Illinois Public Media News

Univ. of Illinois Football has eight Black coaches, the most of any top-level school. Today on The 21st, a sportswriter who says the diversity and inclusion on the team can be a model for the sport.

Time is running out if you want to view the brighest comet to appear in the Northern Hemisphere in a quarter century. We received advice from Adler Planetarium on how to view the NEOWISE comet.

The 21st has a conversation about the tension between free speech and so-called "cancel culture" with some of the prominent voices in the discussion that was kicked off by a letter published by Harper's Magazine. 

Restaurants and retail have been hard hit — with thousands of businesses closing permanently around the state since March. The 21st checks in with small businesses to see how they've adapted in the pandemic. 

This summer, many high school bands are already adapting, by making changes to their traditional summer band camps which start around this time. The 21st speaks to band directors and marching band students to shine a light on what changes are being made.