The 21st Show

Rural hospitals have been struggling for decades. Hundreds have closed. Now, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that President Trump signed into law last month is making substantial changes to Medicare and Medicaid. How will this impact rural healthcare in Illinois? 

The new Weather Realness podcast debuted on August 1, 2025. The podcast is available on YouTube. The radio show airs Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. on WILL-AM 580. If you have a question for local meteorologists, leave a voicemail at 217.333.2141 or email weatherrealness@illinois.edu.

After President Donald Trump placed tariffs on trade partners around the world, the stock market has rebounded. But what's next for the economy? How is the feeling of uncertainty and instability affect our economy and our mental health?   

The Quad Cities' Niabi Zoo is part of a network of zoos providing care and shelter to displaced animals from around the world. A representative from the zoo discusses that work. 

Nearly 29,000 people are currently incarcerated in Illinois' prison system. But being imprisoned -- or even just getting arrested -- can follow someone for decades after the experience is over. A new organization in Bloomington-Normal is trying to help former prisoners in their reentry journey as they face many barriers. 

Some communities in Illinois have won national awards for its drinking water, including Champaign, Dieterich, Moline and Danville. But there's also instances where the tap water might not be the best option for clean drinking water. A scientist with an environmental organization offers deeper insight into the state's drinking water.

During the warmer months, algae blooms in lakes and ponds become more commplace. Mattoon recently dealt with an algae bloom that contaminated the region's drinking water. A city administrator joins the program, and we discuss contamination prevention with an Illinois water expert.  

We're checking in with an Illinois State University professor who specializes in the cultural history of chocolate. Quite a treat for sweet tooths!

The issue of carbon capture and storage underground has sparked debate across Illinois especially around the Mahomet Aquifer, which spans from Iroquois County to Cass County. Some worry the project could threaten groundwater quality and safety, but many scientists say those concerns aren't justified.

We’re talking about the taboo associated with menstruation which persists despite the fact that everyday millions of people are on their period.   

A group of student journalists from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign traveled earlier this year to Freetown, Sierra Leone, to report on the issue of period poverty and grassroots efforts to address it.    

As climate change brings with it more severe weather more often and a higher cost to repair and pick up the pieces when disaster strikes. 

State Farm is raising its home insurance rates in Illinois next month by an average of 27 percent, pointing to increased severe weather risks and higher home repair costs. 

Athlete and University of Illinois alumna Susannah Scaroni talks about winning the women's wheelchair division at the Boston Marathon and other highlights from her career.

Emily Hays, who covers education for IPM News, had the chance to speak with the new Univeristy of Illinois Chancellor last month about his approach to federal policy changes and the future of AI, which is his academic speciality.

Senator Tammy Duckworth gives her take on the rescinding of $1.1 billion to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting by President Trump and congress as well as the status of publicly-funded healthcare, SNAP, and VA benefits after the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

In his new book, "Algospeak", linguist Adam Aleksic says that we are living through a transitional phase of the english language as social media has a big influence on vocabulary. 

Tommy Prine was raised in Nashville with guitars lying around his house and music always on. And that’s because his father is John Prine, the legendary singer-songwriter, originally from Maywood, Illinois. He famously worked on songs while working a postal route here — was referred to by some as "the Mark Twain of songwriting.” 

In Illinois, as in other states, there are many towns and cities with what are known as “crime-free housing” ordinances. The idea is to keep drugs and other illegal activity out of apartment buildings and other rental properties. Critics say the ordinances disproportionately target low-income families and people of color while supporters of the law say the programs ensure safety and have helped revitalize struggling neighborhoods.

NPR and it's affiliated public media outlets are sometimes accused of bias, especially by those on the conservative side of the political spectrum. As NPR and PBS lose more than a billion dollars in federal funding, it begs the question: Did public media sow the seeds of its own destruction?

Late last week, Republicans in Congress approved President Trump’s request to claw back more than two year’s worth of funding for public radio and television. A panel of general managers from NPR and PBS stations across Illinois discuss what the path is going forward.

Kaylee Bauchens is a senior at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Her podcast episode is called “Relief of Getting a Goodbye”. It explores themes of intuition, grief, and acceptance. It's a finalist of this year's NPR College Podcast Challenge.

Susana Mendoza won't run again as State Comptroller. The crowded field of Democratic candidates for open US House and Senate seats in Illinois continues to grow. Plus, the US House approves a Trump administration plan to rescind $9 billion in previously allocated funds, including $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

During our Friday reporter roundtable, we're talking about stories making headlines in Bloomington-Normal, including how Illinois State University is planning to directly pay its athletes and a major settlement involving the McLean County Jail. 

The recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes significant changes to the way we create and pay for energy.

Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski shares her views on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and how it will impact her constituents.

Red Lobster's CEO Damola Adamolekun talks about his personal life experiences, what made the restaurant chain so iconic, and how it plans to make a comeback amid closings nationwide. 

Nowadays social issues and politics can be very polarizing. Many tend to view those who disagree with them as hateful or ignorant with lots of assumptions. Sociologist Ilana Redstone takes a deep look into this with her book: “The Certainty Trap: Why We Need to Question Ourselves More— and How We Can Judge Others Less.”

A research scientist who has studied what makes people susceptible to misinformation around climate change, a journalist covering climate politics, and a climate scientist weigh in on the conspiracy theories surrounding weather. 

On the Friday, July 11, 2025 edition of The 21st Show, we took our program on the road to Vermilion County, which sits on the Illinois/Indiana border. The weather broke just in time for host Brian Mackey to be aboard a hot air balloon.

A new book looks into the intersection of religion and American politics and how so many white evangelical Christians came to embrace Donald Trump.

The newly enacted Big Beautiful Bill Act will require states to cover some or all of the costs of providing SNAP benefits and Medicaid, tighten work requirements and essentially reshape who qualifies for help and for how long. So what does this all mean for Illinoisans who are at risk for losing critical support?  

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is changing the country's vaccine policies- from childhood vaccinations to COVID immunizations. Many experts are raising concerns about what that could mean for public health.

A new book offers lessons from a culture that’s mastered the art of savoring simple pleasures while maintaining deep connections in family and community.

It’s been one year since a Sangamon County sheriff's deputy shot and killed Sonya Massey in her home just outside Springfield. The killing sparked protests locally and became national news anmd many called for better police accountability. So what’s changed since then, what hasn’t, and where do we go from here?

Over an extended Independence Day weekend, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law. The legislation has many components — making his 2017 tax cuts permanent while also aiming to cut federal spending on Medicaid and SNAP benefits.

Like every Democrat, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi voted against the "Big Beautiful Bill" Act and he joins the program to explain why.

Climate change not only impacts our environment, but it also influences our brains, according to the author of "The Weight of Nature".

Agriculture is a key part of the Illinois economy, but recent changes to federal food funding are putting pressure on some farmers and the communities that rely on their products.

Japanese company Nippon Steel accquired U.S. Steel last month. What does this mean for over 900 steel workers in Granite City, Illinois? 

The issue of abortion is often framed in religious terms usually by people who oppose the procedure. However, Illinois philosopher Peter Wenz says there are religious arguments in favor of abortion. His new book is called “Abortion Rights as the Free Exercise of Religion: The Constitutional Case for Choice". Wenz joins the program today.

A few dozen southern Illinois communities have faced a substantial portion of the state's reported sewer overflows. This is the subject of a new investigation from the Illinois Answers Project.The reporter behind the story joins the program today.

A journalist covering agriculture weighs in on what has transpired so far after the Federal Trade Commission as well as several states, including Illinois, sued farming equipment manufacturer John Deere earlier this year. We also talk about what to expect from the upcoming trial. 

The Forgottonia Project was a podcast created by a social studies teacher and the incoming Dean of Students at Spoon River Valley High School in Fulton County. The goal is to teach students living in the western part of Illinois and other rural areas about the history of where they live and also to hear from rural voices that might otherwise be ignored. The teacher joins the program today as well as two students who participated in the project.

For this week's Friday Reporter Roundtable, we're focusing on the Metro East, from the fate of Granite City Works to flooding.

For the first time in more than four decades, a sitting Illinois governor will be seeking a third term. On top of that, the debate's continuing over whether JB Pritzker might seek even higher office. A longtime chief politics reporter for the Chicago Tribune discusses what Pritzker's decision means for Illinois in this week's Politics News Roundup.

A historian and author who has written about World War II joins the program to speak about VE Day 80 years later. 

What is the scent of that sound? Or put a different way, what does a scent sound like? That is a question that has been thoroughly considered by the co-founders of Clue Perfumery in Chicago. We talk with them about the creative process.

Mark Turcotte has been selected as Illinois' next Poet Laureate. His four year term begins July 1. He joins the program to talk about how his lived experiences have shaped his writing, his Native American identity and what he hopes to accomplish as Poet Laureate. 

The book “Murder The Truth: Fear, The First Amendment, And A Secret Campaign To Protect The Powerful" looks at right wing politicians effort to overturn the New York Times Company vs. Sullivan precedent, and in so doing weaken the American press. The author of the book joins the program today.