Illinois Public Media News

One of the most popular grocery delivery services that people have been using before and throughout the pandemic is a multi-billion dollar company called Instacart. Employees in Skokie made history by becoming the first Instacart workers to win a certified union election in the U.S., but before they won their first contract, they were part of a mass layoff. We spoke with one of those employees about her experience, and later talked with a union representative and a labor expert about unions and the gig economy.

The documentary ‘Finding Yingying,’ chronicles the disappearance of the Chinese visiting scholar Yingying Zhang at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and bringing her justice while capturing the devastating impact on her family and friends.

Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined The 21st for a discussion on the accessability concerns during the capitol seige of January 6, the over-representation of military people in the capitol insurrection and the Senate beginning a second impeachment trial of now-former President Donald J. Trump. 

For the first time in decades, the Illinois House of Representatives has a new Speaker. Chris Welch is a Democrat from Hillside, in the suburbs of Chicago. He joined the The 21st to talk about his new role, the state’s COVID response and more.

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic took over our lives last March, day after day is the same thing: wake up, work, repeat. To discuss time, the way we think about it and how we might change that for the better, The 21st was joined by the author of Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time & Live a Happier Life.