217 Today: Professor blends nature and music with the sounds of cicadas in Illinois

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A man with is bent over playing a saxophone with insects covering him.
Musician and philosopher David Rothenberg plays his saxophone with the most amount of cicadas he's seen in Lake Springfield, IL.
  • Photo: Photographer: Charles Lindsay

Thursday, May 30, 2024

Today’s headlines:

  • Illinois lawmakers have ended their legislative session – though one proposed reform remains in limbo.
  • The University of Illinois will host a new national center of research on railroads.
  • Illinois lawmakers failed to advance a measure that would have strictly regulated the state’s hemp industry.
  • Protesters from the Champaign-Urbana Muslim Action Committee, UC Jews for Ceasefire and others picketed outside the offices of Illinois Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn more about a professor who is making music with the sounds of cicadas.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting today contributed by Mawa Iqbal, Emily Hays, Alex Degman and Kimberly Schofield.

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Stephanie Mosqueda

Stephanie Mosqueda is a senior majoring in journalism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with minors in Spanish and public relations. She is the 217 Today producer and a reporter for the Illinois Student Newsroom.