Illinois Public Media News

In 1955, after Chicago teenager Emmett Till was lynched and beaten to death on a trip in Mississippi, his mother Mamie made the decision to have the media cover Emmett’s open casket funeral. Many consider that decision a major factor in helping to ignite the civil rights movement. 

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is perhaps best known for his “I Have A Dream” speech. As inspirational as it was, many of his lesser-known speeches offer a nuanced and articulate argument against racism worldwide. In the years closer to his assassination, he also took more radical positions regarding inequality and war.

Many of us probably remember a favorite children’s book from when we were younger, the characters in those stories and maybe some of the lessons we learned in those books still stick with us today. Odds are, though, the book you’re thinking of probably didn’t tackle intersectionality. 

On Today's 21st:  We’re honoring the legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. We have excerpts from a little-known speech he gave here in Illinois, we also hear from a sociologist and children’s book author about a different kind of book for kids that doesn’t shy away from complex themes. And, some descendants of Black civil rights leaders in Chicago want the public to know more about their family members, while also protecting them at the same time.  

New Illinois Senate President selected; Two universities partner to bring higher ed to downtown Springfield; DNA test confirm coyote bite

Danville and Urbana plan activities to honor civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr.

Illinois' Senators Help Pass USMCA Deal; University of Illinois votes to increase tuition; Confirmation of a tornado touchdown.

Now that farmers are wrapping up their first year of growing hemp, we learn whether anything has changed for hemp growers since the legalization of recreational marijuana in Illinois. 

Now that recreational cannabis is legal in Illinois, there’s a growing interest from the industry to find candidates qualified to work in the business. Some college campuses in Illinois are stepping up and creating programs to prepare students to be competitive for these jobs. 

Millions of dollars in sales of recreational marijuana this month means some dispensaries have experienced shortages of certain cannabis products and placed caps on how much people can buy. We explored how this and other changes to the law affect the tens of thousands of people in Illinois who are licensed to use cannabis for medicinal purposes.