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The video game American Truck Simulator will soon expand its playable area to Illinois, where drivers can pass Buckingham Fountain on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago.
Courtesy of SCS Software

The 21st Show

New video game provides virtual drive to cities across Illinois

SCS Software, the makers of American Truck Simulator, is soon releasing an expansion for the game that highlights several cities across Illinois, including Chicago, Champaign, Peoria, Quincy, Moline, Rockford, several interstates and Davenport, Iowa.

 

The 21st Show is Illinois' statewide weekday public radio talk show, connecting Illinois and bringing you the news, culture, and stories that matter to the 21st state. Have thoughts on the show or one of our episodes, or want to share an idea for something we should talk about? Send us an email: talk@21stshow.org. If you'd like to have your say as we're planning conversations, join our texting group! Just send the word "TALK" to (217) 803-0730. Subscribe to our podcast and hear our latest conversations.  

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PT6pb0
Find past segments, links to our social media and more at our website: 21stshow.org.

Listen
President Donald Trump listens during a roundtable on farm subsidies in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in Washington.
AP Photo/Alex Brandon

The 21st Show

A deep dive into the Trump administration’s $12 billion farmer bailout package

Last week, President Trump announced a $12 billion payment package for American farmers.The money is meant to offset losses from the ongoing trade war with China — which has hit soybean growers especially hard. 

 

The 21st Show is Illinois' statewide weekday public radio talk show, connecting Illinois and bringing you the news, culture, and stories that matter to the 21st state. Have thoughts on the show or one of our episodes, or want to share an idea for something we should talk about? Send us an email: talk@21stshow.org. If you'd like to have your say as we're planning conversations, join our texting group! Just send the word "TALK" to (217) 803-0730. Subscribe to our podcast and hear our latest conversations.  

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PT6pb0
Find past segments, links to our social media and more at our website: 21stshow.org.

Listen
a graphic with the 21st Show logo and the headline
graphic design is Brian Mackey's passion

The 21st Show

State Department declares (culture) war on ‘DEI’ font

U.S. Secretatry of State Marco Rubio says a Biden-era switch to the font Calibri — meant to be more accessible to more readers — was another instance of too much focus on DEI. He has ordered a return to Times New Roman, the old Microsoft Office classic. We’ll talk about that with Ellen Lupton, the author of a definitive, bestselling book on typographic design.

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blue lights atop a police car are in the foreground with blurred lights of other cars and street lamps in the background
Adobe Stock

The 21st Show

Danville man challenges racial disparities in traffic stops

Lloyd Randall has been challenging the authorities in Danville, Illinois over racial disparities in traffic stops. Data from the Illinois Department of Transportation shows that in 2024, although Black motorists represent just 20 percent of Danville's driving population, they were 58 percent of the traffic stops.

We’ll talk with Randall, a reporter who’s covered this issue, and an advocate for civil liberties in Illinois. We invited the Danville police and mayor to join the conversation, but did not hear back.
 

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Among the Midwest writers profiled in
Kathy Willens/AP, AP File, and 3 Fields Books

The 21st Show

New book gives ‘literary tour of the Midwest’, highlighting writers from America’s Heartland

How has being from the Midwest influenced some of our best writers? A collection of short essays seeks to answer this question.

 

The 21st Show is Illinois' statewide weekday public radio talk show, connecting Illinois and bringing you the news, culture, and stories that matter to the 21st state. Have thoughts on the show or one of our episodes, or want to share an idea for something we should talk about? Send us an email: talk@21stshow.org. If you'd like to have your say as we're planning conversations, join our texting group! Just send the word "TALK" to (217) 803-0730. Subscribe to our podcast and hear our latest conversations.  

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PT6pb0
Find past segments, links to our social media and more at our website: 21stshow.org.

Listen
Matt Rourke/AP and Jenna Dooley/WNIJ

The 21st Show

From governor’s race to House and Senate seats, the latest in 2026 election campaigns across Illinois

Early Voting starts in less than two months for primary elections, which will decide whose names make it onto next fall’s ballots. We’ll talk about what’s happening from the governor’s race to Congressional campaigns across the state.

 


The 21st Show is Illinois' statewide weekday public radio talk show, connecting Illinois and bringing you the news, culture, and stories that matter to the 21st state. Have thoughts on the show or one of our episodes, or want to share an idea for something we should talk about? Send us an email: talk@21stshow.org. If you'd like to have your say as we're planning conversations, join our texting group! Just send the word "TALK" to (217) 803-0730. Subscribe to our podcast and hear our latest conversations.  

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PT6pb0
Find past segments, links to our social media and more at our website: 21stshow.org.

Listen