The 21st Show

An Illinois man has been part of some of the more memorable Super Bowl commercials of the past 15 years.

SCS Software, the makers of American Truck Simulator, is soon releasing an expansion for the game that highlights several cities across Illinois, including Chicago, Champaign, Peoria, Quincy, Moline, Rockford, several interstates and Davenport, Iowa.

A settlement has been reached between AFSCME Council 31 and Illinois State University following a strike that lasted nearly four weeks.

Lee Hawkins is a journalist, a podcast producer, and a Pulitzer Prize finalist. But in his new book, he turns his skills toward telling his own family’s story. It’s a memoir across 400 years of enslavement, Jim Crow, and beyond — and how the trauma of those experiences is passed from one generation to the next. The book is called, “I Am Nobody’s Slave: How Uncovering My Family’s History Set Me Fre...

Nathan Jones, an emergency room doctor from Springfield, Illinois, was part of NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, or CHAPEA. It was the first of a series of missions to simulate life on Mars. He was one of four crew members living in isolation on earth at the Johnson Space Center from June 25, 2023 – July 6, 2024.

When the four astronauts of Artemis II orbited the moon, it was the culmination of work by countless thousands of people — including some based here in Illinois. We’ll talk with an aerospace engineer who dreamed of space as a boy (and still does), and the head of a company whose work with NASA dates back to Apollo.

The book "Eve" explores human evolution with a particular focus on the female body and its author joins the program today.

As President Trump criticizes Pope Leo for his position on the Iran war, it begs the question if religious leaders should be vocal about political issues.

Cardinal Blaise Cupich discusses Pope Leo's first year at the Vatican, how it feels for Illinoisans and Americans to see a pope speaking their language in a familiar accent, as well as how the pope has handled political issues specifically in regard to war.

The United States is celebrating 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. There’s an oral history project underway in connection with that milestone. It’s meant to document the stories of Illinoisans and how they think about American values like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

From immigration enforcement to investigations by the Trump administration, a number of legal cases are currently going on in Illinois. A reporter who covers legals affairs around the state has the latest updates.

Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi discusses the Iran war, the U.S. House of Representatives voting to pass a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security minus Border Patrol and ICE, and what's next for him after he leaves office next year. 

If you're lacking manners, you're in luck. A Certified Etiquette Consultant, who runs the Royal Purpose School of Etiquette joins the program.

Many of Illinois' public universities say they are underfunded. Some state lawmakers are hoping to change that – directing more money to smaller state schools. But there’s also opposition-notably from the flagship University of Illinois system.

How did Evangelical Christians come to not only vote for Donald Trump, but embrace him as a heroic figure? Historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez says it was a long time in coming, and that Trump is not a betrayal of evangelical values, but a fulfilment of them. We’ll talk with Du Mez ahead of delivering the annual Thulin Lecture this week in Urbana.

Joseph Gone has spent decades studying Native American mascots — as a psychologist, as a member of the Aaniiih-Gros Ventre Tribal Nation, and as a University of Illinois graduate student who campaigned against Chief Illiniwek in the 1990's. He shares his perspective today.

"Disturbing the Bones” is the name of a new novel set in Illinois. It’s part crime story and part geopolitical thriller. The book is a collaboration between film director Andrew Davis and journalist Jeff Biggers.

A new book “Sweet, Tart and Golden: Apples in the Midwestern Imagination" explores the historic connection between apples, Americana, and Midwestern values.

What's the latest update on the new Chicago Bears stadium? Also, lawmakers approved language for a potential amendment to the Illinois constitution around voting rights and former House Speaker Michael Madigan got a ruling in his appeal of his corruption conviction.

Many students go to college hoping to become filmmakers, but not many get firsthand experience with professional filmmaking that early in their career. Sawyer Carver is a sophomore at Augustana College in the Quad Cities. Their short documentary on The Atlas Collective, a cafe and bookstore in Moline, is now on Roku. Carver joins the program along with the co-founder of a national organization foc...

A Danville alderman and his cousins went night fishing at a park in Paris, Illinois. White men approached them, used racial slurs, and opened fire. Three are now charged with hate crimes — two with attempted murder. How 911 responded to the incident is a matter of concern.

Illinois has already seen significant tornado activity this year. Most people head for shelter when severe weather hits, but others run toward the storm. Our friends at Illinois Public Media's Weather Realness recently spoke with two people who chase storms and tornadoes professionally.

The city of Cairo, at the southern tip of Illinois, has a housing crisis that goes back decades. Not long ago, an outside developer promised 3D-printed homes could turn things around. But the houses never materialized. We'll talk about what happened and what it means for Cairo with Molly Parker, a reporter who covered the story; Steven Tarver, a Cairo resident and advocate; and Kaneesha Mallory, a...

Palestinian Aziz Abu Sarah and Israeli Maoz Inon have written a new book called “The Future is Peace: A Shared Journey Across the Holy Land.” They discuss why they choose peace over vengeance and how their personal losses motivate their advocacy.

Balloon releases can be problematic for the environment. A Girl Scout in the Chicago Suburbs is looking to change that.