Statewide: Can School Sports Happen This Fall?

Student athletes, coaches and parents are waiting to see if the games will take place when school begins.  We take a closer look on this episode of Statewide.

Our lineup:

* Sean Crawford talks with Craig Anderson, Execurtive Director of the Illinois High School Association, about the prospects for playing sports this fall and what rules the IHSA has put in place. We also hear from attorney Thomas DeVore, who has filed suit over the restrictions, and State Journal-Register sportswriter Ryan Mahan gives us his view of athletics during the pandemic.

* We listen to Governor J.B. Pritzker, in a briefing with reporters this week, as he explains a new regional approach to monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and what metrics will be used to determine any future mitigation.

* Jessica Pupovac of WBEZ explains there are hundreds of inmates still in prison after completion of their sentences, which puts them more at risk of contracting COVID-19.

* Dana Cronin with Illinois Newsroom Leslie Cully, who oversees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the state. They discuss the need during the pandemic and what to expect going forward.

* Mary Hansen details a controversial statement made by a Springfield alderman and how it can be part of a wider conversation about race and unconcious bias.

* Side Effects Public Media's Christine Herman reports on efforts to keep seasonal farmworkers safe from COVID-19.

* Peter Medlin with WNIJ explains some of the problems facing international college students.

Listen to Statewide across Illinois in:

• Bloomington/Normal – WGLT 89.1 (Fridays 11 a.m. - Noon, Sundays 6-7 a.m.)
• Carbondale – WSIU 91.9 (Fridays 2-3 p.m. and Sundays 6-7 a.m.)
• Mount Vernon - WVSI 88.9 (Fridays 2-3 p.m. and Sundays 6-7 a.m.)
• Olney - WUSI 90.3 (Fridays 2-3 p.m. and Sundays 6-7 a.m.)
• Rockford/DeKalb – WNIJ 89.5 (Saturdays 6-7 a.m., Sundays 6-7 p.m.)
• Springfield/Decatur - WUIS 91.9 (Fridays 11 a.m. - Noon, 11 p.m. - Midnight, Saturdays 9-10 a.m.)
• Peoria – WCBU 89.9 (Fridays 11a.m. -12 noon, Sundays 6-7 a.m.)
• Pittsfield - WIPA 89.3 (Fridays 11 a.m. - Noon, 11 p.m. - Midnight, Saturdays 9-10 a.m.)
• Quad Cities - WVIK HD2 (Sundays 11 a.m. - 12 noon)
• Urbana/Champaign – WILL 580 (Fridays 11 a.m. - Noon, 7-8 p.m.)