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WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021.

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.

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.

WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, June 16, 2021. You'll hear about those private discussions about the Metro Zone. Plus, Heartland Community College looks to grow its agriculture education programs.

WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, May 26, 2021. You'll hear about the City of Bloomington's decision on a pending Open Meetings Act case.

A survey of attitudes toward police in the city of Bloomington came back with a lot of skewed data, but the comments were worth reading. Not In Our Town Co-Chair Mike Matejka unpacks the useful parts of the survey. Plus, County Administrator Camille Rodriguez shares perspectives on her time in McLean County as she prepares to leave for Colorado. Governor JB Pritzker talks about energy policy and compromise. Everyone gets a little something in a proposed energy bill; environmentalists, nuclear utilities and even coal burning plants. And hear from a Bluegrass Band doing more than the old Bill Monroe stuff in central Illinois.

WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Monday, June 7, 2021.

WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Monday, June 14, 2021.

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.

The pace of vaccinations has slowed dramatically in McLean County and the health department may soon end mass clinics. It's still a long road from the current 40 percent inoculation rate in McLean County to herd immunity at 70 or 80 percent. Plus, it's garlic season in central Illinois. Learn about the ancient nutritious, even antiseptic herb and how to save your taste buds and tummy from the smelly thing. The identities of creative people can never truly be separated from the things they create, but Black artists often find themselves pigeonholed by White curators. Go behind a Bloomington Normal exhibition highlighting Black freedom of creative expression.