Illinois

Statewide: Armadillos in Illinois

NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS | By Sean Crawford

Published May 21, 2025 at 3:52 PM CDT

More armadillos are showing up in the Midwest.

Armadillos are identified more with the southwest. But they were first spotted in southern Illinois in 1970. Since then, their numbers have grown and now they are present in nearly half the state, including as far north as Sangamon County. On this episode, we learn more about the relatively new addition to Illinois wildlife.

Also:

* Charlie Schlenker reports on a group of attorneys general asking educators to have courage in the face of lost funding and lawsuit threats from the Trump Administration.

* Citizen journalist Amina Rahman reports on the central Illinois Muslim community, looking at its growth and diversity.

* Peter Medlin looks at how artificial intelligence is being used in the classroom in one school district.

* Cindy Alcazar has more on healthcare advocates concerns over ending a health program for noncitizen adults in Illinois.

* We check in with Macomb, where the town is promoting is ties to a famous board game. It's bringing more visitors to the community.

* Citizen journalist Hafsa Rahman wraps up our series on Muslims in central Illinois sharing reaction reaction to current events.

* Harvest Public Media's Skyler Rossi found egg shortages are leading more people to raising chickens. In some cases, they are renting the birds.

* Ben Howell has the story of a mother and son, both diagnosed with a chronic disease, who are sharing their story.