On today's episode, Nightshop's closing leaves a void in Bloomington-Normal's music scene, the top arts and culture moments of Bloomington-Normal in 2024, Women United promotes children's literacy with the help of Dolly Parton, plus a reading of  "A Visit from Saint Nicholas."

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Please enjoy "Twas the Night Before #Christmas" (aka "A Visit from Saint Nicholas"), as read by WGLT’s Charlie Schlenker. Happy holidays from all of us at WGLT!

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Bloomington-Normal has seen an increase in homegrown musical acts in recent years, but the number of performance spaces in the community keeps dropping. A live music venue that opened to great fanfare in downtown Bloomington in 2018 will be live one last time this weekend.

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Each week, our Datebook series shares arts features and fun things to do around the Twin Cities. The pulse of any community beats through its culture—and 2024 was one for the books.

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Nonprofit partners, including Chestnut Health Systems and the Regional Office of Education, will work with Lifelong Access to provide wrap-around support for youth and teens.

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There was a lot of enthusiasm when Dolly Parton’s children’s literacy program first came to McLean County almost two years ago. Now, local organizers with Women United want to keep that momentum going.

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The Unit 5 and District 87 school boards and several other districts in McLean County have voted to put a sales tax referendum on the April 1 ballot. The proposed 1% sales tax would raise money for school facilities, school resource officers, and mental health programming.

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There is no “one size fits all” roadmap for victims looking to find their way out of an abusive relationship. Jocelyn’s story of feeling lost and then finding ways to advocate for herself is one potential path, and it includes stops at many of the resources and organizations in place to help victims in McLean County. Other victims interviewed by WGLT found the circuitous process to be confusing or overwhelming.

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Heartland Community College's Workforce Equity Initiative teaches low-income people the skills needed to work higher-paying jobs.

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The holidays can be an isolating time of year, particularly for seniors without family nearby. Normal-based nonprofit Faith in Action runs a program that pairs volunteers with seniors for regular conversations to fight loneliness and social isolation — year-round.

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