In today's deep dive, an independent Illinois watchdog group released a report detailing neglect and abuse at a residential school for students with disabilities in Aurora.

Aisha Praught Leer was raised in Moline, ran track at Illinois State and now runs as part of the Jamaican National Team. She joined The 21st to talk about what training with a group and what that was like during the pandemic as well as running for Jamaica.  

The Illinois General Assembly passed a law that made it a crime to not disclose one’s HIV status in certain situations in 1989. The law has disproportiantely affected Black and brown people, and now an overwhelming majority of Illinois lawmakers have voted to repeal that law. 

Illinois has the highest rate of rented farmland in the country. This could have environmental and economic consequences for the next generation of prospective farmers. The 21st spoke to an agriculture reporter and a farmland owner about the issue and its implications. 

In today's deep dive, even though only 3% of Americans are currently farmers, a lot of people still identify as part of the agricultural lifestyle. That community has found a home in a video game.

A group of cyclists are undertaking the One Day Bike Ride Across Illinois, a 150 mile trip from the banks of the Mississippi River in Thompson Illinois to the shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago. The 21st spoke with one od those cyckists to hear more about the distance, endurance and what they’ve seen on the ride across our state.

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. 

Even if we’re careful about sorting paper from plastic, and washing that plastic, too, what really happens to our recycling? An Illinois expert says all that paper and plastic you carefully sort from the trash might very well end up in a landfill. 

In today's deep dive, a Vermilion County health official explains why COVID-19 vaccination rates are lagging in Vermillion County.