Illinois

Statewide: How school integration led to lifelong friendships

NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS | By Sean Crawford

Published September 25, 2025 at 10:38 AM CDT

Laura Hastings (left) and Angela Patterson (right) were kindergarteners in 1966 when Urbana desegregated its elementary schools.

On this episode, Angela Patterson and Laura Hastings attended kindergarten together in 1966. That only happened due to a group of parents that pushed Urbana to integrate its elementary schools.

Still friends today, the pair discuss the past and the present in a conversation with Emily Hays.

Also:

* We hear from some professors listed on a database and accused of advancing "leftist propaganda in the classroom." Many have been threatened.

* Choosing a college is a big decision and a difficult one. An expert will give advice.

Ethan Wargo, his sister Claire and their mom, Jessica Wargo.

* Yvonne Boose introduces us to a nine-year-old handing out compliments.

* Peter Medlin reports how Medicaid funds education services and what cuts could mean.

* An attorney for the family of a central Illinois farmer provides details on a lawsuit involving shotgun shells that contained asbestos.

* Michel Martin talks with former U.S. Senator and U.S. Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun about her new book "Trailblazer."

* Dave McKinney recalls a conversation with the late former Gov. Jim Edgar shortly before his death from pancreatic cancer.