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Bloomington City Manager Tim Gleason says everything has a cost and the city has only so much borrowing power. Gleason says if the council chooses more underground infrastructure work after the flood it might delay other big projects. The start of school is coming up fast and districts are getting desperate for bus drivers. They say they'll beg, borrow, or steal drivers wherever they can. Some schools say this is the worst bus driver shortage they have ever seen. Plus circus route books shed light on discrimination in popular culture. Hear about a new digital exhibit at ISU's Milner Library. And new data comparing a decade of inmates at the McLean County adult and juvenile jails could help shape social service programs.

The McLean County Emergency Management Agency usually spends a lot of time preparing for disasters. But most of the last year and a half have been consumed by, well, emergencies. And they're shorthanded. A great tune and a little reinvention has kept this opera popular for nigh on 300 years. MIOpera begins its season in Bloomington Normal with the Barber of Seville. And, the band Good Morning Bedlam has close harmonies on stage and in the rest of their lives.

Some suggest Illinois use pandemic relief money to reduce a massive unemployment trust fund debt. Governor JB Pritzker says you can't do that. The Governor, though, is wrong. Other States are doing just that. Plus hear about the state budget deficit and the pension problem in an in-depth interview with Governor Pritzker. And weeks after torrential rains caused more than a thousand homes to flood in Bloomington Normal health officials warn the backed up sewage might still be an issue. The McLean County Health Department Environmental Health Director has more.

The $350 million Sapphire Sky wind farm will be built in southeastern McLean County. Its 64 wind turbines are expected to produce enough electricity to power about 80,000 homes annually, plus $79 million in property tax revenue for local taxing bodies over the life of the project.

A group of Bloomington high school students have launched an online journal in hopes of re-shaping the conversation around local politics to include more young people.

The McLean County Jail has revived a program that allows incarcerated people to connect with their children through reading.

The window of time for Illinois State University to mandate vaccines is rapidly closing.

Illinois Wesleyan University plans a study of campus culture to root out hazing. A student was badly bruised and cut on his forehead during a hazing incident last month. Sigma Chi will lose its house. Plus, baseball returns to central Illinois. Hear about the rationale behind a big health bill designed to address inequities for African Americans. Learn how central Illinois parents can weigh the pros and cons of sending kids to summer camp when the pandemic is not yet done.

Yoga is coming back. Acupuncture is up. Reiki is feeling the energy. Hear about non traditional health methods and the pandemic. Plus, it's a booming time for construction and trades unions working at Rivian. Some have been there for three years. But, it's not just the auto maker that's generating work. Tree limbs crack and fall. You might not want to handle the damage by yourself, but it's awfully expensive to have a service do it. Get advice from Sarah Nardi and Patrick Murphy on our gardening podcast GROW. And Arts correspondent Breanna Grow gives us a sneak peek at "Hot Shorts."