Illinois Public Media News

A trio of bills in Illinois would increase parental access to what’s being taught in Illinois schools by requiring teachers to do things like post their lesson plans online. This is just one of many rallying cries on the right to exert more control over — or make “transparent” — what’s happening in the classroom. The 21st was joined by a two journalists who've been following the story and a professor of information science.  

Today we talked about why the number of Black farm owners and operators has plummeted in Illinois and around the country since the 1920s. Plus how a warming climate is changing how we farm and the effect of biofuels on the environment.

On March 7, 2022, candidates lined up outside the State Board of Elections office for hours to file to run in this year's primaries. We visited the line to hear some of their stories. Plus, we were joined by two veteran statehouse reporters to talk about the state of some of the races. 

Many feel that in their slice of America, they are not free to say whatever they want about politics. Yet, while the blue-city Republican and the red-state Democrat might feel isolated, they are not alone. We were joined by a University of Illinois professor who studied one such group of political outliers to talk about what she found. 

Michael Madigan was often considered the most powerful politician in Illinois; however, yesterday, he was indicted on federal corruption charges. The 21st was joined by two political reporters to walk through what he's accused of and what we know about the investigation so far.