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Redbirds For Bernie Blame Media Neglect

By Jim Browne • Sep 28, 2015

Senator Bernie Sanders supporters in Bloomington Normal have chips on their shoulders over what they see as media neglect of the candidate. Along with several ISU students on the bridge above College Avenue, was retired teacher Bill Smith. He says he joined the Redbirds for Bernie demonstration to get people to give serious thought to voting in the Democratic primary.

University Of Chicago Students Feel The Bern

By IPR • Sep 28, 2015

Students at the University of Chicago Monday cheered on Democratic candidate for president Bernie Sanders during a brief campaign stop. Sanders, a Senator from Vermont, bemoaned low voter turnout and encouraged students to get involved in the political process.  

Sanders said the Supreme Court decision eliminating contribution caps with the idea that spending equals free speech hurts the nation.

Critics say Sanders is too liberal ... but he's gaining in polls against presumed Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

Tazewell County Profits From I 74 Construction Zone Tickets

By AP • Sep 28, 2015

Construction at a major Interstate 74 junction has given Tazewell County a windfall: $1.2 million over three years. County Administrator Wendy Ferrill says the revenue from 4,600 tickets for speeding and using cellphones in a work zone softens the blow of the state budget standoff. Tickets for speeding went from eight per month in 2012 to 74 per month in 2013, and 129 per month last year. This year, motorists are getting fewer citations: the monthly average is nearly 100 speeding tickets. Ferrill says some of the money could go toward a new squad car for the sheriff's department.

Hastert Plea Deal Under Negotiation

By AP • Sep 28, 2015

Prosecutors and defense attorneys for former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert have told a federal judge they're talking about a possible plea deal in the Republican's hush-money case. The disclosure came during a hearing in federal court in Chicago for the 73-year-old Republican. Details weren't immediately released. The one-time teacher and wrestling coach has pleaded not guilty to violating banking laws and lying to the FBI.  A May indictment says Hastert agreed to pay $3.5 million to someone, identified only as ``Individual A,'' to hide past misconduct.

SIU Details Budget Cuts

By AP • Sep 28, 2015

Southern Illinois University officials have detailed $13.5 million in budget cuts, saying they will affect student-worker positions, research resources and on-campus events. The cuts affect a large cross-section of university departments. SIU spokeswoman Rae Goldsmith says the cuts were unavoidable because of a state budget stalemate and a funding reduction for the school because of lower enrollment this year.  

License Renewal Notifications To End

By AP • Sep 28, 2015

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White says his office will suspend mailing reminder notices on renewing motor vehicle registrations because there's still no state budget. White said Monday that interrupting the mailing service will save about $450,000 a month. White sent Gov. Bruce Rauner a letter last week warning of potential major problems at government facilities related to the budget standoff. He says vendors aren't being paid and are threatening to suspend services. He also worries that utilities could be shut off at the state Capitol in Springfield.  

Monsanto Donates For Monarch Rescue

By AP • Sep 28, 2015

A national wildlife group says it is doling out $3.3 million in grants as part of an initial push to stem the worrisome decline of monarch butterflies. The 22 grants announced by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will be matched by more than $6.7 million from the recipients, who are in at least a dozen states including Illinois. The money is meant to restore up to 33,000 U.S. acres of habitat in areas identified by experts as key to monarch butterfly recovery.  

Dow Doubles Down On U Of I Research Park

By AP • Sep 28, 2015

A subsidiary of Dow Chemical Co. is opening a facility in the research park at the University of Illinois' Champaign-Urbana campus. Indianapolis, Indiana-based Dow AgroSciences and the university have announced the Dow AgroSciences Innovation Center is joining the Dow Chemical Company Innovation Center, which opened in the school's research park in 2013. Dow Chemical is based in Midland, Michigan.  

Jose Marti: Why He Matters

By Jim Browne • Sep 28, 2015
University of Texas Press

One of the most influential men in the western hemisphere is poorly understood by many, including those who grew up in his shadows. WGLT's Jim Browne talks an author (Alfred Lopez), who's finally written a biography of the contemporary of Abraham Lincoln.

Alfred Lopez' appearance was facilitated by Illinois State University's Latin American and Latino/Latina studies program

Navy Pier Getting New Ferris Wheel

By ap • Sep 28, 2015

The Ferris wheel at Chicago's Navy Pier has taken its last spin before getting replaced with one that's nearly 50 feet taller. The wheel installed in 1995 had its final go-around last evening, its dismantling began this morning. About 30,000 people lined up to ride the Ferris wheel this past weekend. Navy Pier Incorporated spokesman Nick Shields says the Ferris wheel is expected to be gone by the end of October, with the new 196-foot structure scheduled to be in place by mid-2016.

Cullerton Says Rauner's "Turnaround Agenda" Impeding Budget Process

By • Sep 28, 2015

Illinois is about to enter its fourth month without a budget. One of the state's top Democrats says the problem could be resolved within days ... if the governor moved off his insistence that other laws pass first.  IPR's Amanda Vinicky reports. 

Jury Convicts 19-Year Old In Stomping Murder Of Homeless Man

By • Sep 25, 2015

A McLean County Jury has convicted a 19-year old Bloomington man of murder in the kicking and beating death of a homeless man. Anthony Davis-Dickson will be sentenced to up to life in prison for the death of Ronald Smith in White Oak Park on Bloomington's west side. State's Attorney Jason Chambers says the extended term is possible because of the wanton cruelty and callous nature of the crime.

Get a "Rise" Out Of Central Illinois Native Songwriter Andrea Zonn

By Bruce Bergethon • Sep 25, 2015
Compass Records

Everybody in Nashville recognizes the name of fiddle virtuoso and singer Andrea Zonn. A native of Champaign/Urbana, she's backed up George Jones, George Strait, Vince Gill, Lyle Lovett, and for the last 12 years has been a member of James Taylor's band. This month, she's released her second solo CD, "Rise." It features a stellar cadre of singers like Gill and Taylor, and a set of songs catalyzed by the medical travails of Zonn's son Leonard. GLT's Bruce Bergethon spoke with Zonn about the new release.

Excitement Builds On Philadelphia Pope Pilgrimage

By • Sep 25, 2015

Excitement is still building as the visit of Pope Francis to the U.S. continues with a mass in Philadelphia tomorrow. GLT's Judy Valente is on the way to Philadelphia with a group of Catholics from Central Illinois. The trip began with the rising of the moon over Roanoke, Illinois. Valente tells us they are tired and excited after traveling all night. There are ten in a van for twelve and she says they saw the sun rise in Pennsylvania this morning.

New Trends In Literature

By • Sep 25, 2015

Experimental fiction is emerging from the thickets of post modernism. ISU English Professor Chris Breu has a new book out addressing this shift, Insistence of the Material. In this conversation with GLT's Charlie Schlenker, Breu argues for the value of attending to the material world and how that physical world sets limits on social and individual life.

Normal 150: The Early Years

By • Sep 25, 2015

As the Normal Sesquicentennial celebration kicks off, GLT begins a series of interviews with the people who are offering lectures as part of Normal 150 events. Today, the topic is the early years of Normal. GLT's Charlie Schlenker talks with retired ISU Historian Paul Holsinger and asks why Normal was a good place for settlement in the first place. Holsinger says the answer was not obvious.

Normal 150: How Rails And Roads Helped Normal Develop

By • Sep 25, 2015
William Wesen / Wikimedia Commons

In  the development of Normal, transportation has been a key theme. WGLT's Charlie Schlenker is interviewing all of the lecturers for the "Normal 150" celebration.  Terry Ryburn and Mike Matejka share their thoughts on why Normal developed the way it did.

Normal 150: Examining Racial Segregation

By • Sep 25, 2015
Esther Bubley / Library of Congress/Wikimedia Commons

As the Town of Normal observes its sesquicentennial, there are things in its history that should be recognized but not celebrated. In our continuing series of "Normal 150" interviews, GLT's Charlie Schlenker talks with a retired ISU historian about racial segregation. Mark Wyman says the division of whites and blacks in Normal was similar to other cities in Illinois.

 

Blood Moon Eclipse Sunday Evening

By Jim Browne • Sep 25, 2015
fleurmach.com

If the weather cooperates, you'll be able to view an impressive event. This Sunday evening, the moon will pass into the earth's shadow, a lunar eclipse.

Funding Fears Continue For Children With Disabilities

By • Sep 24, 2015

A recent agreement means that -- despite the budget impasse -- Illinois WILL fund services for babies with disabilities. But as IPR's Amanda Vinicky reports, therapists and children who rallied at the Statehouse today say their worries aren't over.


BN Jobless Rate Declines To 4.5% During Aug

By & AP • Sep 24, 2015
LendingMemo.com / Flickr via Creative Commons

Bloomington-Normal's unemployment rate declined last month compared to a year ago. The Illinois Department of Employment Security says the jobless rate dropped 1.2% to 4.5%.

That remains the lowest metro unemployment rate in the state. Peoria's rate went from 7 to 6%, but the area lost 2,600 jobs. Other areas seeing job losses last month were the Illinois side of the Quad Cities, Springfield, Kankakee, Decatur and East St. Louis.

Department Director Jeff Mays says that a portion of a decline in unemployment rates occurs when people drop out of the labor force.

Activist Calls For Rauner Impeachment

By • Sep 24, 2015
Illinois State Capitol exterior
Justin Brocke / Flickr

There was a bit of commotion in the Illinois Capitol when an activist hijacked a committee hearing. He called for the impeachment of Governor Bruce Rauner. IPR's Brian Mackey has more.


Durbin Likes Pope's Message

By Jim Browne • Sep 24, 2015
(flicker)

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois is impressed by Pope Francis' joint address to congress. Durbin calls the pope an inspiration not just through his words, but his actions.

Caterpillar Eliminates 10,000 Jobs

By Jim Browne • Sep 24, 2015

Buffeted by poor sales, Peoria based Caterpillar says it'll reduce its workforce by 10,000 by the end of 2018, with nearly half of those jobs being eliminated by the end of this year. Rachel Potts, spokesperson for the heavy equipment manufacturer, says the jobs will come from throughout the company:

"We are contemplating restructuring actions that could impact more than 20 facilities, and we are not saying specific locations today we are looking at those facilities around the world."

One Eyed Raptor Escapes U-of-I Wildlife Center

By jpbrown • Sep 24, 2015
Bird Missing Right Eye
vetmed.illinois

A University of Illinois clinic is looking for a bird of prey that escaped from its handler. The University of Illinois Wildlife Clinic says the American kestrel named Thistle has one eye and can't survive in the wild. The bird escaped Wednesday morning, and was last seen flying west from the veterinary complex in Urbana. Thistle came to the clinic in May 2012 with an eye injury, and College of Veterinary Medicine spokeswoman Chris Beuoy says they have a state permit to keep her as an educational bird.

Applications For Darin LaHood State Senate Seat Available

By jpbrown • Sep 24, 2015

Applications are available to replace Darin LaHood in the Illinois Legislature. LaHood resigned from the Illinois Senate and recently won a seat in Congress, replacing former US Rep. Aaron Schock. Schock resigned earlier this year after questions about spending. Republican Party leaders from the ten counties in the state Senate district have created a formal selection committee. LaHood is a Republican. Henry County GOP leader Jan Weber is leading the selection committee, which tentatively set Oct. 4 as the day to meet and choose a replacement.

Iowa Telepharmacy Opens Shop In Illinois

By ap • Sep 24, 2015

An Iowa-based telepharmacy company is opening a location in the northern Illinois village of Mount Morris and is in talks with other communities. The privately owned TelePharm has an off-site pharmacist inspect and verify prescriptions, which on-site technicians dispense. Customers order in person or online and then pick up prescriptions. Customers also can speak with the off-site pharmacists. TelePharm representative Greg Janes says the company is talking with officials in Ashton in Lee county and Erie in Whiteside County.

Body Art Goes More Than Skin Deep

By • Sep 24, 2015
Laura Kennedy / WGLT

For some, the body is a temple.  For other, it's a canvas...a way to express a unique point of view.  A new exhibit at Illinois State University's Milner Library explores the various ways people can express themselves with tattoos and piercings, and how body art has gone from the underground to mainstream.

What's On Your Turntable? "Folk Doom" At Waiting Room Records

By & SI • Sep 24, 2015

Occasionally we send Jon Norton out to local record stores to listen to what customers are hearing as they browse the bins.  Norton's trip to Uptown Normal this week pumped some new heavy metal in his hear holes.

Unions Hit Road To Combat Rauner 'Pro-business Agenda'

By • Sep 23, 2015
IPR's Brian Mackey

Labor unions are going on the road to make their case against Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner’s pro-business agenda. The latest in a series of events took place in Springfield. IPR's Brian Mackey has more.

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