HyperLocal(s)

In the fall of 2008 I went to Amy Armstrong's house as green as her front lawn. She was one of my first interviews as a big girl, full-time journalist. I was there to talk to Amy about her toddler, Larkin, and Amy's advocacy initiative, Larkin's Place at the Stephens Family YMCA. Fifteen years later, Amy and I talk about the next phase of Larkin's life and how Amy and her husband have to prepare to legally take control of Larkin before the age of 18 hits.

  Listen as this momologist and long-time resident explains the list of Larkin's diagnosis and why Down Syndrome is the least of their concerns-the hidden disabilities being the most worrisome. Infantile spasms, Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, epilepsy, Celiac disease and Autism occupy the family's mental space and sometimes makes them feel alone. Comparison being the thief of joy doesn't mean you don't notice what your daughter will never get to do or experience, even if she doesn't notice herself.

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

One well-known townie and one transplant fall in love and move overseas to continue his dream of playing basketball for a living. A traumatic birth to twins and a need for familial support brought the couple back to the states TWICE to start a more pedestrian life filled with familial support and two more baby boys.

 Listen (literally, as two littles were at the recording) to how this thoughtful mom and dad function as a family of six. Moving through life with a team mentality and a lens of "us," this unit uses their own personality traits to help fill in the gaps in what the other may lack, manage sibling rivalry and view "more kids" as more love, more gifts, more personalities, more joy over less time, less money and less resources. Trent and Theresa are a match made in wisdom and respect. Not perfection. Messes are still made, accidents still happen and meltdowns still occur. However, this interview shows how the mutual understanding and appreciation of one other can veil the day-to-day grind that parenting and life's stress can create.  

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

Fellow townie, Central Maroon and thoughtful, "I need to sleep on it," personality, Devin Lietz, talks about her no-second-guesses needed road to adoption. The road, however, had a few false starts. 

 Listen as this former social worker details her process and decision to adopt rather than pursue other interventions. Devin always had adoption in the back of her mind as she married and then started "trying" to get pregnant. A miscarriage led her and her husband to believe getting pregnant may be more complicated than expected. Adoption was their next step to finding baby Jane, her biological mom and some other potential bio moms that never came to fruition-startlingly common, Devin explains. Devin's love and adoration for her now toddler fills this episode as she only sees Jane as nothing else than her precious baby girl.

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

University of Illinois student athletes, Jer'Zhan Newton (St. Petersburg) and Keith Randolph Jr. (Belleville) are powerhouses on the defensive line this year. This dynamic duo was even given the moniker the "Law Firm" by their fearless leader Bret Bielema for their exceptional teamwork.

 Listen as these two friends, roommates and teammates tease each other while expressing what the true life of a student athlete looks like. Their different personalities show through as they discuss the pressures, time constraints, fear of injury and tough transitions through coaching changes. Most importantly, Newton & Randolph talk about their future in football: The ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, declaring for the NFL and/or returning to college for the Fighting Illini. These two athletes were engaged, enjoyable, respectful and hilariously unfiltered. In the next few weeks many decisions will be made and one BIG game will be played, one thing is for certain, any team is lucky to have them. 

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

Rantoul resident turned Urbana homeowner tells tales that the best fiction writer could not put into words. Tony's childhood debauchery quickly goes from juvenile to criminal spanning coast-to-coast.

 Listen to Tony discuss his wrap sheet starting in early adolescence with a legitimate wildfire. This spark began a snowball effect of moves, booze, drugs, arrests and a baby girl. After too much being sick and tired of being sick and tired, Tony resorts to homelessness to rehab himself and clean up his act. Tony talks passionately about helping improve the growing homeless population in our own community. He also talks tearfully about pursuing a reunion with his now adult daughter and how that relationship grows today. 

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

Former Centennial Charger explains how a recession landed her in a position that is never boring, mostly stressful and always comes with a long line of upset customers. This boy mom to two little ones impresses with legalese and consistent compassion for her clients as a local public defender.

 Listen to Lindsey talk candidly about how much she makes, theft versus burglary, defending a former classmate, finding the good in even the most wanted, how poverty and how someone grew up should plays a part in someone's case, getting called fat behind plate glass, the difference between innocence and finding someone not guilty and running into a pissed off client at a pizza place!

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

A Champaign townie and former local media young gun turned Nashville anchor, spends his time tracking wins and losses, baskets, touchdowns and RBIs. With a face for TV, Steve transitioned from radio to primetime and has even made it to the big show on ESPN+.

 Listen as Steve recalls three pivotal moments that changed the trajectory of his life: a career-ending sports injury, being in the right place at the right time during a momentous sports moment and a critical car accident. The recent car accident led Steve to an epiphany rooted in contentment, living in the present and enjoying the journey because you don't know when it will end. 

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

A Champaign born-and-raised dear friend and female BOSS recently leapt up the corporate ladder into a new position in Nebraska. Champaign’s loss and a big gain for the Huskies. We first met when she stole my middle school boyfriend, but we became fast friends in high school. This is where I met her family and her mom for the first time. Behind closed doors, you never know what someone is dealing with. I surely didn’t know.

 Listen as Jackie, a tough, strong and typically unemotional person, stoically talks about her mom’s battle with depression and how she finally lost the fight. Jackie’s resilience grew from walking alongside her mom as she truly fought each day to get up, be a parent, an employee, a wife, a sister. It’s hard to imagine waking up each day and feeling an indescribable cloud and heaviness that just can’t be fixed. That can’t be solved. That won’t go away. That just won’t go away. Jackie’s hope is that talking openly about suicide and mental health will help the stigmas fade, allowing others to feel OK with not being OK. OK with asking for help. 

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

My husband and podcast super fan, Andrew Harrington, and I talk in detail about our terrible, horrible and no good experiences (mostly mine) with the once illegal, now legal and more and more prevalent, wacky tobacky. 

 Listen as two townies swap stories of brazen lunch-hour busts in open air Jeeps, the smell of skunk permeating chemistry class, drinking lemon juice to kill a buzz, watching Die Hard and the clock, uncontrollable leg tweaking and the 72-hour high that I never came down from. Tune in for some more tales of debauchery and utter youthful stupidity. **BONUS**Somewhere within this episode is the opportunity to participate in a fun game with a little incentive.

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

Shanovia (NoNo) landed in Champaign after being taken out of Chicago with the intention of a happier upbringing. She left behind sadness, poverty and ailing or deceased caregivers.  With little food and living conditions unfit to thrive in, Shanovia and her sisters moved to Champaign to face a new set of challenges. 

 Listen to why NoNo didn't let her environment define her. Why her inner light would shine on the path that would lead her to a future of service for others, further education and the desire to be a mother her daughter would look up to. NoNo credits many people who gave her a shoulder to cry on, a voice to express herself with, an ear to listen to and a warm, safe home to sleep in. Abby Hobbs, longtime Champaign resident, is one of these people. Abby is a well-known philanthropist and self-appointed second mother to Shanovia. Abby saw NoNo's potential and knew she was destined to take advantage of any opportunity given to her. With all of the cards stacked against her, Shanovia heeded everyone's advice, humbled herself and listened to others. She found a way to become the best version of herself despite the adversity she faced.

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.