Best WGLT Podcasts (2025)

1
Statewide: Armadillos in Illinois 50:35

3d ago50:35

50:35

They've been in the state for more than 50 years, but they are showing up more often.By Sean Crawford

1
Statewide: As outbreaks grow, there is concern about the spread of measles 50:29

9d ago50:29

50:29

We talk with pediatrician Dr. Allison Croucher of Duly Health and Care on this episode of Statewide.By Sean Crawford

1
Statewide: The child care cost burden 50:29

16d ago50:29

50:29

The cost of child care can sometimes top rent and mortgage payments.By Sean Crawford

1
Statewide: How women shaped Lincoln and his legacy 50:29

22d ago50:29

50:29

We talk with the author of Loving Lincoln, who also treats the subject as a memoir of her time working in a male-dominated field.By Sean Crawford

1
Statewide: A top Republican official talks about Trump's first 100 days 28:07

1M ago28:07

28:07

Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi joins us.By Sean Crawford

1
Statewide: Concerns on campus 50:29

1M ago50:29

50:29

The Trump Administration has revoked the legal status of many international students. Colleges and universities are unsure what to do about it.By Sean Crawford

1
Statewide: The Trump Administration's impact on student loan borrowers 50:29

1M ago50:29

50:29

It has left those who owe in a tough spot as they seek to get questions answered.By Sean Crawford

1
Statewide: Alcohol and your health 50:29

2M ago50:29

50:29

Research supporting alcohol as a carcinogen is something that’s not well known by the public. We have a report.By Sean Crawford

1
Statewide: A mother turns grief into activism 50:29

2M ago50:29

50:29

Sheila Lockwood of McHenry lost her son Austin in a 2018 car crash. The person at the wheel was drunk.By Sean Crawford

1
Statewide: The rise of religious vaccine exemptions 50:34

2M ago50:34

50:34

The increase comes amid more skepticism of science and government, fueled by the evangelical far right.By Sean Crawford

1
Statewide: The 100th anniversary of the Tri-State Tornado 50:29

2M ago50:29

50:29

The deadliest tornado in U.S. history killed nearly 700 people across parts of southeast Missouri, southern Illinois and southern Indiana.By Sean Crawford

1
Statewide: Punishing the abused 50:15

3M ago50:15

50:15

An Illinois law puts domestic violence survivors in prison if they assist in crimes with their abusers. Even when the action was done under threat of physical harm.By Sean Crawford

1
Statewide: DEI and higher education 50:34

3M ago50:34

50:34

President Donald Trump has put colleges and universities in a bind as they seek to maintain inclusiveness on campuses at the risk of federal moeny.By Sean Crawford

1
Statewide: EV's and the Trump Administration 50:29

3M ago50:29

50:29

The demand for electric vehicles has been growing. But the Trump Administration is slowing down money for charging stations, which is key to bringing more widespread adoption.By Sean Crawford

1
Statewide: Counting the unhoused 50:29

3M ago50:29

50:29

Homeless residents in Midwest cities are increasingly hard to track — and to help.By Sean Crawford

1
Statewide: As Valentine's Day approaches, we examine deep platonic friendships 50:27

4M ago50:27

50:27

Romantic love gets all the buzz in February, but platonic love has the power to shape our lives in profound ways that are often overlooked.By Sean Crawford

1
Statewide: Immigrant communities on edge 50:34

4M ago50:34

50:34

High profile raids in the past week have left some people too afraid to leave their homes.By Sean Crawford

1
Statewide: Illinois expands police body camera law 50:29

4M ago50:29

50:29

The Safe-T-Act gave smaller departments extra time to comply. But the requirement kicked in for all law enforcement this month.By Sean Crawford

1
Statewide: The fluoride debate 50:29

4M ago50:29

50:29

Considered a public health success, some are starting to question the safety of fluoride in public water supplies.By Sean Crawford

1
McHistory: 'King of Swedes' kept Bloomington streets clean 8:20

2y ago8:20

8:20

Wherever humans gather, there is garbage. And getting rid of it is a challenge. The start of trash removal in Bloomington dates to the start of the 20th century and to a man known in his day as the King of Swedes.By Charlie Schlenker

1
Next to Normal Story Slam: Seemed Like A Good Idea With ... Kim Tingley 10:31

2y ago10:31

10:31

This story from Kim Tingley was recorded May 5, 2023, during the Next to Normal Story Slam at the McLean County Arts Center in Bloomington. The night’s theme was “It seemed like a good idea at the time...” with all stories centered on that theme. Learn more about upcoming Story Slams at NexttoNormalStorySlam.com.…

1
Next to Normal Story Slam: Seemed Like A Good Idea With ... Laura DiMascio 11:26

2y ago11:26

11:26

This story from Laura DiMascio was recorded May 5, 2023, during the Next to Normal Story Slam at the McLean County Arts Center in Bloomington. The night’s theme was “It seemed like a good idea at the time...” with all stories centered on that theme. Learn more about upcoming Story Slams at NexttoNormalStorySlam.com.…

1
Next to Normal Story Slam: Seemed Like A Good Idea With ... Mollie Huisman 9:40

2y ago9:40

9:40

This story from Mollie Huisman was recorded May 5, 2023, during the Next to Normal Story Slam at the McLean County Arts Center in Bloomington. The night’s theme was “It seemed like a good idea at the time...” with all stories centered on that theme. Learn more about upcoming Story Slams at NexttoNormalStorySlam.com.…

1
Next to Normal Story Slam: Seemed Like A Good Idea With ... Laurie Bergner 14:52

2y ago14:52

14:52

This story from Laurie Bergner was recorded May 5, 2023, during the Next to Normal Story Slam at the McLean County Arts Center in Bloomington. The night’s theme was “It seemed like a good idea at the time...” with all stories centered on that theme. Learn more about upcoming Story Slams at NexttoNormalStorySlam.com.…

1
Next to Normal Story Slam: A Brush With ... Storyteller Karla Bailey Smith 11:08

2+ y ago11:08

11:08

This story from Karla Bailey Smith was recorded Feb. 10, 2023, during the Next to Normal Story Slam at the McLean County Arts Center in Bloomington. The night’s theme was “A brush with...” with all stories centered on that theme. Learn more about upcoming Story Slams at NexttoNormalStorySlam.com.By Colin Winkelmann

1
Next to Normal Story Slam: A Brush With ... Storyteller Sally Hoffman 5:26

2+ y ago5:26

5:26

This story from Sally Hoffman was recorded Feb. 10, 2023, during the Next to Normal Story Slam at the McLean County Arts Center in Bloomington. The night’s theme was “A brush with...” with all stories centered on that theme. Learn more about upcoming Story Slams at NexttoNormalStorySlam.com.By Colin Winkelmann

1
Next to Normal Story Slam: A Brush With ... Storyteller Joe Strupek 7:24

2+ y ago7:24

7:24

This story from Joe Strupek was recorded Feb. 10, 2023, during the Next to Normal Story Slam at the McLean County Arts Center in Bloomington. The night’s theme was “A brush with...” with all stories centered on that theme. Learn more about upcoming Story Slams at NexttoNormalStorySlam.com.By Colin Winkelmann

1
Next to Normal Story Slam: A Brush With ... Storyteller Mark Nielson 3:45

2+ y ago3:45

3:45

This story from Mark Nielson was recorded Feb. 10, 2023, during the Next to Normal Story Slam at the McLean County Arts Center in Bloomington. The night’s theme was “A brush with...” with all stories centered on that theme. Learn more about upcoming Story Slams at NexttoNormalStorySlam.com.By Colin Winkelmann

1
Next to Normal Story Slam: A Brush With ... Storyteller Lora Passetti 11:23

2+ y ago11:23

11:23

This story from Lora Passetti was recorded Feb. 10, 2023, during the Next to Normal Story Slam at the McLean County Arts Center in Bloomington. The night’s theme was “A brush with...” with all stories centered on that theme. Learn more about upcoming Story Slams at NexttoNormalStorySlam.com.By Colin Winkelmann

1
Next to Normal Story Slam: A Brush With ... Storyteller Kathi Davis 8:56

2+ y ago8:56

8:56

This story from Kathi Davis was recorded Feb. 10, 2023, during the Next to Normal Story Slam at the McLean County Arts Center in Bloomington. The night’s theme was “A brush with...” with all stories centered on that theme. Learn more about upcoming Story Slams at NexttoNormalStorySlam.com.By Colin Winkelmann

1
Next to Normal Story Slam: A Brush With ... Storyteller Dennis Mennenga 4:52

2+ y ago4:52

4:52

This story from Dennis Mennenga was recorded Feb. 10, 2023, during the Next to Normal Story Slam at the McLean County Arts Center in Bloomington. The night’s theme was “A brush with...” with all stories centered on that theme. Learn more about upcoming Story Slams at NexttoNormalStorySlam.com.By Colin Winkelmann

1
Next to Normal Story Slam: A Brush With ... Storyteller Scott Myers 7:36

2+ y ago7:36

7:36

This story from Scott Myers was recorded Feb. 10, 2023, during the Next to Normal Story Slam at the McLean County Arts Center in Bloomington. The night’s theme was “A brush with...” with all stories centered on that theme. Learn more about upcoming Story Slams at NexttoNormalStorySlam.com.By Colin Winkelmann

1
Story Slam: Kevin Lee's story of luck 5:24

2+ y ago5:24

5:24

The Next To Normal Story Slam is back after its pandemic hiatus with a new schedule. Instead of every month, the Story Slam happens every three months at the McLean County Arts Center.By Ariele Jones

1
McHistory: Housekeeper for the affluent and the tawdry 6:43

3y ago6:43

6:43

The way Black people were treated in Bloomington-Normal got a lot worse in the 20th century than in the years before, and that's saying something. Those conditions produced jarring juxtapositions in people’s lives, such as that of an intelligent churchgoing Black woman who worked for the family of State Farm royalty and in a brothel to make ends me…

1
McHistory: Press Butler the great detective 5:54

3y ago5:54

5:54

One doesn’t think of Bloomington and central Illinois as a lurid hotbed of crime. But it certainly seems it could have been that way during the mid-to-late 1800s as portrayed by the three city newspapers of the day.By Charlie Schlenker

1
McHistory: George Hoagland’s 'Oil of Gladness' 6:56

3y ago6:56

6:56

Coming from nothing, an illiterate Black man from Bloomington-Normal — long before the civil rights movement — found a niche in the national market for cleaning products. In this episode of the WGLT feature McHistory, hear about a floor polish and the man who invented and sold it.By Charlie Schlenker

1
McHistory: Multitalented suffrage leader promoted women’s health and the vote 5:14

3+ y ago5:14

5:14

Ellen Ferguson was a champion of women and women's suffrage. She made Bloomington-Normal her home in the 1870s.By Charlie Schlenker

1
McHistory: A Bloomington huckster's best-selling 'medicine' was Blackberry Balsam 6:02

3+ y ago6:02

6:02

Bloomington-Normal has a long and distinguished history of business entrepreneurship. One less than distinguished, but very successful, business, had a continent-wide spread in the late 1800s.By Charlie Schlenker

1
McHistory: Noted author Harold Sinclair of Bloomington 5:41

3+ y ago5:41

5:41

Bloomington-Normal has a tie to famed actor John Wayne and legendary filmmaker John Ford — a hardware store clerk turned noted author, Harold Sinclair.By Charlie Schlenker

1
Brett Conlin looks into his rear-view mirror on new full-band EP 8:26

3+ y ago8:26

8:26

Brett Conlin’s new full-band Americana-rock album is a nostalgic and sometimes wistful look at his youthful days growing up in Kewanee.By Jon Norton

1
McHistory: Early Settlers Battled Prairie Fire To Tame The Land 5:32

3+ y ago5:32

5:32

There is not much prairie left in Illinois. Once, there was a waving sea of tall perennial flowers and grasses across much of the state. Now there is .01% of the original prairie left in Illinois.By Charlie Schlenker

1
WGLT's Grow: Integrated Pest Management 9:15

3+ y ago9:15

9:15

By Sarah Nardi

1
McHistory: Dr. William Hill, A Man Of Many Contradictions 5:06

3+ y ago5:06

5:06

A 19th century Bloomington doctor was a respected physician who was accused of stealing corpses.By Charlie Schlenker, Maritza Navar-Lopez

1
WGLT's Grow: Apple & Pear Season 9:15

3+ y ago9:15

9:15

By Sarah Nardi

1
First Backyard Tire Fire Album In A Decade Is A Rootsy Gem 9:12

3+ y ago9:12

9:12

Backyard Tire Fire's new album drops Friday. They perform at the Black Dirt Music Festival in Bloomington on Saturday. Wilco headlines the fest.By Jon Norton

1
WGLT's Grow: Autumnal Festival 9:15

3+ y ago9:15

9:15

On this week’s episode of Grow, Sarah is joined by Jessica Chambers, who runs the ISU Horticulture Center. The two talk about the Autumnal Festival.By Sarah Nardi

1
McHistory: Sigmund Livingston And The Anti-Defamation League 4:51

3+ y ago4:51

4:51

In 1913, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) was founded in Bloomington to stop the defamation of Jewish people by appealing to minds, morals, and the law. Sigmund Livingston served as its first director.By Ariele Jones, Charlie Schlenker