Illinois Public Media News

At Illinois State Fair, Dept. of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello talked about the impact of inflation, weather, and the COVID-19 pandemic on Illinois agriculture.

As of July 4, the United Nations reports more than 5.2 million Ukrainian refugees have fled across Europe because of Russia's invasion. The 21st spoke to Maryna Teplova, who is originally from the east-central Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

Early in the war between Russia and Ukraine, The 21st spoke with Ian Kelly who is currently ambassador in residence at Northwestern University. We touched back in with him to hear more about how the conflict has progressed and where we are now. 

We spoke to the sculptor of the state fair butter cow, Sarah Pratt to hear more about how it's made. 

Illinois-based Quaker Oats is ending its Aunt Jemima brand, saying it was based on a racial stereotype. Meanwhile, others are working to preserve the legacy of the real-life Chicago woman on whom the character was based.