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Obscured in the last three years of budget struggles in the state of Illinois is a remaining massive unfunded liability in state pension systems—$129…

Nearly half the federal money for Bloomington Normal pandemic rent help has yet to go out. The reasons are a mixed bag. More than a thousand buildings in Bloomington have water damage. An expert in restoration tells you how rare that is and what can be done about it, even the nasty smelly, sometimes dangerous sewer backups. The city of Bloomington Public Works Director lays out why sewer backups are happening during heavy rain events.

A new pilot program with ISU students helping people expunge their criminal records surprisingly doesn't deal with a lot of cannabis cases. Tom McClure tells you about giving people a second chance. Plus, State Senator Jason Barickman unpacks why a massive energy policy proposal is such a tough thing to pass in Springfield. Backyard chickens can help your urban garden...yet they're not that popular with the neighbors. Hear more on WGLT's Grow. And the Coalescence Theatre Project hopes to use one particular queer story to give voice to underrepresented groups within the community.

Past expansions at State Farm and Mitsubishi offer an example for Bloomington-Normal as Rivian accelerates. Those include good things like increases in municipal revenue from sales taxes and opportunities to enhance cultural offerings in the twin cities, but also challenges such as prolonged workforce shortages, and pressure on schools. Hear about the challenges sudden job growth can bring to a community. Plus, the ten inches of rain that fell on parts of McLean County over the weekend were much worse than a once in a century. The State Water Survey tells you how rare this kind of event is. U.S. Representative Rodney Davis evades a question on how seriously he's thinking about running for Governor. You can, though, hear Davis's take on the big infrastructure deal.

ISU's new President says student athletes should not have to go to the food bank. She supports a supreme court ruling allowing athletes to earn from their status. On her first day on the job, WGLT devotes all of Sound Ideas to an interview with ISU's 20th President and first female top executive, Terri Goss Kinzy. The issues we cover include: how ISU can resist the nationwide trend of declining enrollment caused by drops in the number of high school graduates, state funding or the lack thereof, whether society views higher education as a public good any longer, and whether to mandate student Coronavirus vaccinations.

Some authors published decades ago in a ground breaking ISU based journal of Black Literature are still working today. Hear about Obsidian Literature & Arts. So, you spend a lot of time and effort making your garden look faaaan-tast-ic and get nothing else out of it. Now, you can do that AND grow something you can eat. The pandemic brought fear, uncertainty, stress, boredom, and, it turns out, artistic fuel for a new twin cities exhibit by Susan Emmerson and Lisa Walcott. Finally, hear a hip hop song collaboration between Bloomington and Chicago grassroots art schools.

The city of Bloomington has some unpleasant choices ahead. The city council has five options to close a million dollar deficit but is a long way from clarity. Many of the lawmakers in Springfield weren't even born the last time there was a House Speaker NOT named Mike Madigan. Hear an assessment of the new House and Senate leadership performance in the spring session. State Senator Jason Barickman blames the Governor for an evictions moratorium that may cause a spike in evictions when it goes away in late summer. Barickman says the courts should have been trusted to deal with the issue during the pandemic. And Bloomington Normal's largest COVID testing site is closing. Find out who will pick up the load.

Illinois and Bloomington Normal businesses prepare for phase five...with no capacity limits for stores. The new legislative map splits up Bloomington Normal into five house districts and several senate seats. Some think that'll help community interests in Springfield. Others say no. The Miller Park Zoo has survived not one but two pandemics and 130 years. It's celebrating an anniversary this weekend. The State of Illinois is giving the town of Normal $1.2 million to extend the Constitution Trail along Gregory Street to Maxwell Park.

The pandemic may have eased in Bloomington Normal but a lot of residents are still frantic about the danger to family members in India. Listen to south Asian community concerns about what's still a global problem. Plus the retiring head of the Center for Human Services in Bloomington says need for mental health services in the community outpaces supply by more than two to one. A week long series of activities marking Juneteenth begins. And legislators and advocates hope to make Illinois the second state to permit marriage certificate name changes for trans people.

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.