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On this week's episode of WGLT's Center Stage, it's all about the magic with music from Pippin, Xanadu, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!

Wilson, a 6-foot-4 center for the Las Vegas Aces, has dominated this year. In her eighth season, she finished in the top five in points, rebounds, blocks and steals.

Just because people CAN go out for arts events after they are vaccinated might not mean they WILL. The notion of accessibility is shifting for arts patrons who worry about breakthrough infections or a need for boosters. Plus, retiring ISU President Larry Dietz joins us for a goodbye interview. Metronet has closed the digital divide in Bloomington Normal a bit and built out its urban infrastructure. Bedroom communities are next. The Mayor of Normal says the long discussed underpass project in Uptown will likely finally appear in next year's town budget.

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.

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.

An escaped slave with a central Illinois connection grabbed the colors from a falling comrade and charged the cannons in a Civil War battle. Hear how Andy Jackson Smith won the Medal of Honor more than a century after his bravery. Sen. Dick Durbin comes to Normal to push for electric vehicle infrastructure as part of the Democratic party effort to build support for the Biden jobs and infrastructure bill. And the Illinois House Speaker and Republican leader talk about the state budget.

This story was originally published in 2019 and is being recirculated now following Steve Albini's death at age 61.One of America's top music engineers…

Evangelical church leaders say they can only go so far in promoting vaccines to their members. White evangelicals rank first among groups rejecting the vaccine. Plus, Normal City Manager Pam Reece reflects on how the town council addressed unfounded ethics allegations against her levied by one council member. The Human services sector in Bloomington Normal may be understaffed, underpaid, and under-appreciated, but its still a huge part of the twin cities economy. State Senator Dave Koehler talks about being the first Democrat to represent Bloomington Normal in the General Assembly in four decades.

Teens in Bloomington Normal have a fairly low vaccination rate. And there are reasons for that: a need for parental consent, transportation gaps, scheduling around a summer job or a parent's job, and so on. A Bloomington nonprofit hopes to chip away at low vaccination rates among young people. Plus, Pridefest in Bloomington-Normal this weekend continues a long tradition. Hear why it takes on a special significant this year. ISU students have mixed opinions about a potential vaccine mandate to be on campus in the fall term. Finally, some in law enforcement wonder if perceptions about police have turned people away from a career behind the badge.