Statewide: Dress code controversy; Sears' long fall

NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS | By Sean Crawford

Published October 7, 2021 at 2:45 PM CDT

Supporters of school dress codes say they help promote discipline and can actually improve safety of students. But many find them discriminatory and sexist. We'll hear how some students have pushed back on the policy.

And Sears is closing its final store in Illinois. We recap the rise and fall of what was once the nation's largest retailer.

* WNIJ's Peter Medlin examines how the state's overhaul of school funding is working for districts that need the help the most.

* We check in with a Chicago school where a dress code created controversy and protest.

* Rich Egger with TriStates Public Radio gives an update on COVID
protocols at Western Illinois University.

* We hear an interview with an Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville instructor who has taken on the problem of period poverty.

* JuanPablo Ramirez-Franco tells us how nitrate levels are rising in rivers.

* Michael Puente recaps the history of Sears in Illinois, as the company prepares to close its final store in the state.

* Ryan Denham with WGLT gives us an overview of hospice, what it is and isn't.

* Jonathon Ahl with Harvest Public Media has an update on research into carbon capture on the farm.

* A western Illinois woman is doing her part to raise awareness of farm machinery on the road in an effort to promote safety.