Illinois Public Media News

How to have those tough but necessary conversations about staying home to stop the spread of the coronavirus. 

On today's encore broadcast of The 21st, talking social distancing with family, virtual recitals, and the importance of hobbies — and why the pandemic might be time to pick one up.

The new ESPN miniseries The Last Dance puts the Chicago Bulls dynasty and Michael Jordan back in the spotlight. 

High school seniors missed out on a lot this spring. Graduations are virtual for now, prom was cancelled, and in-person end-of-year celebrations will have to be put on hold or happen at a distance. There’s the additional worry and uncertainty many are facing about their fall semester at college. 

As the Illinois General Assembly plans its return to Springfield next week — the first meeting of the legislature since early March — we talk to Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford about what's on the agenda.

Today on The 21st: a conversation with Illinois Senate Majority Leader and Black Caucus Chair Kimberly Lightford, college students considering a "gap year," and a former Chicago Tribune sportswriter and central Illinois basketball player on the ESPN miniseries The Last Dance.

While indoor movie theaters are closed in the state because of the pandemic, drive-ins were able to open May 8, making them one of the rare forms of public entertainment right now. 

Novelist and Illinois native Dave Eggers' latest book, The Captain and the Glory, is an allegory about a large cruise ship that replaces a respected, experienced captain with someone who is none of those things.

Reporters Christine Herman and Sam Dunklau help answer your questions related to COVID-19 in Illinois.

Today on The 21st: answering listener questions on COVID-19, revisiting a conversation with author and Illinois native Dave Eggers, and looking at one of the few public entertainment venues open during the pandemic: drive-in movie theaters.