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The drenching downpours of Sunday brought anguished howls of 'not again!' from some Bloomington Normal residents who haven't fully cleaned up from sewage backups and flooded basements in June. And restoration company backlogs mean there's not much help available . The Regional Superintendent looks at how and who will enforce the mask mandate in schools. A very smart dog learned to take the train to go all over central Illinois in the early part of the last century. Rags was a dog of uncertain pedigree and affable character. Hear the story of a long ago dog's journey into Bloomington, Springfield, and other towns in the latest episode of McHistory. And learn about the entwined history of chocolate and racism from an ISU Fulbright scholar.

WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, July 28, 2021.

WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021.

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.

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 City Manager of Normal tries to ease council nerves that the $24 million underpass project will cost more. And the present furor over critical race theory aside, it's not a new thing for politics to shape the material taught in social studies classes. Liberation Colorized is an online journal launched to give students a voice during a particularly turbulent time in Bloomington Normal politics. These young people are not just listening to adults, they're telling. And a famed McLean County dairy family gets a memorial in a new book.

WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021.

WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021.

Nationally ranked disc golfers come to central Illinois for a big tourney. For the record, fon't call it frisbee golf or even worse FROLF. The Illinois Arts Station is close to opening its new home in Normal. At certain long term care facilities in Bloomington Normal less than a quarter of the staff have taken the Coronavirus vaccine. Dive into why that is. Plus, a big long term care facility operator backtracks on its requirement that staff get vaccinated. Heritage Health would love it if the government took the question of mandates out of company hands.

WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021.