The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021

Brian Moline
 

Rachel Hulin

Listen (Duration: 9:11)
Download

Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021

Today's headlines:

  • A court monitor recently found the Illinois Department of Corrections has failed to make some required improvements in its care of prisoners with mental illness.

  • September is suicide prevention month, and while the overall number of suicides has dropped over the past few years, it has increased among people of color.

  • Officials at the Refugee Center in Champaign say they're planning to accept between 5-10 families of Afghan refugees in the next few months.

  • A woman in her 80s is the 185th Champaign County resident to die of COVID-19.

In today's deep dive, a conversation with Brown University economist Emily Oster, who has written extensively about decision making during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reporting today contributed by Maureen McKinney, Luis Velazquez, Charrice Jones and The 21st Show.