Colleges across Illinois are set to begin classes in the next few weeks, with some students already beginning to move onto campuses. Can universities really expect that college aged students will follow safety guidelines? The 21st is joined by a student panel and an expert on human development and family studies to hear more. 

A massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon killed at least 171 people and injured thousands more. The 21st hears from the Lebanese community in Illinois and someone who is on the ground in Beirut now.

With the Democratic National Convention approaching rapidly, delegates from across the country will cast their votes to make the party’s presidential candidate selection official. The 21st speaks to Illinois' youngest delegate about remotely casting his vote for Biden this year. 

With Joe Biden’s announcement expected any day — The 21st got to wondering: what sort of influence will a female candidate — potentially a female candidate of color — have on the campaign, and politics more generally? The 21st speaks to a politico correspondent and experts on political science to hear their answers.

Being class valedictorian runs in the family of Nina Mitchell. She is the first African-American to be first in her class in DeKalb this year. She talked with The 21st about her motivation, her grandmother's similar feat and why she turned down some Ivy League schools to attend the University of Illinois this fall.

By June, more than 20 countries had reopened schools, and some — like Taiwan, Sweden, and Nicaragua — never closed in the first place. The 21st talks to an education reporter and two individuals from Science Magazine about looking to other countries as a blueprint to go back to school. 

As soon as this week in some Illinois districts, K-12 students will be heading into the classroom or to their kitchen table for virtual learning. The 21st discusses what some of those school district plans in our listening areas — and some of the latest on changes to university reopening plans.

To the disappointment of music fans, artists and organizers have had to pull the plug on concerts and festivals this season. We wanted to offer some summer music recommendations from artists both here in central Illinois and around the world. 

For many of us during the pandemic, we’ve gotten to know the four walls of the various rooms in our home better than ever before. The 21st speaks to an author and journalist who explores the many indoor environments, both private and public spaces — from operating rooms to prisons.

The 21st is joined by Mayra Ramirez, the first known COVID-19 patient in the U.S. to receive a double-lung transplant, to talk more about her experience with the virus and in the hospital. 

Like many other institutions in 2020, America’s newsrooms are facing a reckoning for a lack of diversity in newsrooms. The 21st is joined by four journalists to address aggressions against journalists of color, proposals for true changes for more inclusive newsrooms and how news consumers can question the newsrooms they trust.

The 21st speaks to Coree Woltering, an Illinois-based ultra-marathoner, who recently set a new record for the 1,147 mile Ice Age Trail, completing it in 21 days, 13 hours and 35 minutes.

Over the course of the last few months, the movement for racial justice has reignited the call for racially insensitive mascots and team names to be replaced. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign retired their race-based mascot 13 years ago, yet the depiction continues to endure, with some even calling for the mascot to be restored.