Illinois Public Media News

Spring is here and can mark an internal shift; we leave our long, reflective winter hibernation and emerge with an opportunity for transformation. The director of the Japan House at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign joined us to talk about zen and the art of transitioning to spring.

Summer is just around the corner, and for a lot of kids that means camp is calling their names. But what’s that going to look like during the COVID-19 pandemic? The 21st spoke to camp directors in Illinois to talk more about what precautions they'll be taking to ensure the safety of the children. 

A Native American city, larger than Paris and London at the time, was in Illinois. New research might shed some light on why it was abandoned and also challenge our misconceptions about Indigenous societies.

The 21st was joined by one of the lead authors of the recently released report about Illinois’ climate change. They talked about the future of our state’s agriculture, human health and ecosystems. 

The US Census in 2020 shows that llinois lost population in the last decade — the first time that’s happened in the state’s history. Today, our guests put those numbers in context. 

About $220 billion dollars in commerce travels through our waterways annually — including 60% of farm exports. The 21st was joined by the author of Holding Back the River: The Struggle Against Nature on America's Waterways to talk about the most critical stretch of water in the nation and the issues facing it. 

Rock Island County and the Quad City Symphony Orchestra are partnering to bring live music to a mass vaccination site in Milan, Illinois. The 21st spoke with two musicians about their performance.

The 21st spoke with writer Rainesford Stafford about her book "An Ordinary Age: Finding Your Way in a World That Expects Exceptional," a collection of stories from young people who have rejected the pressure to be perfect. 

Each year, 700 mothers die from pregnancy related causes in the United States, and the maternal mortality rate is getting worse.  America is the only industrialized nation in the world trending in the wrong direction. We talked wth Illinois experts about what's being done to reverse the trend.

Past redlining policies have segregated communities by race, deeming them as undesirable. Although redlining was banned in 1968 by the Fair Housing Act, its consequences are still present today.