WGLT's Sound Ideas

As the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a Lincoln scholar from Bloomington-Normal is saying Abraham Lincoln relied on the Declaration all his life. Guy Fraker has written two books about Lincoln.

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival [ISF] kicked off its 2026 run on June 24 with a preview of William Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona, where a furry friend made her theatrical debut. The festival held at Ewing Cultural Center in Bloomington will run through July 11, and headlining are two Shakespeare plays — The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Romeo and Juliet — and an American classic, Our Town.

A campaign to support art therapy on the other side of the globe returns to Bloomington this weekend. The 17th annual Music and Munch Benefit Concert at Casper Brewing Company is this Saturday afternoon at 2. In this Sound Ideas Interview, co-organizer Cathy Hyland Moon tells WGLT student reporter Zachary Knox-Doyle the event raises money to support a Therapeutic Arts Program in East Africa.

A longtime presence at the Bloomington Police Department said while Flock-branded license plate readers are a relatively new addition, the technology has been in use for decades — and for the last 14 years at BPD. Crime data analyst Jack McQueen gave a presentation Wednesday to the city's Public Safety and Community Relations Board [PSCRB], Bloomington's civilian-led body for police transparency and communication.

The Peoria Riverfront Museum will represent Illinois with a pavilion on the National Mall as part of the upcoming Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., celebrating the 250th anniversary of American independence.

In mid-January, Bloomington-Normal's first shelter village of about 50 tiny, mostly single-room living quarters opened its doors. The Bridge has largely been at capacity ever since. It made a big dent in the community's homeless population. One week later, volunteers canvassed McLean County to track the homeless population. It's called the Point-In-Time [PIT] count, an annual, national effort to see who is unhoused and try to connect them with services. The count is one of several factors that determines federal funding for homeless services.

Dr. Taylor Wells became the Twin Cities' only dermatologist with training and published research on dermatology pertaining to people of color in May, after joining Core Dermatology in Normal. Across Central Illinois as a whole, Wells said there are very few dermatologists that specialize in that department, making Wells increasingly important in a community where roughly one in 10 residents is Black.

McLean County has unveiled two new public art pieces — but the pair of original murals are located where most in Bloomington-Normal will never go. The McLean County Juvenile Detention Center [MCJDC] commissioned Champaign artist Leslie Kimble to paint the two murals in the common areas of the facility. The project was made possible by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

The national average time to be seen by an emergency room doctor was two hours and 42 minutes. The longest in Illinois was over five hours. Hopedale Medical Center had an average wait time of only 50 minutes. WCBU's Tim Rosenberger reports.

The Town of Normal is the first municipality in the region to approve regulations on industrial scale Battery Energy Storage Systems [BESS]. City Manager Pam Reece said in a Sound Ideas interview the town didn't try to be first, but the issue was brought to its attention and it wanted to be proactive before problems cropped up.

Harrison Meece of Normal would like to one day help bring a data center to McLean County — but only on the people’s terms. The owner of Harrison Meece Consulting, LLC, has experience in helping to develop several hyperscale data centers across the country. He previously helped with creation of a small data center at Rivian in Normal and is currently working to bring a 500-megawatt facility online in Denton, Texas, near Dallas.

The Barack Obama Presidential Center is opening on Friday to the public, while some people who worked closely with President Barack Obama have already been able to tour of the library and museum.

Illinois Wesleyan University's retiring maintenance man is remembered for his work ethic and personable attitude. Randy Crow wore many hats in his time at IWU. He was custodian, grounds crew member, audio technician, painter and locksmith in his 45 years at the university. Hailing from Normal, he was never more than a few blocks away from any emergency maintenance needs.

Rising gas prices caused by the U.S. war with Iran have caused a significant bump in the national inflation rate. A number of stopgap policy proposals have come up to ease the pain at the pump. It’s questionable whether those ideas really matter.

A new art exhibition opening at the McLean County Arts Center this week commemorates the United States' 250th birthday by reflecting on history and memory, who is American — and who gets to decide.

Buying in bulk has saved countywide governments and school districts money as gas prices rose across the country.

Few industries touch every aspect of the economy more than trucking. “Everything you are looking at right now, essentially, was on a truck at some point,” said Bill Wettstein, president of Nussbaum Transportation Services in rural Hudson, north of Normal. Nussbaum is one of the biggest transportation companies in Illinois. Its big semis are all over the country. They travel about 1 million miles per week, mostly delivering supplies to manufacturers. Rivian and Caterpillar are among Nussbaum's biggest clients. Trucking, flying and farming are among the many industries all trying to ride out the current gas price spikes as its impacts ripple throughout the economy.

Democratic state Rep. Sharon Chung is taking a victory lap after several wins in Springfield. Chung, who represents part of Bloomington-Normal and lives in Bloomington, championed a bill passed during the spring legislative session that aims to protect public media organizations based at public universities from meddling in news coverage by their home universities.

Mika Crumekort and their spouse are missing out on a lot of life because of high gas prices. WGLT interviewed a dozen Central Illinois residents about how gas prices are impacting their lives – from young people like Mika to longtime food-delivery drivers and commuters.

District 87’s summer school program was reduced in size and duration this year. Staff said it makes the program more “intentional” for students who need help the most.

McLean County has called him by many names: Coach Mac, Principal McIntyre and Mr. Board Chair, just to name a few. Regardless of how they might have addressed him, anyone who has known John McIntyre has also known a dedicated public servant. The Central Illinois native was recognized last April as a History Maker by the McLean County Museum of History.

WGLT asked McLean County residents how high gas prices are impacting their lives. Featured speakers in this audio postcard were Sue Spivey, Barb Symanski, Jaquese Price, Jacki Martin, Mike Grosso and Sally Whaley. Produced by Eric Stock and student reporter Zach Knox-Doyle.

A Bloomington-Normal native who's one of the leading bankers in town says he wants the community to think big -- to ponder what we can do to support transformational projects. J. Phillips is two weeks into his new role as Bloomington-Normal market president and chief banking officer at Morton Community Bank. Locally, they operate as Clock Tower Community Bank. In this interview with WGLT's Ryan Denham, the former Commerce Bank chief for Bloomington-Normal shares his banker's eye view of the local economy.

Republican state Sen. Sally Turner is reflecting on the end of the spring session with the culmination of another passage of the budget late into the night. Republicans criticized the speed with which the budget was passed. The budget bill that passed was filed 48 hours before the deadline, but Democrats said there were drafts of the budget before the final bill was filed.

The mayor of Bloomington said the summer is marking progress on more than $315 million in public and private investment projects.

Development of large-scale data centers is booming across the Midwest and South. As some communities push back, local and state governments are trying to catch up on how to regulate the new development. Harvest Public Media reports.

Forty-five years after a series of unexplained events in an English forest, Bloomington native John Burroughs said he's still searching for answers. Burroughs was one of several U.S. Air Force personnel involved in the Rendlesham Forest incident, a series of encounters near the Royal Air Force [RAF] bases at Woodbridge and Bentwaters in eastern England during December 1980.

When the World Cup soccer tournament begins Thursday, a Central Illinois congressman will see nine years of work begin to pay off.

Harrison Meece is the owner and operator of Harrison Meece Consulting, LLC. He represents data centers to work on their agreements with municipalities.

Democratic state Sen. Dave Koehler reflected on the end of this year's legislative session with bills failing to pass and several others squeaked through in the final hours of before the end of the spring session.

The Olympia middle and high school campus in Stanford is undergoing construction for a 30,000-square-foot addition. A new athletics space, three agriculture classrooms and a new home for the unit office are included in the project that is slated to be completed before the 2027-28 school year begins.

The Baby Fold’s vice president of clinical operations has released a new book and app to help families better understand and respond to the needs of neurodivergent children.

An inaugural plane pull event raised thousands of dollars for Special Olympics Illinois Saturday. The plane pull fundraiser at CIRA [Central Illinois Regional Airport] consisted of teams of 20 pulling a 47-ton plane a dozen feet in as short a time as possible. Teams had to raise at least $1,000 to enter, with the teams that raised the most money also being awarded.

Behind Feli Sebastian’s accomplishments is a story of guidance – both her calling to guide others and her own journey in faith and family. Sebastian has written books, founded a recovery program and her own counseling practice, and served as an advocate for women.

Summit of Hope, a community-driven exposition and resource fair, held its 152nd state gathering Tuesday at the Interstate Center in Bloomington.

Billions of dollars in wind farm projects all over Illinois are on hold, including two projects in McLean County, two in Peoria County, and one in Tazewell County.

At Sprague’s Super Service—a vintage gas pump and gift shop serving as Normal’s primary Route 66 stop among travelers—Saturday marks the coming out party for a new mural that fits right in with the theme.

The 100th birthday of Route 66 is not lost on businesses and attractions who depend on it. In Lexington, Towanda, Atlanta and Normal, proprietors acknowledge the importance of the nostalgia-driven love for the Mother Road is not just a moment in its history, but a movement they are a part of.

The Sam’s Club in Normal is getting ready to rock. The bulk grocery warehouse is hosting a “Fundstival” in support of the Children’s Miracle Network this weekend. The event is being put on by the Starving Artists Initiative and HomeGrown, IL, two Illinois organizations that work to connect Midwestern performers whilst supporting a variety of causes.

A state lawmaker sponsored a bill to require farmers spraying pesticides near a school or park to send an email 72 hours in advance notifying when they would be applying the pesticides. WGLT's Evan Holden reports.

Normal Mayor Chris Koos said he’s pleased the firefighters’ union is willing to have conversations about the fire service, and the future of the department outside of collective bargaining with the town.

Al Oltmanns is primed to take over at Heartland Theatre Company, replacing artistic director Rhys Lovell after more than a decade in the position and 37 years at the organization.

Many State Farm agents said they feel angry and betrayed by the Bloomington-based company. Agents in two Western states, two Southern states and two on the East Coast reached out to WGLT after learning about changes State Farm will make to their contracts effective in 2028.

Illinois lawmakers have passed legislation to regulate e-bikes to keep them from operating on sidewalks and to have statewide regulations for police to enforce. The bill passed with mostly bipartisan support in the final hours of the spring legislative session. It now goes to the governor's desk for his signature.

Face painting, bounce houses, free books and an ice cream truck aren’t the typical group of activities associated with mental health outreach. That was exactly the goal of McLean County’s first-ever Mental Health Field Day.

Retired ISU softball coach Melinda Fischer is one of this year's McLean County History Makers. She talked to WGLT about the "extraordinary people that have really made my journey so exciting and so valuable," and how she's spending her time since retiring.

U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen doesn't want to block data centers from coming to Illinois. He also doesn't want them arriving without conditions and he's worried some data center developers will try to cut corners to get there.

The electricity rate that Bloomington, Normal and other municipalities have negotiated for the coming year is NOT the best deal for consumers, according to an advocate who has run the numbers. That's unusual. In this Sound Ideas interview with WGLT's Charlie Schlenker, Bloomington City Manager Jeff Jurgens says it's not yet clear why the municipal aggregated rate is higher than the summer rate for Ameren this particular year.

A new pop-up called Wheelz is bringing roller skating back to Bloomington-Normal for the first time since Skate N Place closed in 2023.

As the City of Bloomington considers how to get more water so it can grow over the next century, planners could look to the city of Joliet for an example.