WILL-AM

Illinois state Sen. Scott Bennett, D-Champaign, speaks to lawmakers while on the Senate floor during session at the Illinois state Capitol on May 4, 2016, in Springfield, Ill. Bennett, a key legislative negotiator on clarifying the landmark SAFE-T Act criminal justice overhaul that takes effect Jan. 1, 2023, died Friday, Dec. 9, 2022. He was 45. — AP Photo/Seth Perlman

The 21st Show

December 12, 2022

Remembering State Sen. Scott Bennett

Colleagues and constituents are remembering Sen. Bennett, 45, who succumbed to a brain tumor in early December.

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State Senator Scott Bennett of Champaign died on Friday at the age of 45. He had been hospitalized the day before with a large brain tumor. — Sen. Scott Bennett's office/Facebook

The 217 Today Podcast

December 12, 2022

217 Today: Remembering State Sen. Scott Bennett

In today's deep dive, we’ll learn more about the life of State Senator Scott Bennett of Champaign, who died Friday at the age of 45.

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Iranians protests the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by the morality police, in Tehran, Oct. 1, 2022. In a report published by The Iranian student news agency, Nezamoddin Mousavi, an Iranian lawmaker said Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022, that Iran’s government was ‘‘paying attention to the people’s real demands,’’ a day after another key official announced that the country’s religious police force had been closed following months of deadly anti-government protests. — Middle East Images/AP (file)

The 217 Today Podcast

December 09, 2022

217 Today: Iranian American U of I grad student organizes demonstration to support overseas protests

In today's deep dive, we’ll hear from an Iranian American graduate student who’s organizing protests in Champaign-Urbana in solidarity with those in his home country.

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Karen Stohr is the author of the new book — Photo via author's website

The 21st Show

December 08, 2022

Best of: Author interview: ‘Choosing Freedom’ by Karen Stohr

“Freedom” — and how we live our best lives with that idea at its core — is one of the many subjects addressed in the new book, Choosing Freedom: A Kantian Guide to Life.

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The 21st Show

December 08, 2022

Best of: Internet Expansion & Income Inequality

A recent report outlines how deeply intertwined income inequality is with the lack of internet access.

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The Champaign County Courthouse in downtown Urbana. That's where new Champaign County Public Defender Elisabeth Pollock works every day. — Reginald Hardwick/Illinois Newsroom

The 217 Today Podcast

December 08, 2022

217 Today: New Champaign County Public Defender discusses the end of cash bail and more

In today's deep dive, we’ll hear from Champaign County’s new public defender, Elisabeth Pollock, who will tell us about the end of cash bail, jail capacity issues and more.

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This Aug. 8, 2019, photo shows a plaster cast of footprints believed to be made by a Bigfoot on display at Expedition: Bigfoot! The Sasquatch Museum in Cherry Log, Ga. The owner of this intriguing piece of Americana at the southern edge of the Appalachians is David Bakara, a longtime member of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization who served in the Navy, drove long-haul trucks and tended bar before opening the museum in early 2016 with his wife, Malinda. — AP Photo/John Bazemore

The 21st Show

December 07, 2022

Best of: Bigfoot sightings and skepticism in Illinois

A man claims he spotted Bigfoot along Illinois 78 near Chandlerville. We were joined by the president of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization and a primatologist to discuss the legend, what it might take to prove the existence of a creature like Bigfoot, and more.

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