Statewide

Reporting from in and around Illinois.Listen to Statewide on WNIJ Saturdays 6-7 a.m. and Sundays 6-7 p.m.

Statewide: Blues In The Family

Northern Public Radio | By Sean Crawford

Published August 13, 2021 at 6:13 AM CDT

The Great Migration brought not just people to Chicago, but also the blues. A reporter tracks down the role her family played in the city's blues scene.

After a busy year of pet adoptions, many shelters are back to full capacity. We'll hear how they are handling an influx of animals.
And a survey finds most state lawmakers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. But not all are willing to share their status.

Those stories and more on Statewide.

Our lineup:

* WBEZ's Odette Yousef reports on a new union formed to help the homeless.

* Steve Fiffer, co-author of the C.T. Vivian memoir "It's In The Action, talks with Tim Shelley about getting to know the late civil rights leader.

* Jim Meadows of Illinois Newsroom tells us how relief may be on the way for some rural residents in Champaign County whose well water was contaminated by a natural gas leak.

* WGLT's Sarah Nardi finds out more about animal shelters seeing a surge in surrendered pets.

* Dana Cronin with Harvest Public Media reports on how increasingly hot summers linked to climate change are forcing livestock producers to find new ways to keep animals cool.

* Tony Arnold and Dave McKinney have details on a WBEZ survey into the vaccination rates of state legislators.

* Mary Hansen takes us to the State of Sound exhibit at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield. It focuses on musical acts from Illinois.

* Arionne Nettles delves into her family tree to discover the role they played in shaping the blues industry in Chicago.