The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Monday May 24, 2021

Brian Moline and Carolina Garibay
 
More than 30,000 tulip bulbs are planted in Orange City, Iowa each year for the Tulip Festival.

More than 30,000 tulip bulbs are planted in Orange City, Iowa each year for the Tulip Festival. Katie Peikes/Harvest Public Media

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Monday May 21, 2021

Today's headlines:

  • The fight over how to draw Illinois’ legislative districts for the next ten years is set to reach a fever pitch in Springfield this week. Democrats who control the remap process published their proposed maps Friday night.

  • Fewer rural people are vaccinated than their urban counterparts. That's according to a new report from the CDC.

  • Students at the University of Illinois protested Saturday after several transgender students were dead named at graduation ceremonies. They’re calling for better treatment for transgender students.

  • Another Champaign County resident has died after contracting the coronavirus, bringing the county-wide death toll to 148. Officials also announced 36 more COVID-19 cases over the weekend.

In today’s deep dive, spring festivals are back after many small towns had to cancel them due to the pandemic. Many of these small towns depend on tourism for money for small towns and their businesses.

Reporting today contributed by Hannah Meisel, Dana Cronin, Farrah Anderson and Katie Peikes.