WILL-AM | Illinois Public Media

NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace poses for photographers on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, in Chicago during a promotional visit to announce a NASCAR Cup Series street race in the city, to be held July 2, 2023. — AP/Charles Rex Arbogast

The 21st Show

July 26, 2022

NASCAR Returns to Illinois

After three years away, NASCAR is back in Illinois. We’ll talk about a June race at a track in Metro East and a first-of-its-kind street race set for downtown Chicago.

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Protests erupted across the nation the day after the Supreme Court announced the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Thousands demonstrated at the Statehouse in Indiana, which is among the states where abortion is expected to be banned or severely restricted. — Eric Weddle/WFYI

The 217 Today Podcast

July 26, 2022

217 Today: States cracking down on abortion have high maternal mortality rates and gaps in rural care

In today's deep dive, we'll hear how some physicians are sounding the alarm about the consequences of abortion restrictions on pregnant people in rural areas.

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The 21st Show

July 25, 2022

Is Gov. Pritzker Low-Key Running for President?

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is running for re-election in Illinois, but he's also recently made trips to New Hampshire and Florida, prompting speculation about his political future.

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The 21st Show

July 25, 2022

Growing Concern About Monkeypox, While COVID Remains

There is high community transmission of COVID-19 across all but one Illinois county, while Chicago has been described as an “epicenter” of the monkeypox outbreak. We'll talk with a panel of reporters about the spread of both diseases.

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Rockford Public Schools canceled more than 200 bus routes during the first month of the 2021-22 school year. — Peter Medlin/WNIJ

The 217 Today Podcast

July 25, 2022

217 Today: Bus driver shortage leaves parents worried for upcoming school year

In today's deep dive, we’ll learn more about uncertainty surrounding school bus routes for the upcoming school year.

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The Esports Arena at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. The school launched its esports program in 2018. — Peter Medlin/WNIJ

The 217 Today Podcast

July 22, 2022

217 Today: Collegiate esports programs grow across the country, including at Northern Illinois University

In today's deep dive, we'll learn more about what's fueling the growth of collegiate esports programs at colleges like Northern Illinois University.

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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

July 21, 2022

Best Of: Illinois Bigfoot sightings and skepticism

A man driving from Cass to Tazewell County 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.

In this March 2, 20217, file photo, Tucker Carlson, host of

The 21st Show

July 21, 2022

Best Of: Extremism & The Great Replacement Theory

A closer look at an Illinois white supremacist group that bombed a Minnesota mosque and the growing threat from white nationalists.

Drugmakers, hospitals, clinics and policymakers have argued for years over a program known as 340B. — James Yarema/Unsplash

The 217 Today Podcast

July 21, 2022

217 Today: Although a drug discount program aims to help low-income patients, misuse of it creates controversy

In today's deep dive, we'll hear how a little-known drug discount program is critical to helping hospitals care for uninsured patients, but it’s been the center of controversy for years.

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