Illinois Public Media News

Illinois is one of America’s leading agricultural states. The 21st speaks to the author of “Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It” about the challenges facing our food system & agriculture.

The 21st speaks to a reporter and a producer from NPR about their conversations with parents and epidemiologists while they embark on a road trip across the country, visiting college towns. We talk about how they even made a stop here at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to learn more about coronavirus saliva testing and contact tracing. 

We’re just about one week away now from the Autumnal equinox, when we’ll officially move from summer to fall. The 21st speaks to two writers for the Illinois Times’ Home and Garden Fall Guide about to talk about fall home and garden ideas.

Contact tracing, or letting people know as quickly as possible when they may have come into contact with someone who has tested positive for an infectious disease, is critical to slowing the spread of the coronavirus. The 21st spoke to a member of Skokie’s Orthodox Jewish community and a volunteer behind an initiative to provide confidential, hyperlocal contact tracing to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Near the end of last week, a bipartisan panel of members of the Illinois House met to consider misconduct charges against the speaker of the Illinois House. A day later, a longtime Democratic State Senator stepped down, the result of a federal tax evasion case.