There’s a growing body of research that suggests dance and the arts can be beneficial for both the mental and physical health of people living with Parkinson’s. That’s a disease that affects the central nervous system, which can make certain movements difficult. 

Keeping up with the news can feel ... overwhelming. And recent research actually backs this up. According to the latest ‘Stress in America’ report from the American Psychological Association, Americans say various issues in the news, like health care, mass shootings and the upcoming election, are significant sources of stress.

Recreational marijuana is set to become legal in Illinois on January 1. That leaves officials in cities and towns across the state with less than a month to figure out how they will be handling sales and tax revenues from the industry.

Today on The 21st: Research shows roughly 40% of Americans are stressed out by politics. We spoke with the political scientist behind that new study and got tips from a psychologist on how to protect your emotional health as you engage with the news. We’ll also learned how dance classes can help people living with Parkinson’s disease. But first, Illinois is set to become the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana. We explored how legalization is playing out across the Midwest.

When you apply to college, many schools will ask if you’ve ever been convicted of a crime. Now, the University of Illinois System has announced that instead of getting rid of the question, they will be moving it on their application. Plus, we’re recapping some of the year’s best music by Midwest artists. Also, this time of year it seems like there’s a Christmas tree lots on every corner. We find out more about the people behind the trees and how they run their businesses.

Chicago-area McDonald’s workers have filed a lawsuit against the company. They’re alleging the fast-food giant failed to protect them from violent incidents in restaurants. Plus this fall, Pope Francis said he would reopen the work of a 2016 commission that studied the issue of women Decaons in the Catholic church. We speak with a religious scholar who was one of 12 people on that commission. And a new proposal by Major League Baseball would cut the leagues affiliations with 42 minor league teams nationwide. 

For many communities, the only place to buy grocery staples like milk, eggs or baby formula is a corner store, but the safety of these stores can be another barrier to food access. Plus, with the filing deadline past, the field of candidates for Illinois' 2020 state and local elections is set, mostly. We check-in with reporters across the state about who’s running and what we can expect in the coming months. And, new research finds that over the past few decades, cases of head and neck skin cancer in young people have risen more than 50%.

A new PBS documentary examines what higher education looks like in a New York State prison and how it affects the people who are incarcerated. And, an investigation from ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune found students across the state were being locked away, alone, in so-called quiet rooms... in some cases for hours and often for reasons that violated the law. Plus, so far this year, the Illinois State Police says troopers across the state have issued several thousand tickets to drivers for going 100 miles per hour or faster on Illinois roadways. 

Fifty years ago, an Illinois engineer named Barbara Crawford Johnson helped land astronauts on the moon. She was from Sandoval and graduated from the U of I. Today, we learn about her life, and what it was like to work on the space program all those years ago. Plus, there are many reasons why people don’t drink alcohol, and those numbers of people continue to grow. How are bars and restaurants starting to cater cocktails to the sober set? Also, a study finds that just half of collegiate level sports programs follow the medical model of care for student athletes. 

Last year, fewer than 4% of incoming medical students in Illinois were black men. Today: what’s behind that number, and what should be done about it. Plus, decades ago, a cutting edge stem cell treatment from umbilical cord blood saved one Illinois woman's life. And earlier this year, she met her donor and his parents for the first time. And, we talk to a University of Illinois geology professor about her work, on how to better forecast volcanic eruptions. 

Alex Kotlowitz has been writing about violence in Chicago for decades — in film, in print and for This American Life. His latest book is called “An American Summer," and it follows people for whom gun violence has become a part of daily life. Plus, Oregon has America’s last Blockbuster store. But there are still video stores here in Illinois. Do you make the trip to rent a movie, or is it all streaming these days? 

Millions of people are getting ready for a big get together with loved ones. We’ll hear from two Illinois psychologists on how to keep the peace, and perhaps, even have a good time. Plus, Thanksgiving is one of America’s oldest holidays. But its history is pretty complicated. So how should we be teaching it in 2019? And, we’ll dive into your opinions about Thanksgiving food. Everything from how to make the best turkey, what pie to serve... and yes, whether cranberry sauce is really a good idea.

Roughly 60% of Americans use a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon to watch their favorite shows. With huge newcomers like Disney+ joining the competition we’ll ask where streaming stands and where it’s headed. Plus, working 9 to 5 is becoming a thing of the past as our work schedules become longer and more unpredictable. We’ll talk about the negative impact of going without down time. Also, on dating apps, it’s not uncommon for LGBT people, and especially people of color, to be on the receiving end of someone’s racial and sexual prejudices. And, more than 150 years ago Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. And for just two weeks, the Lincoln Museum is displaying one of the few handwritten copies in existence.

Millions of people have gotten their DNA tested by companies like Ancestry and 23andMe. One unexpected result? People are finding lost relatives, including sperm donors who were once anonymous. Plus, Chicago’s Spanish language newspaper Hoy is being shut down after more than a decade. We’ll talk about the impact the paper had and what its closure means for Hispanic communities across the state. And, surgeons at Cleveland Clinic have completed a new kind of liver transplant in the U.S. It’s safer, less invasive, and could lead to shorter wait times for people who need help.