GLT's Sound Ideas

The Green Screen Film Series continues at the Normal Theater on Tuesday with "The Human Scale," a documentary about how developing mega-cities change human behavior.

There's rain ahead in the forecast, but weeks of drought increase fire risk for communities preparing their July 4 fireworks displays. WGLT talked to officials from the Town of Normal Parks and Recreation and Fire Departments to get the skinny on how they mitigate risk.

A student foreign exchange program for Bloomington-Normal has returned after a delay that began with the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers hope the program can grow to where it was decades ago.

It took more than a week longer than expected, but Illinois lawmakers wrapped up their spring legislative session early Saturday with a budget and hundreds of measures that passed. The spending plan and bills now go to Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

2023 McLean County History Makers Willie and Charles Halbert were selected for their social justice activism and tireless advocacy for equity and inclusion.

A Bloomington City Council discussion about whether to apply prevailing wage rules to a private development if there are government incentives at stake is spreading beyond the apartment project in question. That's according to deputy city manager Billy Tyus who said in a WGLT interview the ongoing dialogue is not just about wages.

Fathers in McLean County are often underrepresented or marginalized within organizations and programs that serve children and families, according to the results of a new survey.

A social service agency with roots in Bloomington-Normal for more than a century has changed its name: Children's Home & Aid now is Brightpoin, which kicked off its rebranding campaign this week. Two of its leaders talked with WGLT about the changes.

WGLT's Lauren Warnecke stopped by the Corn Crib earlier this week as final preparations were being made for opening day, including Corny's Big Summer Blowout on Saturday night. A few staff members took a brief break in the shade to talk about what goes into creating great game day experiences.

Illinois State University has won a Department of Defense-sponsored rocket competition for the second straight time. The U of I Laboratory for Advanced Space Systems hosted the competition in Rantoul.

District 87 superintendent David Mouser said he supports an incentive plan to build a high-end housing complex in Bloomington, despite the potential loss of future tax revenue.

More women go to Illinois State University than men — a lot more. The same is true of Bradley University and Heartland Community College. It's part of a nationwide trend that began in the 1980s and has grown since then.

Catholic dioceses in Illinois failed to disclose hundreds of abusive clerics before the state opened what would become a yearslong investigation into sex abuse within the church, Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Tuesday.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Supreme Court justices can't argue that separation of powers shields them from ethics laws.

The McLean County Museum of History and Not In Our Town partnered to create an interactive website based on their long-running Social Justice Walking Tour. The D-I-Y tour includes locations pivotal to various social movements related to gender and racial equality, immigrant rights and organized labor.

Robbie Osenga, the developer of a proposed $18.5 million housing project near downtown Bloomington, said he remains hopeful despite Monday’s city council decision delaying approval.

Attorney and Lincoln historian Guy Fraker settled in Bloomington in 1962. He's been a key figure in documenting and promoting Lincoln's legal career in central Illinois, and fell into an avocation in land conservation by accident. Fraker is profiled as part of WGLT's series on the 2023 McLean County History Makers.

Peg Shea of Bloomington says she's recovering well after being one of the first in the area to receive a new treatment for stroke patients.

In two weeks, State Farm’s auto insurance customers in Illinois will see their rates go up again – for the fourth time in less than a year. Together they’ve raised the average cost about $200.

McLean County officials are studying the results of what they call an eye-opening survey on rural residents' level of satisfaction with their internet service.