The number of interfaith marriages has been increasing for years. So what does that mean when it comes to raising religious kids? Two Chicago filmmakers ask that question in a documentary called Leaps Of Faiths. Plus, we’ll hear from ESPN’s Cary Chow and CNN contributor Jeff Yang about what the film Crazy Rich Asians meant to them as Asian men. And, as summer wraps up we’ll talk about some of our favorite music artists and venues in Chicago. 

We revisit our conversation about a photography exhibit at the American Indian Center of Chicago that shows the protests at Standing Rock. Plus, Ike Holter's play, 'Lottery Day,' is set in a fictional, quickly gentrifying Chicago neighborhood. And, photojournalist Chris Capozziello, his brother Nick, and their family are the subject of the film, 'The Distance Between Us,' which explores Nick’s cerebral palsy.

All this week we’re revisiting some of our favorite arts and entertainment conversations from the show. You’ll hear from the University of Illinois Black Chorus about the Black Sacred Music Symposium. Plus, an Illinois documentary called 'Minding The Gap' got lots of attention at film festivals around the world - including at Sundance, where it won a special jury award. The film was also nominated for an Oscar for best documentary feature. It follows the lives of three young skateboarders in Rockford - and, the family they formed skating, which helped them cope with abuse, death and domestic violence. 

When you think “performing arts,” you might think of Chicago. But for 50 years, the Krannert Center in Urbana has been a thriving place for theater, music and dance. How does performing arts thrive outside the big city? Plus, Charles Moore was a minister in Texas who set himself on fire to protest racism in his community. Today, we’ll hear about a film which explores how his death affected his town. And, you may have heard of a little musical called Hamilton. This past fall, Lin Manuel Miranda opened an exhibition in Chicago that focuses on the history of the real-life Alexander Hamilton.

Illinois high school and college students tell us how they want to see our leaders address climate change ahead of a planned walkout called the Global Climate Strike. Plus, doorbell cameras in homes have become more common. Some police departments, are hoping this network of privately owned cameras can help them stop crime. But it also raises some concerns about privacy. And, we’ll tell you what fall TV shows should be on your “must watch” list. 

Illinois has had a 'red flag' gun law on the books since the beginning of this year, but we're only just learning how implementation of the law is going. Plus, how Amazon's vast, decentralized network of drivers enables quick delivery—but also puts drivers at risk. And, we learn about the Major League Soccer team coming to St. Louis in 2022.

More school districts are introducing computer science education in their classrooms. But Illinois doesn’t have any standards for teaching that subject and teachers say it’s time to come up with a clear plan. Plus, decades ago, a cutting edge stem cell treatment from umbilical cord blood saved one Illinois woman's life. And, earlier this month she met her donor and his parents for the first time. Also, we’ll talk to a University of Illinois geology professor about her work how to better forecast volcanic eruptions.

What's behind a recent surge in vaping-related hospitalizations? Plus, we'll talk about Illinois' latest freshman enrollment numbers, and learn why our state doesn't have any Division I hockey programs.

We learned about Illinois' first ever twins database. And, the world of AI is getting more sophisticated all the time. These days, many companies are using AI to help look for job candidates. Plus, there’s a group of companies that make predatory academic journals. Investigative journalist Svea Eckert found them by submitting a paper with random, computer generated words. And they actually got printed.

Continuing our science and technology encore week, we spoke with Illinois scientists and doctors about their research on working to prevent life-threatening food allergies. Also, a new generation of evangelical Christians is hoping to move the needle on climate change action within their congregations, including at Wheaton College. Plus, we spoke with researchers about gravitational waves detections that helped shed light on entire populations of black holes.

We're continuing this week with some of our favorite past segments related to science and technology. Nature versus nurture is one of the oldest debates there is. But the answer might actually be neither. That’s because researchers at Northwestern have found experiencing poverty actually has an effect on your DNA. Plus, figuring out what’s true or false online can be tricky for everyone, but it turns out, older Americans are especially vulnerable to misinformation on social media. Also, in a world of never ending buzzing and alerts, research suggests that in order to get the full benefits of nature, you have to leave your devices at home.

All this week, we're revisiting some of our favorite science and technology conversations. Scientists at Argonne National Labs created a sponge that’s being used to clean up oil spills off on the Pacific coast. Plus, there are millions of rural households still don’t have high-speed internet, which can make life harder for those in the farming business. And, for tens of thousands of Americans, living with sickle-cell disease can be excruciatingly painful and even deadly. But gene therapy advancements have given a handful of patients hope for a symptom-free life — and even a cure. Also, companies have brought virtual translators directly to patients getting medical treatment whose first language isn't English.

The Ellnora Guitar Festival brings in artists from around the world and also from right here in central Illinois. On Friday morning, we recorded a special edition of The 21st at the University of Illinois' Krannert Center For The Performing Arts, hosted by musician, journalist and former 21st producer Sean Neumann.

A group of middle schoolers in Kewanee have made a claymation film for their art class. It follows 10-year-old asylum seeker Estrella on her way from El Salvador to the U.S. Plus, beginning this school year, Illinois students will be required to participate in active shooter drills. But some parents worry the drills may do more harm than good. And, last month, Weight Watchers released a weight loss app targeted at kids as young as eight years old. It caused a public outcry. We’ll discuss how we should talk about health and food with kids.