State News

Western Illinois March for Women

Tri States Public Radio | By Rich Egger,

Published January 21, 2017 at 4:53 PM CST

Magali Roy-Fequiere, who teaches Africana and Gender & Women's Studies at Knox College, led demonstrators during the rally.

Hundreds of people marched through the streets of downtown Galesburg Saturday morning in conjunction with the Women's March in Washington D.C. and similar demonstrations around the globe.

The radio story

"I'm really enthusiastic about all the energy. I am surprised that so many people came out, given that we've only had a week to organize this. So this shows that there is a real hunger for a new vision,” said Magali Roy-Fequiere, who helped organize the rally in Galesburg. Roy-Fequiere and other organizers said their work is just beginning. They plan to caucus, network, and brainstorm ideas for fighting back against a presidential administration they said does not represent them and their values.

The march stretched down the street and around the block.

Demonstrators chanted, "Healthcare is a human right" and "No human is illegal."

"In numbers there is unity, and we can increase the awareness of the need to be advocates of ourselves and for those who cannot advocate for themselves,” said Sharon Graham of Biggsville, who’s involved with an after school program at her church.

Sharon Graham speaks with TSPR's T.J. Carson as people start gathering outside the Knox County Courthouse for the start of the rally.

"I'm willing to give him the opportunity to proceed, hopefully in the interest of all people in the country," Graham said of President Donald Trump. "But I'm also going to be monitoring decisions that he makes. And I hope to connect with other people who are like minded and work together."

State News

Rich Egger

Rich is the News Director at Tri States Public Radio. Rich grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago but now calls Macomb home. Rich has a B.A in Communication Studies with an Emphasis on Radio, TV, and Film from Northern Illinois University. Rich came to love radio in high school where he developed his “news nerdiness” as he calls it. Rich’s high school had a radio station called WFVH, which he worked at for a couple years. In college, Rich worked at campus station WKDI for three years, spinning tunes and serving at various times as General Manager, Music Director and Operations Manager. Before being hired as Tri States Public Radio’s news director in 1998, Rich worked professionally in news at WRMN-AM/WJKL-FM in Elgin and WJBC-AM in Bloomington. In Rich’s leisure time he loves music, books, cross-country skiing, rooting for the Cubs and Blackhawks, and baking sugar frosted chocolate bombs. His future plans include “getting some tacos.”

See stories by Rich Egger

T.J. Carson

T.J. Carson is the Galesburg correspondent for Tri States Public Radio. His duties include reporting on current events in the cities of Galesburg and Monmouth, and Knox County. He returns to TSPR after serving as a student reporter and host in 2006. Before Tri States Public Radio, he was a news reporter for WSPL-AM in Streator, IL. At WSPL, T.J. earned two awards from the Illinois Associated Press; Outstanding Single Story Contribution in 2011, and Contributor of the Month for February 2008. T.J. is a native of Lacon, IL. He is a graduate of Midland High School in Varna, IL, where he participated in baseball and football all four years, as well as the Scholastic Bowl team. He received his bachelor's degree from Western Illinois University in the fall of 2006, where he participated in numerous activities for the student-run radio station, as well as public address announcing for the Western Illinois Leatherneck baseball and softball teams. In his spare time, T.J. enjoys baseball, golf, watching animation, and drawing. He has also been a Guest of Honor at fan-created conventions for the television program 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'.

See stories by T.J. Carson