Statewide

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

Statewide: Illinois' role in women's suffrage

NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS | By Sean Crawford

Published June 10, 2022 at 5:59 AM CDT

Illinois suffragists preparing for the parade at the 1916 Republican National Convention in Chicago.

In June 1919, Illinois was the first state that voted on ratification of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. While a paperwork typo forced a separate vote several days later, it doesn't take away from the state's importance in women's suffrage.

That story and more reports and conversations on Statewide.

This week:

* Illinois' child welfare agency is routinely leaving some of the young people in its care locked up in jail for weeks, or even months. Patrick Smith tells us why.

* Sean Crawford talks with author Tara McClellan McAndrew about Illinois' role in giving women the right to vote.

* Yvonne Boose with WNIJ reports how a bit of power has turned a manual piece of equipment into something more.

* Peter Medlin speaks with Ari Owens, one of two women of color elected to the DeKalb School Board. She reflects on her first year on the job.

* Kate Grumke has more on how a St. Louis County school district is trying something new to help students disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

* Harvest Public Media's Jonathon Ahl reports on how combining two breeds, cattle and buffalo, could result in a market demand for the meat.

* Side Effects Public Media's Christine Herman talks with Dan Gorenstein, host of the podcast Tradeoffs, about medical respite programs. They can help the homeless when hospitalization is not an option.

* WBEZ's Dave McKinney reports on the Illinois governor's race and how Republicans are calling attention to deaths at a veterans' home. It's the same playbook Democrat J.B. Pritzker used in 2018.