Illinois

Statewide

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

Statewide: Training To Work With Marijuana; The Vine That Ate The South Is Now In Illinois

Northern Public Radio | By Sean Crawford

Published October 18, 2019 at 6:04 AM CDT

This week on Statewide, the new Illinois law that will make recreational marijuana legal will create a need for people to work in the industry. We'll explain how some are getting training through a college program.

We'll go to Stateville Correctional Center to learn about inmates making the best of their situation.

And the kudzu vine is a scourge in the southern U.S. Now, it's showing up here in Illinois. But there are individuals who are finding uses for the invasive plant.

That and more on this episode.

Our lineup:

* Patrick Smith of WBEZ finds only a small minority of murder cases in Chicago are solved. Even fewer result in convictions. That leaves many families without closure.

* Sam Dunklau reportson the latest numbers from the NPR Illinois/University of Illinois Springfield survey, including views on gun regulations, immigration and the media.

* Dusty Rhodes visits Stateville Correctional Centerto learn how some inmates are getting a college degree while behind bars.

* Dana Vollmer interviewsthe director and producer of the documentary "Stateville Calling", which advocates for changing the state's parole rules.

* Kate McGee with WBEZ takes us to a community collegepreparing workers for the state's new marijuana industry.

* Peter Medlin with WNIJ tells us about Northern Illinois University's plans to sell presidential property.

* Josephine McRobbie reports on the spread of the kudzu vine and how some are making the best of the situation by finding various uses for the invasive plant.

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