WGLT's Sound Ideas - Full Episodes

The next episode in our series Enrollment Exodus, delves into why so many Chinese students came to study amid the cornfields. Plus, a conversation with an Illinois teacher of the year nominee from Bloomington. How the twin cities economy is doing. Mary Cullen has Bloomington-Normal by the numbers. And John Norton chats with guitarist Naeim Rahmani.

Colleges and Universities in this state have been struggling to keep enrollment healthy for years because of competition from other states for Illinois high school graduates. It's going to get worse As part of our series Enrollment Exodus, delving into how private colleges and universities are trying to preserve market share, we look at how private colleges and universities are responding. Charlie Schlenker reports. Plus, a lengthy interview with Illinois State University Associate Vice

Ryan Denham gets the analysts' take on the Amazon order for 100,000 Rivian electric vans. Analyst Sam Abuelsamid says Rivian could produce other vehicles on contract as well. Plus, Laura Kennedy brings us a dark comedy in which people get caught up in class warfare and murderous mayhem at the Yellow Inn. The Coalescence Theater Project offers a Walk with My Ancestors to the slave dungeons of Ghana. And Jon Norton waxes nostalgic with an 80s synth sound in What's On Your Turntable.

WGLT's Ryan Denham talks with Illinois State University's Mennonite College of Nursing about how its nurse practitioner program can help patients in rural and underserved areas. Jon Norton previews Jason Hawk Harris' show at Nightshop. And Mary Cullen has another episode of McHistory.

Hear the story of a young woman who got into Harvard on a swimming scholarship and realized she was trans and a he. Schuyler Bailar became the first trans male athlete in division one sports. He talks with Mary Cullen before an ISU appearance. Plus, there are some eerie parallels between the election of 1860 and 2020, according to political scientist Bob Bradley. WGLT Arts Correspondent Laura Kennedy brings us a story that stitches together a communal art experience to give power to those

ISU President Larry Dietz has been a happy camper lately: a new dorm project announced, a multi million dollar gift to ISU announced, enrollment up, and things like that. He's telling the campus about it in his state of the university speech. A Bloomington-Normal college professor spent her summer interviewing children about the conditions at U.S. immigration facilities. Kathleen O'Gorman tells WGLT's Ryan Denham about her work with the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law. Plus, the

The Illinois Red flag law to prevent dangerous people from keeping guns is not getting a lot of traction. That is what has happened in other states too. More with Marc Jones of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence and WGLT's Ryan Denham. Plus, Illinois State University has received a 12 million dollar gift for the arts. That's the largest individual gift ever. We'll hear from the person who made the gift. Reporter Mary Cullen talks with State Senator Jason Barickman about vaping and

Sometimes high school students who think they want to be teachers don't have a really good idea about what that means. Now, there's a class to help them learn it, before they commit to something they might not like. Normal Community teacher Margherita DiVita tells WGLT's Ryan Denham that the class could help address the teacher shortage. Plus, Laura Kennedy brings us the magic of storytelling in Heartland Theater's new production of Electric Baby. Jon Norton has an episode of What's on your

Normal Community West High School is 25 years old and Principal Dave Johnson says the first principal Jerry Crabtree set out to have a defining personality to the new institution, kindness. More on the Wildcats first 25 years. Plus, WGLT Correspondent Edith Brady-Lunny stops by to tell us about Wednesday's oral arguments in the Alan Beaman case, close to 30 years after the killing of ISU student Jennifer Lockmiller. And the Girl Scouts have lost 39 percent of their membership in the last fifteen

It's getting hot in here. Meghan Hassett of the Union of Concerned Scientists says global climate change will make a big difference in central Illinois. Eric Stock has more. Plus, the Stephenson Center for Community and Economic Development is 25 years old. Mary Cullen looks at the anniversary. And WGLT's gardening podcast Grow looks at food free for the taking. The rules of foraging. People like you value experienced, knowledgeable and award-winning journalism that covers meaningful stories in