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The 21st Show

Rebroadcast: No Such Thing As Dream Job

The 21st spoke with writer Rainesford Stafford about her book "An Ordinary Age: Finding Your Way in a World That Expects Exceptional," a collection of stories from young people who have rejected the pressure to be perfect. 

 Manuel Rene Del Carmen organizes bags of recyclables and throws them into their allotted storage spaces at the Sure We Can recycling depot, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, in the Bushwick neighborhood of New York.
AP Photo

The 21st Show

Rebroadcast: Rethinking Recycling

Even if we’re careful about sorting paper from plastic, and washing that plastic, too, what really happens to our recycling? An Illinois expert says all that paper and plastic you carefully sort from the trash might very well end up in a landfill. 

Pride flag in Urbana in June 2021.
Reginald Hardwick/Illinois Newsroom

The 21st Show

LGBTQ Spaces Are Disappearing

Spaces for LGBTQ+ people are disappearing, with nearly 40 percent of gay bars closing around the U.S. in recent decades — including many here in Illinois. This pride month, The 21st spoke with guests about what is lost and where younger generations are finding support and community.

The 21st Show

Criminal Justice Reform or Abolition?

When it comes to criminal justice, there have been many attempts at “reform” in recent years. Now some are saying the system is beyond repair, and instead should be abolished. We talked with a former jail warden who encourages abolition and the head of the Illinois Justice Project, who wants a different outcome.

A volunteer of Lakeview Pantry listens to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot speak at a news conference in front of Wrigley Field in Chicago, Thursday, April 16, 2020. The Chicago Cubs are coordinating with the pantry to utilize the field's concourse as a satellite food packing and distribution center to support COVID-19 relief efforts.
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

The 21st Show

Is Mutual Aid Now In The Mainstream?

Amidst a summer filled with rising cases of COVID-19 and political unrest, networks across Illinois sprung up to provide resources and services for those in need of them. This voluntary act of solidarity within communities has been coined as “mutual aid,” and the concept has long existed before the pandemic.

Gov. JB Pritzker sits for a Zoom interview with Illinois Public Radio on Thursday.
Screenshot/Zoom

The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Friday June 4, 2021

In today's deep dive, Governor JB Pritzker spoke with Illinois Public Radio government and politics editor Hannah Meisel about where negotiations stand on a massive energy bill before lawmakers go back to Springfield for a vote on a final deal.