Illinois Public Media News

After an Adams County judge overturned a conviction for a sexual assault case of a 16-year-old girl, he’s been accused of making comments many classify as victim-blaming. Today, we were joined by a journalist covering the story, the executive director of an anti-domestic abuse organization, and an associate professor of law to unpack the details of the case.

Today on The 21st, we began with a conversation about Illinois state government. The president of the Illinois state Senate, Don Harmon, joined us to talk about criminal justice, education, taxes, spending, and so much more that affects all of our lives.

Many are asking when this pandemic will really end, when we'll get back to normal, and what would “normal” even look like in a post-pandemic world. No one has answers to those questions, and for many, that uncertainty can take a toll on our mental health, which has already taken hits from the onset of the pandemic. The 21st was joined by a psychiatric professor to talk about ways the pandemic has been affecting our mental health and what we can do about it. 

In order to curb carbon emissions, some are proposing that we capture carbon from ethanol plants in the Midwest and ship the gas via pipelines into the sandstone in Illinois, but not everyone is on board. The 21st was joined by a reporter covering this issue and a geologist to talk about how these pipelines would work and the possible concerns.

For longtime fans and friends of public broadcasting, Rick Steves needs very little introduction. Brian Mackey recently talked with Steves about traveling in the pandemic, where in Europe to go with children, and much more.