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A survey of attitudes toward police in the city of Bloomington came back with a lot of skewed data, but the comments were worth reading. Not In Our Town Co-Chair Mike Matejka unpacks the useful parts of the survey. Plus, County Administrator Camille Rodriguez shares perspectives on her time in McLean County as she prepares to leave for Colorado. Governor JB Pritzker talks about energy policy and compromise. Everyone gets a little something in a proposed energy bill; environmentalists, nuclear utilities and even coal burning plants. And hear from a Bluegrass Band doing more than the old Bill Monroe stuff in central Illinois.

A Spotify playlist of all the new music added to Highway 309 in 2021, including the latest from Robert Finley, Dom La Nena, and Guided by Voices.

A central Illinois native with PTSD finds healing through art. Hear about the organization CreatiVet. Plus, business is coming back to hospitals in central Illinois, but it's not all the way back. The head of Carle BroMenn says the feds are making up only 60% of the loss. Insurers are looking at new ways to gauge safe driving and who is doing it. Here's the world according to telematics. The Bloomington Normal band The Something Brothers have a new album, or two, no wait: make that three.

Nursing homes suffered financially during the pandemic as families avoided putting residents there. Perhaps a quarter of long term care facilities won't make it through the next year. The McLean County Nursing Home might have taken less of a hit than most. Bloomington Normal landlords say a lot of tenants haven't paid rent in a long time. They say they don't want to evict anyone, but will do what they have to. And the Mayor of Normal sayeth the state legislature giveth and the state legislature taketh away. A transfer of firefighters and police from tier two to tier one pension plans wipes out previous efficiencies.

Connect Transit gave more than a million rides during the pandemic. The head of the board for Bloomington Normal's bus system says that alone makes the case transit is a community must have as ridership rises again. Plus, progress to rework the Pantagraph building into a transfer center.Racial violence. Family trauma. The price of security. It's pretty heady stuff for a comic book movie. Scott Jordan is one-half of WGLT's Psych Geeks team -- dissecting the release of Marvel's "Black Widow" and its place in the always changing popular culture. Blues Traveler plays the Corn Crib. Jon Norton has the interview about the group's early dreams and new realities.

A Bloomington attorney and Lincoln scholar has given a letter Abraham Lincoln wrote to a Peoria Attorney, to the Lincoln Library and Presidential Museum in Springfield. It's a window into the mind of Lincoln as a politician and person in transition. Hear a reckoning of the costs of COVID in the things you can't do: lost health and lost opportunity from the pandemic in McLean County. Gardening is good for the body, mind and soul. Sarah Davis sure thought so. The WGLT Datebook takes you on the Glorious Garden Walk at the David Davis Mansion. Hear about the delicious and the dangerous poke sallet. It's tasty but sometimes toxic.

Connect Transit's new general manager says he wants to explore new technologies to build on the sustainability of public transportation. David Braun says he welcomes the addition of electric buses though the technology is not quite mature. The Electrification Coalition is siding with Rivian in a battle whether you can sell cars directly and not through dealers. The Coalition says cars ought to be like I-phones, available everywhere. That has sales tax implications for cities. Congressman Darin LaHood says he's still optimistic about an infrastructure bill.

On today's episode, the owner of a McLean County farm tallies up the damage after last month's historic rain. A pro-EV group makes the case of battery-powered buses and semis. And a new installment of our McHistory series.

On today's episode of Sound Ideas, you'll hear about Heartland Community College's first electric vehicle training program. A leading cybersecurity expert in Illinois talks about what resources will be necessary to protect the country's information infrastructure. Plus, a new installment of Beyond Sports.

The pace of vaccinations has slowed dramatically in McLean County and the health department may soon end mass clinics. It's still a long road from the current 40 percent inoculation rate in McLean County to herd immunity at 70 or 80 percent. Plus, it's garlic season in central Illinois. Learn about the ancient nutritious, even antiseptic herb and how to save your taste buds and tummy from the smelly thing. The identities of creative people can never truly be separated from the things they create, but Black artists often find themselves pigeonholed by White curators. Go behind a Bloomington Normal exhibition highlighting Black freedom of creative expression.