Bison used to be a familiar part of the prairie landscape. But today, North America has only about 350,000 bison, mostly on private land.
A 30 year experiment found the animals can help insect and plant populations and, possibly, make the prairie more resilient to climate change.
Also this week:
* Peter Medlin reports more school are using software to monitor students when they're online.
* Maureen McKinney speaks with U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth on her efforts to have the site of the 1908 Springfield Race Riot a national monument.
* Yvonne Boose tells us about a northern Illinois city's celebrations of Martin Luther King Jr. Day to reach youth in the community.
* We recap Gov. JB Pritzker's comments at his inauguration ceremony.