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A prominent African American Church in Bloomington Normal installs new leadership this weekend. Timothy Mark Harris shares his vision for social change through the legacy and continued strength of the 165 year old Mount Pisgah Baptist Church. Connect Transit doesn't have the bus drivers it needs. Service cuts are coming. Strolling amid Bloomington tombstones is an entertaining and educational pastime through the Mclean County Museum of History Cemetery walk. And a central Illinois man writes a book about the richness of life found through caregiving for a brother with disabilities.

Some members of the Bloomington City Council want to offer direct aid to those hit by the June flooding and sewage backups. Hear about the reasons for and against the idea that are separate from from whether it's legal to do that. The town of Normal says it won't rush to have a dialog over true vaccine mandates for staff. But it is testing unvaccinated firefighters for the Coronavirus. And an independent observer says video shows Normal Police Officers coordinated well during a recent shooting incident.

Before the first Rivian electric pickup truck made for sale rolled off the line at the plant in Normal, company CEO RJ Scaringe spoke to the workers who made it happen. A Latino artist speaking in Normal lets the bureaucratic limbo of the immigration system come out in his works. Central Illinois' largest brewery has a gold medal performance. Destihl wins in the very competitive category of Hazy IPA at the Great American Beer Festival. Running for public office in Bloomington Normal hasn't always been a civilized affair. Once a state house race included an attempted whipping, stabbing, and shooting. He missed. It's the next episode of our feature McHistory.

The Bloomington City Council is close to signing off on a plan to reduce the likelihood of future floods like the June deluge that hurt thousands of homeowners. A 50-minute recording of a wind chime is the center of a new album from a Bloomington Normal musician. Big development projects are always complicated heavy lifts. And a five year effort in Uptown Normal with Bush Construction is now over, for a while. The developer exits saying the time is not right. Normal City Manager Pam Reece says she's optimistic a four or five story mixed use building will eventually happen.

WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know for Friday, Sept. 17, 2021. You'll hear about the developer exiting the Trail East project in Uptown Normal. Plus, a story about a mom on a mission.

On today’s episode, you’ll hear analysis of Rivian’s latest SEC a filing for its initial public offering. Eric Stock checks in with the director of the Miller Park Zoo. Plus, an interview with state Sen. Jason Barickman.

A top advisor to then president Barack Obama is in Bloomington Normal. David Axelrod says President Biden faces a challenge on immigration and thinks in spite of Pandemic fatigue among voters, Governor JB Pritzker will do okay in the next election cycle. Other Democrats? Well, that's tougher. The singer songwriter group Stone and Snow can't always write about things in the moment. It takes a while for Karen Bridges and Clint Thomson to work through things. Their album is 'We Were Made For These Times.' And the President of the University of Illinois system celebrates a partnership with Illinois State University and the chance to work on the state goal of becoming a hub for EV technology.

WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know for Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021. You'll hear about a new "idea" center at Illinois Wesleyan University. Plus, an interview with the leaders at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign about minority student enrollment.

WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know for Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021. You'll hear what former Obama advisor David Axelrod thinks of the race of Illinois governor. Plus, a preview of this weekend's Bed Blitz program with the West Bloomington Revitalization Project.

WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know for Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. You'll hear about a group of advocates working to dismantle systems in Illinois they say create barriers to re-entry after prison. Plus, a preview of the 2022 Illinois Shakespeare Festival.