The 21st Show
An executive order from Gov. JB Pritzker's office created a task force and an advisory council to be shepherded by a new position in state government. Earlier this month, the administration announced the new state homelessness chief would be Christine Haley. She joined us on The 21st to talk about the position and housing issues in Illinois. This segment originally aired on November 24, 2021.
The 217 Today Podcast
In today's deep dive, we'll hear a a conversation with one of the developers of a new curriculum that teaches Illinois middle school students about electricity.
The 21st Show
Since 1970, the number of incarcerated people in the United States has grown exponentially and currently sits at around 2 million people. Meanwhile in Finland, that number is around 3,000, where one third of the country’s prisons operate as open. To talk about what that means and how the U.S. prison system might be reimagined, we were joined by a WBEZ reporter who dug into Finland's criminal justice system.
The 21st Show
“Energy Never Dies: Afro-Optimism & Creativity in Chicago” is a sort of written soundtrack to the music history and culture that made Chicago’s Black artists both past and present and who they are today—from Earth, Wind and Fire to Chance The Rapper. We were joined by the book's author to explore a culture rooted in self-determination and hustle to show how optimism and perseverance power the art and aspirations of Black Chicago.
The 217 Today Podcast
In today's deep dive, we'll hear a conversation with the director of the Vermilion County Health Department about the county's struggles to keep up with contact tracing as cases rise over the holiday season.
The 21st Show
For many people of Latino communities, the holiday season means tamales. But this is more than a savory holiday dish, it’s at the heart of history and culture for millions of families. The 21st talked about it with a lecturer in the Department of Latina/Latino Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The 21st Show
As the New Year approaches, things are starting to seem like a repeat of another year we’d all hoped was past us: 2020. To talk about what the omicron variant could mean for the holiday season, we were joined by a correspondent from NPR's Science Desk and an investigative reporter from the Chicago Tribune.
The 217 Today Podcast
In today's deep dive, we'll learn more about the latest wave of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations that have hit Champaign County.
The 217 Today Podcast
In today's deep dive, we'll learn more about the challenges that students faced with remote learning last year -- including that one in five Illinois students was chronically absent.
The 21st Show
A couple of years ago, the term hygge actually made the short list for Oxford dictionary’s word of the year. It’s defined as “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” The 21st spoke with someone from the Danish Happiness Research Institute about the Danish concept of comfort and coziness. This segment originally aired January 6, 2021.
