cotton species to the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. Their sleuthing also uncovered a treasure trove of genetic diversity in wild populations, which could eventually make the crop more resilient.

Sargento has developed a natural American cheese, hoping to give consumers classic melt without added ingredients.