The largest auto insurer in Illinois is sounding a warning about thefts of catalytic converters from autos. Bloomington-based State Farm Insurance says nationally, thefts of that car part have tripled in the last year.

WGLT's Sound Ideas

State Farm Warns Of Catalytic Converter Thefts

Residents who have been cleaning out their flooded basements for weeks still face health risks.

McLean County Cautions Safety During And After Flood Cleanup

Unit 5's head of secondary education says he'd like to see a new media literacy requirement include a focus on how students' use of social media can impact their social and emotional well-being.

Unit 5 Wants Social Media Use Included In Media Literacy Course

A Bloomington City Council member says he hopes recent flooding spurs more investment in under-the-street infrastructure in the city’s older neighborhoods.

Bloomington Council's Jamie Mathy Hopes Flooding Spurs More Under-The-Street Investments In Older Neighborhoods

A four-woman rock band from New Jersey hits it big in the 1960s. A Baltimore teen realizes his dream of dancing on the Corny Collins show. Don’t worry, Broadway fans — we know that’s not the way "Jersey Boys" and "Hairspray" are traditionally cast.

Datebook: Community Players Switch Things Around With Miscast Cabaret

Bloomington City Council member Jenn Carrillo plans to resign at the end of August.

Carrillo To Resign From Bloomington City Council

Illinois cities and towns of fewer than 50,000 residents are still waiting on the last round of COVID relief funding.

Smaller McLean County Communities Wait For $2.3M In COVID Relief Funds

It takes pay of more than $16.40 an hour for a full-time worker to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Bloomington-Normal and Peoria. That's according to a new report from Housing Action Illinois and the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Central Illinois Affordable Housing Shortage Unchanged By Pandemic

Sisters Amber Rutledge and Alicia Bunting love bees. And they’re hoping after paying a visit to their honey farm in Heyworth, you will, too.

Datebook: Honey Festival Hopes To Cultivate New Bee Lovers

The non-profit director who brought the 211 crisis hotline to McLean County and much of Illinois is retiring.

PATH's 'DNA' Retires After 36 Years With 211 Hotline Her Legacy

Following the collapse of a high-rise condo building in Florida, people across the country are asking questions about building safety.

Florida Condo Collapse Fixes Attention On Design, Maintenance Standards

A van with laser scanners will drive all 400-plus lane miles in the town to see just how good or bad the streets are. Town Engineer Ryan Otto said the mapping can detect differences in depths of just a few millimeters. That's a lot less than the average pothole. Otto said there's a reason for that.

New Tech Tool To Help Normal Street Repair

A Bloomington-Normal doctor says an earlier start to routine colon cancer screenings will save lives.

Sound Health: Why Colon Cancer Screenings Should Start At Age 45

Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe says he empathizes with residents who are still cleaning out flooded basements following last month's heavy storms, but he asks the public not to "reach conclusions in haste" about the city's response.

Bloomington Mayor: Don’t Reach 'Conclusions In Haste' Over Flooding, Sewer Backups

One piece of the Rivian economic puzzle is less clear: If someone buys a Rivian vehicle, who gets a cut of the sales tax money?

Sales Tax Impact Is Murky For Normal As Rivian Sales Begin

Feature stories and in-studio interviews heard during WGLT's Sound Ideas, a daily radio news magazine produced by public radio station WGLT at Illinois State University.

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WGLT's Sound Ideas

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