WGLT's Sound Ideas

U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen isn’t satisfied with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's answers about military layoffs in his Central Illinois district. Sorensen questioned Hegseth about the decision to cut up to 150 jobs at Rock Island Arsenal during a hearing held by the House Armed Services Committee on April 29. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Surveys show Americans are getting increasingly concerned about the future of our democracy. You see it at political rallies. It can feel like civic engagement has never been greater. But at the local level, where the government can have a much greater impact on our lives, it's often much different. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Data Centers are getting a lot of attention in Bloomington. In Normal, not so much — both in inquiries by business and concerns from the public. Mayor Chris Koos said during a Sound Ideas interview, as in the City of Bloomington, the amount of land needed for a large-scale data center makes it unlikely any site inside town limits would be suitable. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AFSCME Local 1110 members went back to work at Illinois State University [ISU] this week at the ratification of their contract, but there are still hurt feelings after the strike. The five-year contract approved Tuesday ended the nearly month-long strike, the longest in the history of ISU. But at the university’s quarterly board of trustees meeting Friday, union president Chuck Carver said that while they are happy about returning to work, they are still upset with university leadership. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It takes more than Facebook comments and email blasts to get results when advocating for change in local government. WGLT talked to those who've done it successfully to create this Local Democracy Playbook — a resource for you to follow in their footsteps. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With uncertainty surrounding press protections at the national level, the state of Illinois holds a strong reporter privilege statute. That’s according to Don Craven, general counsel for Illinois Press Association and three other statewide journalism organizations. He’s held the job protecting journalists in court and legal litigation since the mid-1980s Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Community Players Theatre kicks off its spring musical Thursday with a pay-what-you-can preview of Dreamgirls. The hit show loosely based on the Motown music biz and the Supremes' rise to fame officially opens Friday and runs three weekends at the Bloomington theater. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While gas prices keep soaring as the U.S. war in Iran shows no end in sight, Republican U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood said he’s ready to see the Trump administration find a way out of the war soon. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomington city officials heard lots of pushback on the possibility of a data center in the community during a public forum on Wednesday. At the 2 p.m. session that included 70 attendees, they heard an overwhelmingly negative reception to the idea of a hyperscale facility, sometimes called an AI farm, being built in collaboration with the city. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Dementia Friendly Bloomington-Normal Task Force is seeking community input on how people living with dementia and their caregivers can be best supported in the Twin Cities. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food pantries in Central Illinois are bracing for an uncertain future because of changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP]. According to the Illinois Department of Human Services, 120,000 people could lose their benefits. Non-disabled people up to age 64 now have to work or volunteer 80 hours a month to keep their SNAP benefits. The changes took effect May 1. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin doesn't think the current version of the Farm Bill will fly, saying during a news conference in Normal the House version will not get his vote. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Students and staff at Normal Community High School have all returned home after a broad threat prompted an emergency response evacuating the school. In a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Normal Police Department spokesperson Brad Park said the school received a concerning call around 8 a.m., triggering the response. Park said the threat was broad and wide-ranging. Police assisted with the investigation and evacuation, while securing the school property. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In his first State of the City speech, Bloomington Mayor Dan Brady said the city has accomplished a lot in his first year. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomington City Manager Jeff Jurgens said the city has fielded multiple inquiries about locating a data center in the community over several years. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Students and staff of Normal Community West High School surprised the school principal as they celebrated her win of a leadership excellence award. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The transition to a new regional superintendent of schools is complete. Mark Jontry retired at the end of April after serving as head of Regional Office of Education #17 since 2008. The Bloomington-based office provides direct support for McLean, DeWitt, Livingston and Logan County public schools and as well as some programming for about a dozen private schools. Molly Allen, who served about six years as assistant regional superintendent, is now regional superintendent. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s not often that a Bloomington-Normal severe weather event makes it into a quarterly earnings report closely watched by Wall Street investors. But it did Thursday. Leaders with the electric automaker Rivian gave investors an update on the tornado that damaged a section of the new R2 plant in west Normal two weeks ago. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Homeless advocates from Bloomington and Lincoln took opposite approaches to finding success with recent shelter projects, as they discussed during the Women to Women Spring Forum on Tuesday at Bloomington Public Library. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gov. JB Pritzker is pushing for statewide zoning changes to spark housing construction. The suite of provisions in the Building Up Illinois Developments [BUILD] legislation would remove local restrictions and allow more multifamily housing in areas currently limited to single-family homes. Support the show: https://donate.nprstations.org/wglt/wglt-choose-donation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.