WGLT's Sound Ideas

The Illinois State football team came up one point short in the national championship game in Nashville two weeks ago, but athletics director Jeri Beggs says the university came out a winner in many ways.

Ridgeview’s Midday Madness event combined sports and student safety for two schools northeast of Bloomington-Normal. Ridgeview High School hosted Flanagan-Cornell for boys and girls basketball on Friday. Rather than play after school, the school in Colfax hosted its conference rival during the school day, giving middle and high school students from both schools a chance to learn an important lesson and have some fun.

Unit 5 is working to adjust as a student support program at Cedar Ridge and Fairview Elementary schools loses federal grant funding at the end of the month. Unit 5 has participated in the Community Schools program since 2012. The aim is to remove barriers to receiving a quality education — like food insecurity or lack of school supplies. It provides both in-school resources and after-school programming.

The Town of Normal is extending the temporary closure of a pedestrian-heavy stretch of School Street near Illinois State University as it gathers more data for potential permanent changes. School Street between College Avenue and Mulberry Street will stay closed until summer. Southbound traffic on School Street can only turn west; northbound can only turn east.

The four Republican Party candidates for governor of Illinois told a Central Illinois audience Thursday evening they favor property tax caps, pension reform, ending Illinois' status as a "sanctuary state," and rolling back the SAFE-T criminal justice reform act which ended cash bail.

Illinois will see more investment into renewable energy, based on a new bill Gov. JB Pritzker has signed into law. The Clean and Reliable Grid Act [CRGA] is intended to expand the state’s energy capacity in hopes of lowering energy prices. Opponents say it's unclear if the measure will do that.

Marty Lane grew up feeding people. “In the words of Tupac, 'I didn’t choose this life; it chose me,'” she said. Lane was born and raised in West Bloomington. Her grandfather ran a community garden behind Sunnyside Housing project, delivering food in pickle buckets gifted from Steak 'n Shake and hosting an annual Easter egg hunt. Lane and her family, with a pack of helpers, have stocked their West Bloomington garage with food and other supplies since 1999. It’s called WYSE, an acronym for Westside Youth are Something Extraordinary.

A provision tucked in the fine print of the so-called Big Beautiful Bill passed by Congress last summer cuts borrowing limits for graduate students, raising concerns among health care providers and educators amid ongoing worker shortages.

Bloomington Mayor Dan Brady said the downtown business community largely drove the city decision to scale back on First Friday promotional events. The city will now pick its spots to promote First Fridays, tied to happenings such as the Route 66 Festival, Tour du Chocolat, or holiday programs.

Staff and students at District 87 schools like Bloomington Junior High School [BJHS] are now on the same page about the use of Artificial Intelligence [AI] technology. Resulting from a District 87 task force on AI policy, BJHS students are allowed to use AI in the classroom. BJHS uses MagicSchool AI, a more heavily-regulated and limited alternative to AI staples like ChatGPT or Gemini.

It is the end of the beginning for Illinois State University’s new fine arts complex. Key stakeholders, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, gathered Tuesday for a ceremonial groundbreaking on a construction project making long-awaited facilities improvements to the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts.

Now that the holiday season has passed, January can feel like a letdown for many. Counselors say January is the most depressing month of the year. Carrie Company, a licensed counselor in Bloomington, said the winter blues are common this time of year as longer nights disrupt our circadian rhythms.

Illinois and the four other Democratic-led states that were subject to the Trump administration’s freeze on $10 billion in federal funding for child care and family services secured a restraining order on Friday in their lawsuit seeking to block the move, WGLT's Charlie Schlenker reports.

The Safe Schools for All Act is one of many new Illinois laws that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2026. Democratic State Sen. Karina Villa sponsored the legislation. IPR’s Peter Medlin talked with her about what the new law does.

For the first time at Normal Community High School [NCHS], students will have the chance to participate in presentations on technology, entertainment or design. It’s better known as a TEDTalk.

Scientists in the middle of the country told Harvest Public Media that 2025 was a year of major changes and uncertainty.

2026 is a year of change for the Community Players. The century-old amateur theater company is temporarily closing its doors this week for a long-anticipated renovation. The theater is getting new seats and a more accessible floor plan for audiences, but the players aren’t going to stop doing theater in the meantime. Waiting in the Wings, a new play by New York-based playwright Tony Manzo, opens next week at Illinois Art Station in Normal, the first of three satellite locations hosting Community Players this spring.

A group of 17 House Republicans joined with Democrats on Thursday, against the wishes of House Speaker Mike Johnson, to pass a measure to restore Affordable Care Act [ACA] subsidies that lapsed at the end of last year. U. S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, a Democrat from Moline, said he’s willing to consider some limits or cost controls that would help the plan pass in the Senate, where 60 votes are required for approval.

Americans woke up early Saturday to the news that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro had been captured and was on his way to a Brooklyn jail. The headline ignited a mixture of feelings for Venezuelans living in the United States, including those among a growing community in Central Illinois.

The fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection passed with little note this week, as events in Venezuela, the economy and even chatter about Greenland consumed public attention. It didn't go entirely unobserved. House Democrats held an unofficial hearing on the issue.

Specs Around Town will soon be under new ownership. Julie Kubsch is retiring and has sold the boutique eyewear store to Jenna Bixby-Nehl, who will take over Jan. 6.

The union representing firefighters in the town of Normal is continuing its campaign to keep the soon-to-close College Avenue fire station open even after a new station opens on the east side of town. The issue also surfaced again at this week's town council meeting. Town staff have called firefighter claims a false narrative. In this Sound Ideas interview with WGLT's Charlie Schlenker, Town Mayor Chris Koos talks about what more the town can do to address the union's request.

The City of Bloomington is asking residents and businesses to reduce their water use, as water levels at lakes Bloomington and Evergreen have dropped more than 8 feet below adequate levels. City officials say lower water levels are not expected to lead to the taste and odor problems that plagued the water supply early last year.

Illinois State’s magical season has come to an end. The Redbirds fell, 35-34, to Montana State on Monday in overtime at the FCS national championship at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville.

U.S. society has largely moved away from the idea that public structures should symbolize elements of civilization and aspiration. Resources and economy of spending often carry more weight now in shaping design. During the Great Depression though, the federal government tried to stimulate the economy by funding a variety of buildings and programs. Among them was the post office in the Town of Normal put up through the Works Progress Administration [WPA]. Inside that post office is another salute to the community, to human achievement, and to the importance of beauty in public spaces. It's an oil on canvas artwork.

Illinois will usher in over 400 new laws effective on the first day of 2026. Illinois Legal Aid Online [ILAO] believes residents should be aware of the laws concerning health, employment, education, law enforcement, and more.

The head of the Illinois Department of Agriculture is urging farmers to speak out more on immigration issues. Jerry Costello tells WGLT's Charlie Schlenker that farmers are already telling him one-on-one the Trump administration immigration policies hurt them and they should be more public about it ... and the impact of trade war tariffs as well.

Daniel Sobkowicz rates fishing as “probably my favorite hobby … I mean, other than football.” Often the fish are biting, but occasionally, he said, “You don’t catch anything.” That’s where fishing and football differ for Sobkowicz. On the field, he catches everything. His consistent brilliance has played a huge role in Illinois State’s run to Monday night’s FCS National Championship game in Nashville.

WGLT's Joe Deacon and Braden Fogerson join host Jon Norton for a preview of the FCS championship game between ISU football and Montana State.

Illinois State football’s second national championship appearance is a chance to reflect on Brock Spack’s head coaching tenure for those who were there from the beginning. WGLT's Braden Fogerson reports.

Dan Hubbard didn’t set out to write a concept album. But as he compiled the six songs that became his first studio release since 2019, Hubbard said the thread of Letting Go felt obvious.

On his final day in Washington for 2025, U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen is taking a victory lap after what he describes as a difficult, but productive year at the Capitol — and at home.

As a senior at Normal Community High School, Tye Niekamp’s goal was “finding someone who was going to coach me hard” on the college level. He didn’t have to look far. The man for the job lived in the same house. Travis Niekamp is Illinois State’s defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. As a parent, he is “extremely proud” of sons Tye, the Redbirds’ All-American junior middle linebacker, and Dexter, a redshirt freshman linebacker.

A pair of ISU football players have added pressure with their dad as their coach, U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen reviews the highs and lows of his year in Washington, a McLean County court program loses federal funding and seeks sales tax money to help, and a Bloomington singer-songwriter "let go" to write the best music of his career.

Many families have their own go-to favorite holiday traditions -- the movie they all watch together, the cookies they bake every year, the grab-bag gift exchange. WGLT recently spent the day at Normal Community High School for an arts, communication and creative careers fair. While there, we asked some Unit 5 high schoolers about their favorite family holiday tradition. Here's what they had to say. WGLT student editor Kirk Whitsitt produced this audio postcard.

2025 was a good year for the town, according to the city manager for the Town of Normal. City Manager Pam Reece said town achievements include a range of infrastructure projects, opening a refurbished skate park at Fairview Park, and advancing the town public arts plan.

There are big warning signs in agriculture right now. And many experts are warning an aid package announced by the Trump administration is not likely to go very far or come soon enough.

In an effort to improve the city’s property values and reduce neighborhood blight, the City of Bloomington is moving to a proactive approach to property maintenance enforcement. It shifts away from the prior policy where city inspectors operated off complaints from residents.

Bloomington plans to take a more pro-active approach to property maintenance, but there's concern it could lead to nit-picking. The Town of Normal outlines its accomplishments for the year. Plus, anxiety and instability remain high in the ag sector, and a $12 billion bailout may not help much.

A Bloomington-Normal historian says bicycles were once a top export from the state of Illinois with manufacturing centers in the state, including Peoria and Chicago, making two-thirds of all bicycles sold in the country in 1898.

Gov. JB Pritzker failed in his recent attempt to set price rate controls on the insurance industry. Illinois is the only state that does not regulate insurance rates. This came after the governor attacked State Farm over its homeowner policy increases. In part two of our conversation with Country Financial, executive vice president Rob McDade tells WGLT's Eric Stock, the current system is best for consumers. 

On today's episode, Country Financial discusses proposed insurance regulations in Illinois plus Illinois Wesleyan University librarian Chris Sweet discusses his new book on the history of bicycling.

McLean County Board Chair Elizabeth Johnston said there's significant movement on mental health program spending in the county. That comes from sales tax money shared with the county by Bloomington and Normal for behavioral health.

Country Financial is one of Bloomington-Normal's largest and longest-operating businesses. What you may not know is Country Financial did not start in Bloomington.In fact, the move to Bloomington came well into the industry's first 100 years of operation. Executive vice president Rob McDade noted Country Financial, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, started out providing fire insurance coverage for Illinois farmers who did not feel represented by the insurance companies in the big cities and grew from there.

New Illinois Farm Bureau President Philip Nelson said one reason he unseated previous organization head Brian Duncan was a legal dispute with the American Farm Bureau Federation [AFBF].

On today's episode, the new leader of the Illinois Farm Bureau makes advocacy a priority after a shakeup at the top, Bloomington's Country Financial celebrates a century of business, and McLean County expands mental health training.

Winter weather complicates an already scarce parking situation in downtown Bloomington. The Market Street parking deck has closed. And the Front and Center block has yet to finish demolition and become surface parking. That’s likely to become available sometime next spring.

At a special meeting of Illinois State University’s Board of Trustees on Friday, two major infrastructure projects were given the green light to move forward, with funding approved to reboot plans for additional campus housing, and to build a new solar array providing renewable energy for the university.

On today's episode, ISU looks to address its own housing shortage, Bloomington explores a trolley and other ways to help alleviate short-term parking concerns downtown and ISU legend Doug Collins humbly accepts another on-campus naming for he and his wife.

Illinois State University basketball legend Doug Collins will now be forever linked to a part of campus that helped transform him into an All-American and – ultimately — a Basketball Hall of Famer.