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2026-27 Orchestral Season Round-Up

2026-27 Orchestral Season Round-Up

 Central Illinois is fortunate to be home to a number of stellar professional orchestras, from Danville to Springfield, Champaign-Urbana to Bloomington-Normal. Click for a full list of concerts. If you're only able to attend one concert this season, you'll find “Clef Notes” Editor Katie Buzard’s top pick for each ensemble, marked by a star.
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Clef Notes

2026-27 Orchestral Season Round-Up
Central Illinois is fortunate to be home to a number of stellar professional orchestras, from Danville to Springfield, Champaign-Urbana to Bloomington-Normal. The 2026–27…
Dialogue
three teenagers in graphic

‘We’re not speaking up loud enough’: Three teens share candid thoughts about youth gun violence in central Illinois
In the first half of this year, gun violence has taken the lives of four teens in Champaign. Several more have been injured. And many of the suspects are also teenagers. 
The 21st Show
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The 21st Show
the edge of a cornfield under a brilliant blue sky, punctuated with just a few white clouds

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Illinois farmers are filing for bankruptcy at a rate that's climbed for three years running — a trend that echoes the 1980s farm crisis, which is part of what led to Farm…
The 21st Show
Brian Mackey talks with Jennifer Roscoe about 34 years as a reporter and anchor at WCIA-TV, Channel 3 in the Champaign-Decatur-Springfield market.

Jennifer Roscoe on 34 years in local TV news
Jennifer Roscoe spent 34 years at WCIA-TV — all of them at the same central Illinois station — before signing off last month. She joins The 21st Show to talk about her…
Prairie Fire

Prairie Fire: Season 3 - Episode 7 - May 2026
For this month's Prairie Fire, students from the University of Illinois’ College of Media spent a semester producing five short documentaries highlighting food, skating,…
Mid-American Gardener

A Visit to Meadowbrook Community Garden
This week we get out of the studio and into the sunshine at Meadowbrook, one of Urbana’s oldest and largest organic community gardens, where folks have been growing since…
State of Change

Small gestures to make a big difference in preserving our planet
We visit a zero-waste general store, a garden bringing a community together in a Chicago food desert, a program protecting pollinators, and advice to increase sustainability…