The 21st Show

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.

For a long time, protecting the environment was something Democrats and Republicans agreed upon. In the present age, the Trump administration has moved to dismantle many of those foundational protections — including an attempt to revoke the legal underpinning for all federal greenhouse gas regulation. Meanwhile, here in Illinois, Democratic leaders are pursuing their own clean energy policies — an...

In recent years, the idea of “socialism” has been gaining ground in American politics. The most prominent and successful avatar of that is Zohran Mamdani, who became the mayor of New York City in January. What does It mean to be a socialist and why do many young people have a more favorable view of socialism than capitalism?

Where does your municipality fall on the data center debate? Is it interested in adding one or is it looking to ban them all together?

Aaron Del Mar chairs the Cook County Republican Party. Now, he’s Darren Bailey’s running mate in the November election. He gives his take on taxes, criminal justice, and Republicans’ ability to win statewide elections in Illinois.

He's a Normal, Illinois native who went to U. of I. and ended up writing music for Sesame Street. She's the puppeteer behind Abby Cadabby — and she just won an Emmy for it. They also happen to be married. Composer Paul Rudolph and puppeteer Leslie Carrara-Rudolph joined The 21st Show to talk about what makes Abby special, how to write music for Muppets, making instruments from found objects, and h...

Prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket allow people to bet on … pretty much anything … from the future of the Iran war to more offbeat topics, such as whether the government would confirm aliens exist. Today, we discuss their rising significance and the fight to regulate them in Illinois and beyond.

Walter Braud had a long career in law spanning 50 years- most of it in Rock Island. Beyond his legal work, Braud's life also included teaching, a business proposition in Ghana, a cab ride with members of the Chicago mafia and singing in a doo-wop group. Today, he joins the 21st to discuss his memoir, Bessie's Prayer.

Champaign's Ebertfest is coming to an end at least in its current form. The co-founder and the director of the famous local film festival discuss its history, this weekend’s festivities, and the future of the event.

For the longest time, Los Angeles has been the capital of the filmmaking industry in America. But that’s been changing in recent years. In Illinois, more than 700 million dollars were spent on film production just last year. Central Illinois has had a share of that.

It’s been 10 days since faculty at the University of Illinois Springfield went on strike. At issue are pay raises, salary minimums, protections against the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom, and more.

Sheryl Weikal’s parents were deeply conservative, and for many years she and her sisters were homeschooled. At eight years old, she had never heard the word “transgender,” but she understood that there was a disconnect between who she was and what she saw in the mirror. She tried to come out to her family as a child. In the years that followed, her parents reacted negatively — and often violently....

Actor Jonathan Butler-Duplessis attended high school and college in Champaign. After more than a decade in regional theater, he made his Broadway debut in Hamilton. He discusses his life, growing up in the C-U area, and his work.

A temporary ceasefire was announced in the U.S.-Israel war against Iran Tuesday night. Developments are happening by the hour and it begs the question if the deal will even hold.

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. 

Five years ago today, a mob stormed the United States Capitol committing many violent acts. Laura K. Field has been studying what led up to January 6th — not just the rally and the riot, but the ideas behind “stop the steal” in particular and the MAGA movement in general. She discusses her new book, "Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right." The 21st Show is Illinois' statewide weekda...