Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Corrections announced in March the state intended to tear down and rebuild two prisons in poor conditions: Stateville Correctional Center for men in Crest Hill outside of Joliet, and the Logan Correctional Center for women outside of Lincoln.

Imagine that imaginary friends were real. Now imagine that IF director John Krasinski and star Ryan Reynolds convinced A-list pals to voice them.

Thanks to a Healing Illinois grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Field Foundation of Illinois, administered by the United Way of Central Illinois, the NPR Illinois team is visiting several diverse communities in the Central Illinois area to discuss what it's like to live in Central Illinois. In this LISTEN session you hear from members of the Indian community at The Hindu Temple of Greater Springfield as they discuss their vibrant community and why they love living in Springfield.

Millions of new parents in the U.S. are swamped by medical debt during and after pregnancy, forcing many to cut back on food, clothing, and other essentials.

"Russia remains the most active foreign threat to our elections," said Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, noting that new AI technologies make influence operations easier to pull off.

Nearly 7,000 independent artists submitted to this year's Tiny Desk Contest. Meet the Sacramento artist that rose to the top.