WILL-AM

Republican Darren Bailey (left), who ran unsuccessfully for Illinois governor in 2022, is challenging fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost in the state's most conservative district. — Alex Degman / WBEZ

The 217 Today Podcast

February 07, 2024

217 Today: Former GOP candidate for governor Darren Bailey running to unseat Mike Bost in 12th District

In today's deep dive, we’ll learn more about Congressman Mike Bost and the challenge he faces in the March 19 primary.

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The 21st Show

February 06, 2024

Two broods of cicadas to cross paths again after 221 years

The two particular broods of cicadas we're set to see this year only cross paths like this every 221 years.

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The confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers on the southernmost edge of Illinois was once the site of Camp Defiance, a Union Civil War base in Cairo which hosted up to 5,000 African Americans. — Brian Mackey/IPM News

The 21st Show

February 06, 2024

Union Civil War camp in Cairo once hosted up to 5,000 freed African Americans

Efforts are underway to recognize historic sites related to Black history, including Camp Defiance in Cairo.

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Winnebago County Juvenile Justice Center

The 217 Today Podcast

February 05, 2024

217 Today: Several northern Illinois juvenile detention centers non-compliant in education & discipline

In today's deep dive, we’ll learn more about juvenile detention centers in Northern Illinois that were labeled “non-compliant” by the state in education and discipline.

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The 21st Show

February 05, 2024

Best of: What stopped the rise of the Klan in the ‘20s?

A new book by author Timothy Egan looks at the second birth of the Ku Klux Klan, in the 1920s, and how it was particularly popular here in the Midwest. The book focuses on the KKK's Midwestern leader and how his depraved personal actions ultimately led to the downfall of the Klan.

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Chicago Tribune newsroom employees picket outside the newspapers Freedom Center newsroom and printing plant Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, in Chicago. More than 200 reporters, photographers and other staffers with the Tribune and six other newsrooms around the nation are on a 24-hour strike to protest years of — AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

The 21st Show

February 05, 2024

First editorial strike at Chicago Tribune

Last week, employees from the Chicago Tribune walked off the job for a strike.

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The Rantoul Police Department failed to follow through on recommendations to further train officers on how to use force after the city’s first two fatal shootings. — Farrah Anderson, Invisible Institute/Illinois Public Media

The 217 Today Podcast

February 03, 2024

217 Today: After fatal shootings, Rantoul police recommended more training. They just sent one officer to a gun range

In today's deep dive, we’ll learn more about how the Rantoul Police Department still hasn’t implemented any department-wide trainings after the village’s first-ever fatal shootings by police.

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