Statewide: Urban Planning After COVID-19; The Pressures Faced By Contact Tracers

Will the coronavirus pandemic change how cities are designed in the future?  Some urban planners think so.  We'll hear their ideas.  

We'll learn why some parts of Illinois are doing better at handling COVID-19 than others. 

And, we'll find out what it's like to be a contact tracer.  It's considered a crucial job in maintaining public health, but workers can sometimes be the target of hostility.   

Those stories and more on this episode of Statewide.

Our lineup:

* With the election just days away, Mary Hansen reports on how some ballots get rejected by election authorities.

* Sean Crawford talks with Tara McClellan McAndrew about her report on the 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast. Some thought a Martian invasion was occurring, But were the reports of widespread panic overblown?

* Christine Herman of WILL and Chase Cavanaugh of WNIJ discuss differences in the COVID-19 spread in Champaign and Winnebago counties.

* Natalie Moore of WBEZ talks with urban planners about the impact the pandemic might have on how cities are laid out in the future.

* Rich Egger of TriStates Public Radio talks with a pair of political scientists about how the presidential election is being viewed in other countries.

* Eric Stock from WGLT finds out more about contact tracing and the hurdles faced by those doing the work.

* Amy Mayer of Harvest Public Media talks about "stock cropping" with an Iowa farmer.

* Eric Schmid of KWMU profiles the race for the 13th congressional district, which stretches from central Illinois to the Metro East. It's mone of the tightest House races in the country.

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 2-3 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.)