Twelve-year-old Isla Besha can pick up a copy of J.K. Rowling's new book, The Ickabog, open it to a certain page, and find an illustration she had drawn on a whim while looking for something to do during the pandemic lockdown. The middle school student in East Greenbush was one of a handful of children in North America chosen to illustrate Rowling's book, culled from more than 40,000 submissions. The Times Union's Kristi Gustafson Barlette had a chance to chat with Isla, and learn about her art.

Also on this episode, health reporter Bethany Bump discusses the Capital Region's record-breaking COVID spike, and education reporter Rachel Silberstein talks to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson about the school's successful algorithm to fight against the coronavirus on campus.

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