Illinois Public Media News

The debate to move away from fossil fuels is happening now in the rural community of Pembroke Township in Kankakee County, Illinois. Some city and state leaders are advocating for a pipeline there to connect the town with natural gas from the company Nicor. But some residents worry about the environmental costs in an area that was home to one of the largest communities of Black farmers in the country. 

While the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on, almost 35% of Americans are now fully vaccinated, and for many life is returning to normal. However, across the Atlantic in India, where just 2% of the country’s 1.3 billion people are vaccinated, there is a major crisis raging. COVID cases have surged since March, with new cases hovering around 400,000 per day in the past two weeks.

Even as restrictions loosen and more potential customers are vaccinated, some restaurants are struggling to find workers. The 21st checked in on how restaurants are doing in the current phase of the pandemic.

In May of 1971, National Public Radio debuted All Things Considered. Since then, NPR programs, member stations and engagement have become an American institution. Three Illinoisans with long ties to NPR member stations joined us today.

It’s bug season. Which means in Illinois means ticks, mosquitoes and other insects are looking to attach themselves to people and pets. The 21st spoke with an ecologist and a mosquito expert about how climate change is affecting mosquito populations and diseases ticks can transmit.

Spring is here and can mark an internal shift; we leave our long, reflective winter hibernation and emerge with an opportunity for transformation. The director of the Japan House at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign joined us to talk about zen and the art of transitioning to spring.

Summer is just around the corner, and for a lot of kids that means camp is calling their names. But what’s that going to look like during the COVID-19 pandemic? The 21st spoke to camp directors in Illinois to talk more about what precautions they'll be taking to ensure the safety of the children. 

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. 

The US Census in 2020 shows that llinois lost population in the last decade — the first time that’s happened in the state’s history. Today, our guests put those numbers in context.