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On today's episode, Bloomington City Manager Tim Gleason talks about the vaccination rate among city employees. Plus, a new installment of Sound Health focuses on sharing family medical histories during holiday gatherings. And hear the music of Tara Dente ahead of her local show on Saturday.

On today's episode, you'll hear an interview with Normal City Manager Pam Reece. Plus, a look at staff churn in McLean County law enforcement agencies. And what the Advent season has in common with drag.

WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know for Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. You'll hear about U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth's reaction to the final version of the defense spending bill that just passed. Plus, what the season of Advent and drag have in common.

WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know for Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. You'll hear about Rivian's plans for a $5 billion manufacturing plant in Georgia. You'll also hear about navigating grief around the holidays.

It's the fifth anniversary of Rivian in Bloomington Normal. From a vacant Mitsubishi plant headed for scrap Rivian has built a $3 billion modern auto plant making trucks, SUV's and cargo delivery vans for the future electric vehicle marketplace. Six years ago Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe came to town and saw something special, a forward looking community. Rivian and Bloomington Normal are helping each other and the company has raised and spent billions to get to the marketplace and embrace a future together.

The McLean County Nursing Home has lost $3.5 million in three years in spite of efforts to narrow the gap and has had three directors in that time. Yet, the new head of the nursing home is optimistic things can turn around. A prominent lawyer involved in high profile race and police cases is now part of the effort by the family of ISU graduate students Jelani Day to find out what happened to him. And the Economic Development Council thinks the BN Advantage marketing campaign needs a reboot. Hear how to choose which of the many faces of Bloomington Normal will emerge as THE brand.

The culture wars may never end, though the rolling boil right now might occasionally reduce to a simmer. A central Illinois historian says the takeaway is that the fights over masks and what is taught in schools hide real class divisions that are getting worse. McLean County is looking at endless COVID even as the winter numbers spike. The health department says Bloomington Normal should get used to testing and tracing long term. And the Mayor of Normal stops by to talk about pandemic relief money and the surge in COVID cases.

WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know for Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. You'll hear about how wage growth in McLean County versus the rest of the state. Plus, an interview with the new executive director of the Bloomington Election Commission.

The new director of the Bloomington Election Commission says those who want to combine the commission with the county clerk should do a study to prove cost savings and address the reasons the commission was created in the first place to remove partisanship from the process. The President of Eureka College says the pandemic has been a forcing mechanism for higher education change already under way. Bloomington Normal has had many distinguished writers and poets over the decades. Meet Harold Sinclair in the next episode of our series McHistory. And a new book from scholars at ISU looks at how school dress codes sexualize young girls.

WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know for Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021. You'll hear about why a civil rights attorney took on the Jelani Day case. Plus, ISU professors talk about their new book about how school practices can sexualize girls.