Illinois Public Media News

Long pandemic lockdowns and lasting quarantines afforded some people free time to start new hobbies and creative pursuits, leading them to start small businesses of their own. We talked about running a small business during the pandemic with three central Illinois small business owners. This segment originally aired on November 24, 2021.

An executive order from Gov. JB Pritzker's office created a task force and an advisory council to be shepherded by a new position in state government. Earlier this month, the administration announced the new state homelessness chief would be Christine Haley. She joined us on The 21st to talk about the position and housing issues in Illinois. This segment originally aired on November 24, 2021.

Since 1970, the number of incarcerated people in the United States has grown exponentially and currently sits at around 2 million people. Meanwhile in Finland, that number is around 3,000, where one third of the country’s prisons operate as open. To talk about what that means and how the U.S. prison system might be reimagined, we were joined by a WBEZ reporter who dug into Finland's criminal justice system. 

“Energy Never Dies: Afro-Optimism & Creativity in Chicago” is a sort of written soundtrack to the music history and culture that made Chicago’s Black artists both past and present and who they are today—from Earth, Wind and Fire to Chance The Rapper. We were joined by the book's author to explore a culture rooted in self-determination and hustle to show how optimism and perseverance power the art and aspirations of Black Chicago.

For many people of Latino communities, the holiday season means tamales. But this is more than a savory holiday dish, it’s at the heart of history and culture for millions of families. The 21st talked about it with a lecturer in the Department of Latina/Latino Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.