Illinois Public Media News

How worried should we be about the current inflation surge? And how exactly did we get here? And what can we do in the meantime to budget accordingly?

Illinois leaders have congratulated themselves on the passage of climate legislation and committed to upholding the promises in the Paris Climate Agreement. However, some are pointing out that Illinois has plans to widen and expand roads, which could encourage more vehicular traffic and increase emissions.

Today we pulled back the curtain here at The 21st and let you hear from the team that puts the show together day in and day out. Our team of producers shared some of our favorite segments from this past year.

There's a cultural heritage of "Illinois Country French," also known as "Missouri French," in our state. This Illinois Creole culture is fading, but today we were joined by one of the few speakers left in Illinois, who's been working to keep the heritage alive.

Despite "pandemic fatigue" and a rising sentiment that people just want to be done with the COVID-19 pandemic, it's clear that the pandemic isn't done with us. A new variant of concern has emerged, and case counts are on the rise again as we head into the holiday season. The 21st was joined by the Illinois Department of Public Health Director, Dr. Ngozi Ezike.