SI Full Podcast

It's a show full of heroes, fictional and real. An art installation offers a wish for peace as it honors Americans who have fallen in combat. Army Veteran Bob Carney and other tell Laura Kennedy about the healing cranes of Heartland Community College. Eric Stock talks to Veterans about how they reintegrate into civilian society and the reception they get nowadays. The Illinois Symphony Orchestra plans a concert full of Super-heroes with a salute to veterans. And Darnysha Mitchell tells about heroes of a different sort; those with autism and those who teach them.

Another pedestrian fatality on Veterans Parkway raises safety concerns. Ryan Denham reports. Plus, the Town of Normal is getting ready to revamp its bicycle and pedestrian plan and the public has shown a lot of interest in trail crossings over the years. Town Engineer Ryan Otto and planner Mercy Davison when their way through a bike plan interview with Mary Cullen. A public radio investigation into Commonwealth Edison showed the utility paid a lobbyist more than $3 million bucks... a lobbyist connected to Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan.

When a Bloomington resident began an abolitionist society before the civil war it did not sit well with community leaders. Susan Hartzold is the curator of a new exhibit at the McLean County Museum of History on times of conflict. She talks with WGLT. Plus, Children's Home and Aid beefs up its Adopt a Family program for the holiday season. Mary Cullen reports on heroes of habitat for humanity, And its a noteworthy anniversary for world famous explorer John Wesley Powell with a Bloomington Normal Connection. The ISU Horticulture center observes it.

Hear the principal songwriter for the Bloomington-Normal pop-rock quintet SHERWOOD FOREST tell a tale of a medieval soldier who dies in war. Clifford Close digs into Sherwood Forest's struggles. Plus, Laura Kennedy takes us inside a new art exhibit that involves music influenced by war. Our gardening podcast Grow lets us know we're not quite done with gardening for the winter...sometimes you garden NOW for the spring. And Correspondent Breanna Grow interviews a TedX Normal speaker about the case for putting out.

Normal Mayor Chris Koos talks about property taxes and the status of the Trail East project. WGLT's Ryan Denham reports on the growth of dual credit classes in McLean County. And Mary Cullen has another episode of McHistory, about one of the area's first female news reporters.

The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal will be just fine in today's changing media landscape. But no one is talking about the small towns. Emmy winning journalist Soledad O Brien talks with Eric Stock. Plus Normal Town Council member Karyn Smith takes exception to the conventional wisdom on calculating public benefit and outside investment in Uptown Normal. And WGLT Correspondent Breanna Grow tackles artificial intelligence and its potential to transform the future.

Every time our nation goes into a period of torturing opponents, it seems like an extraordinary need. Historian Fitzhugh Brundage talks with Charlie Schlenker about the American tradition of torture. Plus, community college enrollment fell again this year. Ryan Denham talks with the director of the Illinois Community College Board. And Laura Kennedy brings us a story of hedonism, apathy, and totalitarianism that still has legs, Cabaret.

WGLT's Eric Stock visits the new VA outpatient clinic that opens in November in Bloomington. You'll hear from a scientist on the front lines of pushing more representation in the STEM fields. And two writers from Normal are in studio to promote this weekend's Local Author Fair at the Bloomington Public Library.

A lot of people think affordable housing will attract riffraff. Not so much. Larry Pusateri of the Lightengale Group, says $ 50 thousand annual household income could be, well, YOU. WGLT gives you a five part series on affordable housing scarcity, helping felons get housing, housing vouchers, and re-housing. It's a full newsroom effort. Plus, Jon Norton brings us a new live recorded album from Hot Sauce Universe.

Music didn't always sound the same as it does today. The ways musicians tuned the notes were different. And it's getting that way again. Author Kyle Gann tells us about the Arithmetic of Music. Plus, Ryan Denham talks cannabis and other issues with Bloomington City council member Julie Emig. And we dive into a new policy treatise on funding municipal government, 'The People's Money.'

Some educators say points based grading might be pointless, that it encourages only enough effort to get the grade. Illinois State University Professor Jay Percell tells WGLT Correspondent Breanna Grow all about his TedX talk. Plus, Plus Ryan Denham reports the next generation of educators -- still in high school themselves -- shrug off talk of a teacher shortage during a conference at ISU. A new restaurant opens today in Bloomington Normal. We talk with the owner. And the Illinois politics roundtable tackles a doom and gloom budget report.

Hear about romance among the thorns of a long simmering feud...It's not the usual courtship of a romantic comedy. Director Don Lacasse tells WGLT's Laura Kennedy all about the new Heartland Theater Company play, 'Outside Mullingar.' Plus, Eric Stock reports on how the company that bought the State Farm building in downtown Bloomington has performed in other communities like Desmoines and Rockford. The once feared childhood virus polio is all but eradicated around the globe. Two central Illinois Rotary members talk about getting so close to that decades long goal.

An ISU researcher looks at how corporate climate change disclosures have changed in the Trump administration. WGLT's McHistory goes back in time with Bloomington's first undertake. And Jon Norton talks to Miles Nielsen ahead of a weekend show in Bloomington.

The case of a nine year old boy from Goodfield charged with murder is a tragic and riveting one. Elizabeth Clarke of the Juvenile Justice Initiative based in Evanston says the case is all the more tragic because of the unusual charge. Plus, the upside and downside of hardscape in gardening with WGLT's podcast Grow. An embarrassing OOPS from the Next to Normal Story Slam folks. Eric Stock reports on road repair projects in Bloomington Normal included in the state Capital plan. And stem cell therapy is not just for humans. There is a study in Bloomington for dogs with arthritis.

State Representative Keith Sommer of Morton says conditions at the state's child welfare agency are slowly improving. Representative Sommer tells WGLT's Ryan Denham that's a great start. Plus, voting trends at ISU are up. Mary Cullen reports on what that means for next year. There's a biography out on the late IWU President Minor Myers Junior. We have a talk with the author. And the mayor of Normal joins us to talk about marijuana and the Blackstone Trails subdivision.

The head of the Bloomington Normal Water Reclamation District tells why they have to spend a lot of money to remove phosphorus from waste water. Randy Stein says the price tag might be $160 million. Plus, Eric Stock talks with a Bloomington architect just named architect of the state capitol about historic preservation of a massive edifice that is also a working building. Noted Journalist Soledad O'Brien comes to Bloomington Normal and we have an interview. Allen Chambers makes the twin cities better...by making it a more delicious place.

An ISU historian finds parallels between how Native American children were treated 100 years ago and our current immigration crisis. Kyle Ciani talks to WGLT's Mary Cullen about her new book, "Choosing to Care." Plus, tenant rights advocates are lobbying to lift the long running ban on rent control policies in the state. NPR Journalist Korva Coleman talks about improving diversity in the voices of those who shape the news. Laura Kennedy shows us a new production of Twelfth Night. And Illinois Symphony Orchestra Music Director Ken Lam muses about Elgar and Wagner.

WGLT's Ryan Denham explores the fascinating history of why Bloomington-Normal still has two school districts. The Bloomington and Normal Water Reclamation District celebrates its 100th anniversary. And Terri Ryburn previews this weekend's Route 66 conference in Normal.

Bloomington Police Chief Dan Donath tells WGLT's Eric Stock what he wants to do about a lack of office diversity. One African American, four Latinos, and five women out of 125 officers. Donath says that should change. Plus, Route 66 is a cultural icon for white middle class Americans...emphasis on white. But there's a tragic side to the historic highway. The head of the Federal Election Commission says Republican Congressman Rodney Davis won't succeed in shutting her up. A long lost civil war memorial in Peoria rises again. Tim Shelly has the story.

Rivian is not the only Bloomington Normal manufacturing plant adding jobs. Hear from Bridgestone plant manager Monte Gruetman about the progress of a 12 million dollar plant upgrade in Normal. Plus, Eric Stock reports on a dispute between the McLean County Auditor and the McLean County Treasurer. Everyone has pressed flowers as a child. But, there's a scientific benefit to doing so as well. Hear from Dwayne Estes, an expert on bio-diversity and herbariums. And Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner stops by.

With all the problems with busing, could Unit 5 bring transportation back in-house, instead of using a vendor. Hear from School Board President Barry Hitchins about life MAYBE after First Student. Plus, a recap from Rivian's big event in Uptown Normal and how they plan to find all those workers. An update on getting the Rivian plant ready for production. The Illinois State University speech and hearing clinic has a program of vocal health for trans people who want to find their appropriately gendered voice.

WGLT's three-part series on court fines and fees concludes with a look at national leaders in the field. Ryan Denham speaks with a second Democrat, Stefanie Smith, who's running in the 13th Congressional District. And Tiffani Jackson discusses diversity in healthcare with a local leader of the Black Nurses Association.

WGLT's series on court fines and fees continues, with an explanation about what's not working with a new state law. Plus, Jon Norton talks to Good Morning Bedlam ahead of their show at Nightshop. And WGLT's Grow talks about nut season. Yes, nut season.

WGLT's series on court fines and fees (and the financial burden they place on low-income defendants) begins. Plus, a report on an 8-year-old girl who fell through the cracks at DCFS. And Normal Mayor Chris Koos talks about Rivian's recruitment event and cannabis legalization in town.

Democratic Candidate for State Representative Chemberly Cummings says she wants to keep people from leaving Illinois. Cummings tells Ryan Denham she hopes to boost education too if voters pick her. Plus, Eric Stock reports on medical assistance in dying. Mary Cullen delves into the whys and the costs of new electric buses Connect Transit is buying.

WGLT's Eric Stock reports from the inaugural Daring Diversity conference in Normal. A new episode of McHistory tells the story of orphaned black children in McLean County. And Laura Kennedy reviews a new exhibition featuring abstract work from local female artists.

Child care is getting more affordable thanks to changing income guidelines for state help. Early Childhood expert Miranda Lynn of ISU has more in Ryan Denham's report. Plus, Eric Stock reports on a growing concern over the effect of travel sports on kids and their families Patrick Murphy and Mike McCurdy look at an effort to re-create a small patch of savannah in Bloomington Normal. Tim Shelley takes us to the place that perhaps most values the famed sculptor Lorado Taft.

Hear about the costs of going green. Ed Neaves of the Bloomington Normal Association of Realtors says the energy code is part of the reason new construction just isn't happening in the twin cities. Plus, Laura Kennedy reports on MandoLincoln and the Orpheus Mandolin Orchestra. We have an audio postcard about a veteran Broadway actor test driving his new musical in Bloomington Normal. And a talk with a scholar about how tying cultural identity to sports can create and hide political problems, in this case in Puerto Rico.

Hear how vaping affects the body. In many devices a carrier is formaldehyde. Advocate BroMenn Pulmonologist John Burr tells Eric Stock flavored vaping juice carries additional risks. Bloomington Schools Superintendent Barry Reilly also weighs in on vaping and on the sport of Lacrosse. Republican Congressman Rodney Davis talks Trump and Turmoil with Ryan Denham. We remember the late central Illinois Congressman Paul Findley. And the New CEO of the Bloomington Normal Economic Development Council makes his first impression to elected officials in a joint councils and county board meeting.

It's never too early to talk about what you want to have happen as you die. Barbara Coombs Lee of the group Compassion and Choices talks with Eric Stock about Death With Dignity. Plus, the Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development celebrates a quarter century of service. We conclude our week long series on the higher education Enrollment Exodus in Illinois. And Laura Kennedy looks back on the life's work of artist Richard Finch.