Illinois Public Media News

An interstate highway bridge near the Quad Cities is set to be replaced. Instead of destroying the old one, an environmentalist wants to turn it into a new national park. The 21st spoke to the President of Living Lands & Waters about the details of the plan. 

As more people are sitting at home watching films, many have turned to the social media platform Letterboxd to rate and candidly share their opinions about films.

The 21st discusses a program that connects students in Illinois with those in Oklahoma to explore their common histories with racial violence.

In addition to infusing federal funds into Illinois' K-12 schools, Gov. J B Pritzker also announced four initiatives that he hopes will help make up for the effects of the pandemic on students, teachers and parents.

The 21st was joined by two members of the UI Kingfisher Quiz Bowl Team to talk more about quiz bowl, operating virtually this year and what the team's chances are at winning the National Championship.

More than 2.3 million people in Illinois are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to numbers from the Illinois Department of Public Health. The 21st was joined by a panel of guests to speak more about vaccine eligibility, what happens after an individual is fully vaccinated and the implications of a "vaccine passport." 

To hear more about the power of poetry and African-American history, The 21st revisted a conversation with Pulitzer Prize winning poet-in-residence Tyehimba Jess at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Many scientists worry that the Earth is on a collision course with climate change and it will have irreversible, deadly consequences. The 21st revisits a conversation with author David Pogue on adapting to our changing climate, as well as increasing mitigation efforts.

Easter Sunday is this weekend. For many Black churches it is the biggest Sunday service of the year. Some Easter traditions go back culturally to Africa and the period of enslavement in America.