Illinois Public Media News

To close out the show ahead of the Fourth of July, we're featuring the first three voices in a new Illinois Public Media series, "America at 250: The Questions Before Us.” It asks Illinoisans what they think are the most important questions facing the country at the United States Semiquincentennial.

These installments were reported by Annisyn Krebs-Carr and Fernanda Romero of the Illinois Student Newsroom, and University of Illinois journalism professor Charles "Stretch" Ledford, who also conceived of and produced the series. Special thanks to Christine Herman for helping prepare it for The 21st Show.

Two powerful earthquakes struck Caracas, Venezuela's capital, in quick succession last week — a magnitude 7.1 followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5. As of air time, more than 2,200 deaths have been linked to the quakes, with more than 40,000 people still unaccounted for.

Alvaro Bello grew up in Venezuela and still has friends and family there. he works with The Immigration Project, an organization accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice to help immigrants with paperwork, though he joins us today as a private citizen. Bello talks what he's heard from contacts in Venezuela, the scale of the destruction, and how Venezuelans in Illinois are responding.

Illinois drivers between the ages of 79 and 86 are no longer required to take a driving test every year, under a new law that just took effect. The change, part of what's called the Road Safety & Fairness Act, was pushed by AARP Illinois and the Illinois Secretary of State's office. Illinois had been the only state in the country with a rule requiring road tests for drivers in this range based solely on age.

Secretary of State personnel can still require a driver to take the test if they notice signs of trouble, and family members can report concerns about a loved one's driving. We'll talk with Ryan Gruenenfelder, Senior Director of Advocacy and Outreach for AARP Illinois, about why the organization pushed for the change, what crash data shows about older drivers' safety records, and how drivers of any age can stay safe on the road.

The U.S. men's national team faces a must-win World Cup round-of-32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina tonight. Alex Calabrese, who covers soccer for Men in Red 97 Media and MLSsoccer.com, joins us to preview the game, catch us up on how Illinois-connected players have fared in the tournament so far, and break down what the Chicago Fire's signing of Robert Lewandowski means for the club.