The McLean County Emergency Management Agency usually spends a lot of time preparing for disasters. But most of the last year and a half have been consumed by, well, emergencies. And they're shorthanded. A great tune and a little reinvention has kept this opera popular for nigh on 300 years. MIOpera begins its season in Bloomington Normal with the Barber of Seville. And, the band Good Morning Bedlam has close harmonies on stage and in the rest of their lives.

There's an Illinois State University connection to Olympic gymnast Simone Biles. As Biles withdrew from the competition one of the highest profile defenses comes from former redbird gymnast and now coach, Andrea Orris. The Simone Biles matter is also raising awareness that high level athletes sometimes need help just as much as the rest of us to stay on an even keel. ISU Sports psychologist Sam Kurkjian has more. And most of the members of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival theater company this year are Black Indigenous or people of Color. Hear how a diverse cast inflects the plays of the Bard.

The latest trend in wind power is taller turbines with longer blades. That's important for people near two central Illinois wind farms under construction. And a new mental health concern has emerged in Bloomington Normal, re-entry anxiety. A lot of people are eying the sale of Illinois State University's 26 acre Shelbourne Apartments in Normal as a big opportunity. Normal City Manager Pam Reece says any new housing should probably not all be single family homes nor perhaps dense student housing. Plus, central Illinois scientists have found a way to convert wasted bread into a compound found in everything from food to pharmaceuticals, vitamin C.

Bloomington City Manager Tim Gleason says everything has a cost and the city has only so much borrowing power. Gleason says if the council chooses more underground infrastructure work after the flood it might delay other big projects. The start of school is coming up fast and districts are getting desperate for bus drivers. They say they'll beg, borrow, or steal drivers wherever they can. Some schools say this is the worst bus driver shortage they have ever seen. Plus circus route books shed light on discrimination in popular culture. Hear about a new digital exhibit at ISU's Milner Library. And new data comparing a decade of inmates at the McLean County adult and juvenile jails could help shape social service programs.

The Bloomington Normal NAACP starts a youth council. Hear what dreams those young people have for change. And one of the things caused by the pandemic that will remain is a good thing; summer food programs. A lot of Bloomington Normal people whose homes were flooded last month can't dig out by themselves. The Salvation Army has pleas for help from 200 people in 80 families. And Bloomington has had three police chiefs and two interim chiefs in the last year and a half. Hear an interview with the latest to leave and why.

Some suggest Illinois use pandemic relief money to reduce a massive unemployment trust fund debt. Governor JB Pritzker says you can't do that. The Governor, though, is wrong. Other States are doing just that. Plus hear about the state budget deficit and the pension problem in an in-depth interview with Governor Pritzker. And weeks after torrential rains caused more than a thousand homes to flood in Bloomington Normal health officials warn the backed up sewage might still be an issue. The McLean County Health Department Environmental Health Director has more.

Illinois' largest auto insurer says it is seeing a huge increase in thefts of catalytic converters nationwide and in this state. State Farm says pandemic unemployment and a hot market for platinum palladium and rhodium might be causes. A jazz musician who borrows from hip hop says the two art forms are more similar than you might think. Jon Norton has an interview with Saxophonist Christopher McBride before a Saturday concert in Bloomington. Bloomington Council Member Jamie Mathy is all about under the street infrastructure. And find out what kids are learning about media literacy.

High schools are puzzling over how to meet new state requirements to teach media literacy. Educators at Illinois State University's school of communication have some tips after producing an online resource to combat fake news and promote civic reasoning. Normal town council member Kathleen Lorenz voted for the underpass project, again, but says it's a nervous vote. Lorenz tells you what she thinks is next. Plus, Arts correspondent Breanna Grow explores what goes right when the casting is all wrong with "Miscast Cabaret" from Community Players.

Small towns in McLean County would love to have a couple million bucks in pandemic relief money. They're frustrated the Governor's staff haven't filled out the federal paperwork. Lexington alone would get a quarter million dollars to help businesses and improve infrastructure. Bloomington City Council member Jenn Carillo is resigning because she's moving out of the ward. Bloomington city council member Jamie Mathy says he'd like to see mental health workers go along with cops and emergency service workers to respond to people experiencing a psychiatric, behavioral or substance abuse crisis. And get a light and lovely look at lavender.

A lot of people in Bloomington Normal needed a fur child to relieve the isolation and get through the pandemic. A lot of those kitties and doggies are going back to animal shelters when their humans no longer want the pets. It takes a wage of more than sixteen bucks an hour to afford a two bedroom apartment in Bloomington Normal. A minimum wage earner has to work one and a half jobs just to have a place to sleep. Plus, Jersey Mike's restaurant is set to open. Texas Roadhouse in Bloomington Normal will be delayed a bit. Hear about the Bloomington Normal Restaurant Scene with Larry Carius.