The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022

Brian Moline and Farrah Anderson
 
Amner Martinez runs a staffing agency in Des Moines. His family, who are originally from Guatemala, moved from California to Iowa in the 1990s. Most of his family has worked at the Tyson plant in Perry.

Amner Martinez runs a staffing agency in Des Moines. His family, who are originally from Guatemala, moved from California to Iowa in the 1990s. Most of his family has worked at the Tyson plant in Perry. Natalie Krebs/Side Effects Public Media

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Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2021

Today's headlines:

  • Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said he’s deeply concerned by the record number of COVID-19 patients in the state’s hospitals at a COVID-19 news conference in Chicago Monday. State officials say there now are more people hospitalized by the coronavirus than at any stage in the pandemic.

  • Those walking around Urbana are more likely to get hit by a car than pedestrians in Champaign, Chicago or Boston, according to a local activist group.

  • The Illinois men’s basketball team resumes play tonight at Minnesota. This comes after most of the Illinois players tested positive for COVID-19 upon returning to campus after Christmas.

In today's deep dive, we’ll hear the second story in a three-part series on COVID outbreaks at meatpacking plants. Last year’s wave of COVID outbreaks at meatpacking plants revealed how protections are lacking for many workers in plants throughout the United States. 

217 Today is produced by Farrah Anderson. Reporting today contributed by Dan Mihalopolous, Emily Hays, Rob McColley and Natalie Krebs.