WGLT's Sound Ideas - Full Episodes

On today's episode, Illinois' top law enforcement officer tells educators not to back down over DEI threats, fear and anxiety are swirling through the arts community as the Trump administration takes its latest swipe at the National Endowment for the Arts, and an author and musician explains in her own words -- how she became Black at age 35 -- in a talk at the Bloomington Public Library. 

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On today's episode, about 120 McLean County residents are among the tens of thousands of Illinoisians whose healthcare is in peril -- as the state plans to end coverage for noncitizens, a political expert cautions Governor JB Pritzker against running for re-election -- if he wants to run for president in 2028, and our final Black History essay profiles the King of Pop and his impact on music and Black culture.

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On today's episode, the city of Bloomington formally backs the plan for a shelter village -- and calls on Normal to lend it's support too, candidates are lining up to try to run Congressman Darin LaHood out of Washington, and the latest edition of McHistory takes up back to the Taylor Swift of their time.

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On today's episode, Illinois Wesleyan University responds to a federal investigation about campus demonstrations the Trump administration said were anti-semitic, there's a push in Springfield to lift Illinois' near 40-year-ban on new large-scale nuclear reactors but environmental groups say more nuclear is not the answer, survivors raise concerns about new Pope’s record on clerical sexual abuse, and Rivian's founder offers advice to this spring's college graduates.

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On today's episode, Illinois Wesleyan University President Sheahon Zenger discusses his first year on the job, a musical instrument store that's spanned two generations in Bloomington prepares to close, and a group of Bloomington women find power through their artwork.

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On today's episode, ISU is among hundreds of colleges and universities pushing back against what they call unprecedented government overreach from the Trump administration, Illinois Art Station's founder says money problems led to its transition, Connect Transit plans to take over rural transit in McLean County, some Bloomington-Normal youth learn discipline through boxing, and ISU's retiring gymnastics coach raises concerns for the future of college athletics.

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On today's episode, ISU President Aondover Tarhule discusses the new faculty union contract and the unviersity's financial concerns, Rivian has taken steps to shore up its supply chains but tariffs continue to cause uncertainty, and former members of a church in Normal say they faced spiritual abuse and the church has torn some families apart.

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On today's episode, the mayor of Normal discusses an infrastructure renovation that will displace people living in tents along Sugar Creek, advocates for the unhoused try to round up support for a proposed shelter village in Bloomington, transgender and nonbinary people find it especially tough to find healthcare in Bloomington-Normal, plus a student at Oakland Elementary in Bloomington presents the latest Black History Essay contest winner. 

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On today's episode, WGLT is among hundreds of NPR stations potentially looking at a loss of federal funding, a cautionary tale about worker safety -- stemming from asbestos at a Bloomington plant, and Illinois' lieutenant governor gets some quick endorsements in her bid for U.S. Senate.

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On today's episode, high child care costs are limiting the Bloomington-Normal workforce -- and may be slowing the birth rate, a photography exhibit opening in Bloomington ties scripture to a message of how he should -- but often don't -- treat one another, and today's Black History Essay Contest tells the story of a self-made millionaire who still inspires more than a century later. 

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