A state hotline was meant to help kids in crisis but for many young people it was a line to nowhere.

An investigative report shed light on deadly conditions within a special unit of the prison in Thomson, Illinois, and last week, the announcement came that the unit would close. The 21st was joined by one of the reporters who's been following the story.

Illinois native and investigative journalist Eli Murray won the Pulitzer Prize for reporting on severe lead poisoning among hundreds of workers in Florida.

For a discussion of a costly ticketing practice in schools, the fallout from the investigation, and the effect this has on students, The 21st was joined by the journalists who spearheaded this investigation and a staff attorney for Loyola University Chicago School of Law's Civitas ChildLaw Clinic.

Illinois Newsroom—the statewide, seven-station journalism collaborative, spearheaded by Illinois Public Media and funded through a $715,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) as well as support from the public media partner newsrooms—launches with the appointment of a new leader.