Illinois Public Media News

We’ve heard the mental health struggles of parents, educators and after-school providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, but how are our children and teens doing? 

Illinois will have an updated sex education curriculum — one that propenents say is more inclusive, culturally relevant, and based on national standards, but some lawmakers say the law goes too far by introducing sensitive topics too early. 

A new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists found that the number of days people can do their jobs safely will dramatically decrease in the next few decades, thanks to climate change. The 21st was joined by one of the report's authors, a representative from the a group advocating for migrant farm workers, and a worker health and safety advocate with a consumer advocacy organization.

Illinois state lawmakers are returning to Springfield for a special session. We were joined by a group of reporters to discuss new legislative maps and a sweeping clean-energy proposal aimed at fighting climate change. 

On August 26, Governor JB Pritzker announced a reinstated mask mandate for all Illinoisans aged two and over in public indoor settings, in addition to making Illinois the seventh state in the nation to require teachers get vaccinated against COVID-19.