WGLT's Sound Ideas

Some striking dining and grounds workers at Illinois State University said they are struggling to make ends meet amid their third week with no paychecks. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The AFSCME Local 1110 strike at Illinois State University [ISU] is approaching its third week with no apparent end in sight. AFSCME Local 1110 is the union representing about 350 striking building, dining and grounds employees at ISU. They have been on strike since April 8. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Illinois is building a quantum workforce to develop the state as a global destination for emerging technology, with Bloomington-Normal among the locations chosen to promote the new initiative. The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park [IQMP], a quantum business park backed by the state about two years ago, is starting a new campaign called “Quantum Across Illinois.” It includes a series of visits to Illinois universities to recruit new college graduates to careers in the field. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The superintendent of District 87 schools said a new policy banning cell phones in classrooms has had a positive impact at Bloomington High School. Superintendent David Mouser gave updates on the policy and a number of other important topics during an interview on WGLT’s Sound Ideas. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Loyola University researchers studying the Pretrial Fairness Act [PFA] say McLean County detains defendants awaiting trial at higher rates than most Illinois counties. In a presentation this week to McLean County's Criminal Justice Coordinating Council [CJCC], Loyola researcher David Olson presented preliminary findings about the PFA’s impact on the state’s criminal justice system. The law took effect in 2023, making Illinois the first state to eliminate cash bail. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Illinois State University Vice President of Finance and Planning Glen Nelson discusses negotiations with AFSCME amid the strike which began on April 8. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Community Health Care Clinic in Normal has seen a big increase in need over the last nine months. Director Holly Wayland-Hall said in a Sound Ideas interview that overarching demand for service has risen about 75% through the first three quarters of this fiscal year. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After more than three years on the legislative backburner, the Illinois House on Wednesday approved a major economic development bill that would clear the path for the Chicago Bears to build a new domed stadium in Arlington Heights. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Meet the Newsroom series pulls back the curtain to introduce you to the team that makes WGLT possible. The series continues with WGLT’s Cindy Alcazar, who has covered all kinds of stories for WGLT as a part-time reporter (aka correspondent). Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Town of Normal has collected more storm debris in less than a week than all the waste it hauled away in March. The town previously said it collected about 3,900 cubic yards of brush, branches, and limbs over the weekend following last Friday's tornadoes. It’s a lot more now — 6,600-plus cubic yards, City Manager Pam Reece said in a Sound Ideas interview. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Route 66 turns 100, a new book is expanding the story of the Mother Road by focusing on people often left out of its history. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A year after the Ecology Action Center [EAC] got a green light on its proposal for a permanent hazardous waste disposal site, the Normal nonprofit is casting a wide net to raise the approximately $6 million needed to get the project off the ground. Executive Director Michael Brown said pending state legislation regulating disposal of toxic and combustible items could help. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Illinois Senate has unanimously passed a bill to expand orders of protection to online spaces and allow victims to indefinitely extend protection orders. The bill would give law enforcement more authority to investigate and bring charges against anyone who uses online spaces to harass someone with an order of protection against that person. People with protection orders would also be able to indefinitely extend the order of protection. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A pair of Central Illinois legislators acknowledge the national scene is bleak for members and supporters of the LGBTQ+ community. But Sen. Dave Koehler of Peoria and Rep. Sharon Chung of Bloomington say Illinois' Democratic supermajority is working to keep the state a beacon of LGBTQ+ support. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A grant that will help fund a two-mile stretch of new sewer interceptor on Bloomington-Normal’s west side is part of a much larger project that may link some small towns in McLean County to the Twin Cities' sewage treatment system. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

McLean County is awarding more than $1.7 million in mental health and public safety funding to nearly a dozen local organizations, following a revamping of the application and selection process. Awards range from $30,000 to $650,000, and will go to groups such as Home Sweet Home Missions, Lifelong Access, and The Baby Fold. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Stan Gozur takes his seat as president of the Unit 5 school board, he said he is pleased with the direction the school district is headed after the enrollment study saga. Gozur previously served as the board vice president. In his new role, his top priorities include incorporating more stakeholder opinions and organizing finances. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lunch-and-learn hosted by Bloomington-Normal's LGBTQ+ advocacy organization hopes to give community members tools to discuss suicide. Prairie Pride Coalition is hosting the event, which features a new queer-focused curriculum from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Six tornadoes struck McLean County on Friday night, according to the National Weather Service — three of them in Bloomington and Normal. All of the twisters that went through McLean County were relatively mild EF1 tornadoes or less, though two of them packed a punch of 110 mph winds. The others had peak winds of 90-100 mph, the NWS said in a news release. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What did Brandon Holtz take away from living every golfer’s dream last week, playing against the best in the world at the Masters? So much, that his first day back at his RE/MAX Rising real estate office was mostly “staring blankly at the (computer) screen, just picturing what just happened.” Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.