The 21st Show
The Illinois Legislature worked past its midnight deadline to approve a $42 billion state budget early Tuesday. Two statehouse reporters joined us to talk about what was and was not accomplished over the Memorial Day 2021 Weekend.
The 217 Today Podcast
In today's deep dive, a few times a year, farmers have to do a dangerous task; go inside large grain bins to take care of their harvest. Last year, more than 30 of them were trapped inside silos in the U.S., according to Purdue University. But a new robot could help keep farmers safe.
The 217 Today Podcast
In today's deep dive, parts of eastern Illinois are beginning to hear a brood of cicadas finally coming above ground after 17 years. Katie Dana, specialist in entomology at the Illinois Natural History Survey, discusses what to expect from these cicadas and what to do if you see them.
The 21st Show
A top-aide to former Illinois speaker of the house Mike Madigan was indicted yesterday for lying to federal prosecutors. The 21st got the latest on the criminal charges against Timothy Mapes with a WBEZ state politics reporter.
The 21st Show
If they could talk, what would they say? A speech language pathologist from Aurora, Illinois has gotten a bit closer to having these types of conversations with her dog. The 21st spoke to speech-language pathologist and author of the new book How Stella Learned to Talk to hear more.
The 21st Show
The 21st spoke to Senator Duckworth about recent mask guidelines for vaccinated people, divides in her Democratic Party, infrastructure and the Biden administration’s plan to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.
The 217 Today Podcast
In today's deep dive, Western Illinois University's new riverfront campus in Moline was supposed to allow Western to grow in the Quad Cities, but instead, enrollment has shrunk. This has led to criticism from some leaders in the Quad Cities about the university's direction.
The 21st Show
In 2020, proms were cancelled across the country because of the pandemic. In 2021, proms are back but with masks and social distancing rules. The 21st spoke to three high school students from Illinois about their proms.
The 21st Show
It has been one year since a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on the neck of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man for 9 minutes, killing him. The widely circulated video of the incident sparked a summer of protests. The 21st spoke to three Black law enforcement officers about the calls for change in policing, and for greater racial justice following the murder of George Floyd.
The 217 Today Podcast
In today's deep dive, in the wake of the George Floyd murder and the following protests, the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus drafted a series of reforms centered on creating more equity in several areas including health care.
