WGLT's Sound Ideas - Full Episodes

McLean County Board candidates sometimes tout how they fight for principles. Others avoid righteous stands and talk about peacemaking. Hear the candidates in District 9. Plus, the pandemic has made child welfare agency problems worse.

A Bloomington-based long-term care company joins a drug trial that could prevent COVID-19 infection. McLean County's sheriff weighs in on a controversial ordinance proposal. And a Normal family is growing an unusual crop in its front yard.

Hear the candidates for McLean County Board District 8 talk about their solutions to the issues facing the county.

Governor JB Pritzker says college campuses like Bradley University that require self isolation and campuswide quarantines are doing a good thing to limit the pandemic Hear more about the Governor's visit to Bloomington Normal. Plus, it takes a lot to keep faculty and student tech up and running during on line learning. Hear from one of the squad members who does that at Illinois State University. Against some odds Colleges and universities in Bloomington Normal now feel pretty good about their

Until recently not many bodies in McLean County have had an appetite to enforce pandemic safety measures. Health department environmental health director Tom Anderson says it only takes a little enforcement to send a message. Plus, the pandemic has brought what Mclean County Chief Circuit Judge Mark Fellheimer thinks will be permanent changes to the courts. Minnesota, Georgia, now Wisconsin - police violence against Blacks is enough to create a sense of hopelessness in African Americans. And

People are driving less, flying less, burning less in fossil fuels. That's nice, but it might be too late to avoid climate change. Hear how that plays out in a documentary on a sustainable farm in Woodford County. Plus, art and science merge in vivid, chromatic works that excite the eye and show the basic building blocks of life. Student environmentalists fighting climate change say their campaign blends well with racial justice efforts, though it's tough to make process right now. And sometimes

Bloomington Normal Rapper Grill Billyenz says his new album stems from the darkness of an overnight shift and the lightness of a childhood experience. Hear about the album metamorph. Plus Town of Normal Mayoral candidate Marc Tiritilli drops by. And --a nice thing during an awful year. Sometimes you just have to get out and ride a bike.

Newly digitized documents of Abraham Lincoln show the world view of the young man who would become President of the U.S. Hear about the latest chapter in the decades long Lincoln Papers Project from Director Dan Worthington. Plus, Illinois State University Athletics Director Larry Lyons tells you about his really bad joke that all redbird lives matter ... a joke that has prompted athlete boycotts and protest marches. The latest on disaster recovery loans from recent central Illinois flooding and

The political race for McLean County auditor includes debate on why it should be an elected office at all. Rob Fazzini and Kevin Woodard are two of the three candidates in the Auditor's race. They join us for a forum. Incumbent Auditor Michelle Anderson is on medical leave and did not participate. Find all of our coverage of Election 2020 at wglt dot org.

Illinois State University is setting up a Coronavirus testing lab that could do 10,000 tests per day. The Shield Illinois facility will cover one of eleven regions around the state. Plus, human resource administrators are having a tough time navigating the many needs employees have during the pandemic. Keeping the 'humane' in human resources. ISU student athletes are not happy with university Athletic Director Larry Lyons' flip remark that all redbird lives matter. And State Senator Jason