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NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Nida Manzoor, director of the new movie Polite Society, which is about a British-Pakistani high schooler who wants to be a stuntwoman.

My sister and I recently unearthed a forgotten box of correspondence our mom received from servicemen she'd met at Red Cross dances in Rome near the end of the war. She would have been 100 this year.

Meet the new President of Illinois State University. After nineteen men before her Terri Goss Kinzy becomes the first woman in that job. Plus, no one knows how many cops, city workers, and public facing employees have had the Coronavirus vaccine in Bloomington Normal. The chief clinical officer for OSF HealthCare, talks about what new guidance on masks means for you in central Illinois. And arts correspondent Breanna Grow brings a group of young artists to you.

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.

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.

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.

Bloomington Normal is in the hunt for a massive economic development project...a billion dollar electric battery factory on the west side of Normal. It could bring 32-hundred jobs to the twin cities. There have been rumors for a couple years about what extra business Rivian might bring to Bloomington Normal. Last week there was a hint the community is in the running for a big get. Then today Dick Durbin named the prospect, Samsung. Hear reaction from Bloomington Normal Mayors, economic development and transportation leaders, and a state lawmaker for the community.

Bloomington native Candice Byrd shares her story as part of WGLT's Living Black in Bloomington-Normal series. Bloomington City Manager Tim Gleason…

District 87 Superintendent Barry Reilly explains the shift back to remote learning for the start of the fall semester. Bloomington City Manager Tim…

WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Tuesday, July 20, 2021.