Connor Towne O'Neill

speaker

230 appearances 1 recordings 1 series first heard Jul 2026 last heard 5 Jul

Connor Towne O'Neill’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 1 in all, peaking in Jul 2026 with 1.

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Up First from NPR · The growing movement to secede from Illinois and become the 51st state · 5 Jul 2026 podcast

So, Aisha, let me take you one last place, over to Highland, Illinois.

This St.

Patrick's Day, I went to meet Virgil Strader.

Strader is in New Illinois' transitional legislature, helping to build the political infrastructure for the state, drafting a constitution, writing laws.

In his day job, he's an auctioneer.

He was hosting a benefit auction for the local quarterback club.

Thank you, yes.

Jim, I'll come sit here next to you if that's all right.

So over a plate of corned beef and cabbage, I chatted with the people at my table.

Afterward, I told Virgil about our conversation.

So I told him a little bit about the story that I was working on.

They hadn't heard of New Illinois, and yet,

Everyone at the table, you know, they're talking about the gas tax.

They're talking about the tax that finances the trains in Chicago.

It is a thing that people are kind of fluent in, even if they're not necessarily involved in the movement.

Well, how can you not be fluent in it if you're subject to it?

There's no way to fix it, politically.

There comes a time of reckoning, and we're getting very close.

I wonder for you, is there a point where you'd think, like, this isn't working?

Or what?

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