Last spring, students left campus early to stop the spread of the coronavirus and the semester was cut short. This fall, universities across Illinois are preparing to implement face-to-face classes - to an extent. The 21st spoke with a student and faculty from the Illinois State University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign about the risks and benefits of in-person classes. 

Major sports are working to adapt their seasons to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The NBA is finishing out its season in a locked down resort to avoid infections. Meanwhile, health concerns are rising in Major League Baseball after more than a dozen players and staff with the Miami Marlins tested positive for COVID-19.

The 21st explores how blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients can help those who are currently still afflicted with  a member of the Red Cross, a manager at Central Illinois Community Blood Center and a journalist for the Illinois Times. 

Farmers are among the many groups of Americans struggling with fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. But help from the government is not reaching everyone. The 21st is joined by a reporter, farmer and member of Farm Aid to talk about the program and how some farmers are being left out. 

Scientists know that using a face mask reduces the risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19, but many have said they refuse to wear one according to a May survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 21st talks to a CEO, senior behavioral scientist and a psychology professor about how to convince the people to wear masks.

The 21st checks in with reporters across the state to discuss the protests against police violence in Chicago and the growing implications of the ComEd lawsuit. 

This month, The University of Illinois Chicago began testing a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. The 21st speaks to the lead investigator on the clinical trial.

The 21st explored the many accents of Illinois with Matt Gordon, a linguist and professor of English at the University of Missouri, who researches Midwest dialects and language change. 

Univ. of Illinois Football has eight Black coaches, the most of any top-level school. Today on The 21st, a sportswriter who says the diversity and inclusion on the team can be a model for the sport.

Time is running out if you want to view the brighest comet to appear in the Northern Hemisphere in a quarter century. We received advice from Adler Planetarium on how to view the NEOWISE comet.

The 21st has a conversation about the tension between free speech and so-called "cancel culture" with some of the prominent voices in the discussion that was kicked off by a letter published by Harper's Magazine. 

Restaurants and retail have been hard hit — with thousands of businesses closing permanently around the state since March. The 21st checks in with small businesses to see how they've adapted in the pandemic. 

This summer, many high school bands are already adapting, by making changes to their traditional summer band camps which start around this time. The 21st speaks to band directors and marching band students to shine a light on what changes are being made.

The 21st speaks to two leaders of major teacher unions to discuss how they feel about the State Board of Education's plan to reopen schools this year.