Illinois Public Media News

Alex Kotlowitz has been writing about violence in Chicago for decades — in film, in print and for This American Life. His latest book is called “An American Summer," and it follows people for whom gun violence has become a part of daily life. Plus, Oregon has America’s last Blockbuster store. But there are still video stores here in Illinois. Do you make the trip to rent a movie, or is it all streaming these days? 

Many have felt the need to grow or tackle passion projects during the pandemic and are now pushing back against this notion. To discuss the ways the pandemic has affected our perception of productivity, The 21st was joined by two journalists and a psychology professor. 

A new law in Illinois will ban police officers from using lies to get minors to confess to crimes during an interrogation. The 21st spoke with an attorney and police chief about how the long term effects of the new law.

A Native American city, larger than Paris and London at the time, was in Illinois. New research might shed some light on why it was abandoned and also challenge our misconceptions about Indigenous societies.

The 21st was joined by one of the lead authors of the recently released report about Illinois’ climate change. They talked about the future of our state’s agriculture, human health and ecosystems. 

Although changing people’s thoughts while they are dreaming is still science-fiction, being able to communicate with them while dreaming appears to be possible after all. 

The internet is full of memes poking fun at how often McDonald’s ice cream machines seem to be broken — but there may be some truth to the McBroken stereotype. The 21st spoke to a technology reporter about this cold case of failing ice cream machines and what’s behind it. 

To speak more about reducing the amount of waste we produce on a daily basis, The 21st was joined by a waste and sustainability consultant. 

Illinois native Darryl Sullivan is headed to the Tokyo Olympics for the high jump. He’s ranked third in the world this year. We spoke to him about COVID-19 procedures, marijuana usage among Olympic sports athletes and how he's feeling leading up to the competition.

Every day, more people are shot across Illinois, not only in Chicago, but also in Rockford, Peoria, Springfield and Champaign. The 21st was joined by the Illinois Justice Project's Executive Director and a Criminology Professor who also co-directed a new report outlining how gun laws in Illinois are implemented and enforced.