Illinois Public Media News

In-depth reporting from WILL, NPR, the Associated Press, and other sources

Contact WILL News at willnewsroom@illinois.edu

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Concerns About Rented Farmland

Illinois has the highest rate of rented farmland in the country. This could have environmental and economic consequences for the next generation of prospective farmers. The 21st spoke to an agriculture reporter and a farmland owner about the issue and its implications. 

Ride Across Illinois website

One Day Bike Ride Across Illinois

A group of cyclists are undertaking the One Day Bike Ride Across Illinois, a 150 mile trip from the banks of the Mississippi River in Thompson Illinois to the shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago. The 21st spoke with one od those cyckists to hear more about the distance, endurance and what they’ve seen on the ride across our state.

Rebroadcast: No Such Thing As Dream Job

The 21st spoke with writer Rainesford Stafford about her book "An Ordinary Age: Finding Your Way in a World That Expects Exceptional," a collection of stories from young people who have rejected the pressure to be perfect. 

 Manuel Rene Del Carmen organizes bags of recyclables and throws them into their allotted storage spaces at the Sure We Can recycling depot, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, in the Bushwick neighborhood of New York.
AP Photo

Rebroadcast: Rethinking Recycling

Even if we’re careful about sorting paper from plastic, and washing that plastic, too, what really happens to our recycling? An Illinois expert says all that paper and plastic you carefully sort from the trash might very well end up in a landfill. 

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