Illinois Public Media News

The 21st spoke to Illinois Legislative Inspector General Carol Pope about why she resigned from her position and called her own position “essentially a paper tiger." 

Chicago seems relatively well positioned: far from the oceans, relatively northern, and built on a massive fresh water source. However, below the surface, the climate crisis is threatening—literally and figuratively—the very foundations that the city was built on.  And it’s a battle being fought between the Great Lake, and the Great City.

The institution of the general-interest newspaper column is changing, and arguably disappearing. The 21st was joined by two former Chicago tribune columnists to hear more about the role journalism plays in communities and the changing news landscape. 

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL16) has been appointed to a select committee to investigate the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. Three political reporters talk about Illinois' role in this historic committee.

What would something named a “corpse flower” smell like? It smells like meat, gone bad or, more pointedly, a rotting corpse. The plant species is pretty rare across the globe and one of them is right here in Illinois, at the Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens in Rockford.

A group of Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL15), are calling for legislation that would cut funding to universities that stock abortion medications in campus health centers. The 21st spoke to a women’s health expert to cut through some of the politicized terms in the ongoing abortion debate.

For The 21st's weekly reporter roundtable, we’ll dig into JB Pritzker’s bid for re-election as governor and talk about his possible challengers.

While most people take shelter during a tornado warning, professional storm chasers are on the road trying to study and capture them with pictures or videos. A meteorologist and severe weather enthusiast joined us to talk about how they storm chase safely.

Alex Kotlowitz has been writing about violence in Chicago for decades — in film, in print and for This American Life. His latest book is called “An American Summer," and it follows people for whom gun violence has become a part of daily life. Plus, Oregon has America’s last Blockbuster store. But there are still video stores here in Illinois. Do you make the trip to rent a movie, or is it all streaming these days? 

Many have felt the need to grow or tackle passion projects during the pandemic and are now pushing back against this notion. To discuss the ways the pandemic has affected our perception of productivity, The 21st was joined by two journalists and a psychology professor.