Statewide: The lessons from New Philadelphia

By Sean Crawford

Published March 31, 2022 at 5:42 PM CDT

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New Philadelphians and great-grandchildren of town founder Frank McWorter with the pigs they were raising, circa 1920. (Courtesy)

The first U.S. town founded by a Black person was in Illinois. Free Frank McWorter was formerly enslaved. He settled New Philadelphia in Pike County in the 1830s and both whites and Blacks lived there. It is now being considered for National Park status. McWorter's great-great grandson and his wife have written a book about the community and we hear from them.

And we learn about how contracts for deed are used to help some individuals obtain home ownership. But things don't always work out. Those stories and more on this week's Statewide.

Our show:

* Brian Munoz reports on a family's efforts to ensure their medically vulnerable child is protected, even as mask requirements in schools are lifted.

* Celia Llopis-Jepsen of Side Effects Public Media explains how basic efforts to prevent overdose deaths are still lacking in some states.

Kate Williams-McWorter, left, and Gerald McWorter, will speak Wednesday at the Normal Public Library about their book "New Philadelphia." McWorter is the great-great-grandson of the town's founder Frank McWorter.

* Maureen McKinney talks with Megan Ragan of Centerstone about help for therapists, first responders and medical providers who experience trauma from caring for others.

* The Midwest Newsroom's Steve Vockrodt and Laura Zeigler provide details on problems that can arise from contract for deed arrangements.

* Peter Medlin of WNIJ has more the Illinois State Board of Education's plans to change standardized testing.

* Michelle Steinbacher talks with Gerald McWorter and his wife Kate Williams-McWorter about their new book on New Philadelphia.

* Shannon Heffernan provides an excerpt from the podcast Motive, which examines claims of abuse at a state prison. One inmate died and a pair of guards are on trial.

* Rich Egger speaks with faculty at Western Illinois University using a variety of lenses to bring context to what's happening in Ukraine.

* Herb Trix with WVIK brings us the story of a college professor who used his time alone during the pandemic to explore the world of typewriters.