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The Leadoff

by WGLT

WGLT's The Leadoff podcast was a morning news digest all about Bloomington-Normal. New episodes were released between 2019 and 2025. The final episode was released Dec. 19, 2025.Transcripts are available in the Apple Podcasts app, inside each episode.

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Episodes

  1. The Leadoff - Friday 6/2/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Friday, June 2, 2023. You'll hear about Reps. Darin LaHood and Eric Sorensen's votes on the debt limit bill. Plus, a preview of Heartland Theatre's 10-Play Festival with WGLT's Lauren Warnecke.

  2. The Leadoff - Thursday 6/1/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Thursday, June 1, 2023. You'll hear about The Salvation Army looking for help cooling people off during this heat wave. Plus, WGLT's Statehouse reporter recaps the busy spring legislative session.

  3. The Leadoff - Wednesday 5/31/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, May 31, 2023. You'll hear about a mentoring program for women to work alongside state lawmakers. Plus, an interview with McLean County History Makers Charles and Willie Halbert.

  4. The Leadoff - Tuesday 5/30/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Tuesday, May 30, 2023. You'll hear about the potential for prevailing wages being required for construction of a Bloomington housing project. Plus, an interview with the McLean County Fatherhood Coalition.

  5. The Leadoff - Friday 5/26/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Friday, May 26, 2023. You'll hear about a big name change for Children's Home & Aid, a nonprofit that works in Bloomington. Plus, an interview with two District 87 leaders.

  6. The Leadoff - Thursday 5/25/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Thursday, May 25, 2023. You'll hear about gender imbalances in higher education enrollment, including in central Illinois. Plus, McLean County's Social Justice Walking Tour goes virtual.

  7. The Leadoff - Wednesday 5/24/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, May 24, 2023. You'll hear about Sen. Dick Durbin's visit to Bloomington. Plus, an interview with one of the developers working on an $18.5 million housing project near downtown Bloomington.

  8. The Leadoff - Tuesday 5/23/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Tuesday, May 23, 2023. You'll hear about the results of a survey of internet service in rural McLean County. Plus, how the post-pandemic era may be an opportunity for community health workers in Illinois.

  9. The Leadoff - Monday 5/22/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Monday, May 22, 2023. You'll hear about the bill changing Central Illinois Regional Airport's tax base which has now won final approval in Springfield. Plus, an interview with YWCA McLean County about expansion plans for its...

  10. The Leadoff - Friday 5/19/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to start your day for Friday, May 19, 2023. You'll hear about asbestos removal planning at the Normal Public Library. Plus, a preview of this weekend's "History of Beer in Bloomington" event at Keg Grove Brewing.

  11. The Leadoff - Thursday 5/18/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Thursday, May 18, 2023. You'll hear about the late Parker Lawlis, a former Normal Town Council who recently died at age 88. Plus, part two of our series about maternal care deserts in rural Illinois.

  12. The Leadoff - Wednesday 5/17/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, May 17, 2023. You'll hear about a concerning spike in gun violence in Bloomington, as seen in the police department's latest annual report. Plus, why rural hospitals are closing their baby units.

  13. The Leadoff - Tuesday 5/16/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Tuesday, May 16, 2023. You'll hear about the rebranding of a community garden on Bloomington's west side. Plus, you'll learn about a long COVID study focused on Central Illinois.

  14. The Leadoff - Monday 5/15/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Monday, March 15, 2023. You'll hear about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' visit to central Illinois. Plus, meet the 93-year-old crossing guard who's become something of a celebrity in the neighborhood around Glenn Elementary in...

  15. The Leadoff - Friday 5/12/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Friday, May 12, 2023. You'll hear about how the end of the COVID emergency impacts access to vaccines and testing locally. Plus, an interview with a new appointee to a state clean energy board.

  16. The Leadoff - Thursday 5/11/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Thursday, May 11, 2023. You'll hear about a long-lost painting turning up at Bloomington Public Library. Plus, the Ecology Action Center shares some pointers on how to recycle in Bloomington-Normal.

  17. The Leadoff - Wednesday 5/10/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, May 10, 2023. You'll hear the latest on the investigation into the death of an Illinois State University alum who was a Chicago cop. Plus, meet one of Bloomington-Normal's best cake makers.

  18. The Leadoff - Tuesday 5/9/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Tuesday, May 9, 2023. You'll hear about the return to school in Olympia, where a fire damaged a building. Plus, an interview with Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen during a recent Twin City visit.

  19. The Leadoff - Monday 5/8/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Monday, May 8, 2023. You'll hear about high-speed passenger rail's impact on Bloomington-Normal. Plus, Lyndsay Jones looks at the homeschooling community in McLean County.

  20. The Leadoff - Friday 5/5/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Friday, May 5, 2023. You'll hear about Easterseals Central Illinois being desperate to hire more camp counselors at Timber Pointe. Plus, an Illinois Wesleyan University alum's writing career takes flight.

  21. The Leadoff - Thursday 5/4/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Thursday, May 4, 2023. You'll hear about another Bloomington nonprofit making changes and reevaluating after a recent fire code inspection. Plus, Alan Sender from the Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority board talks about a...

  22. The Leadoff - Wednesday 5/3/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, May 3, 2023. You'll hear about JOLT Harm Reduction's expansion into McLean County. Plus, an interview with Normal Mayor Chris Koos about the council's decision to allow more cannabis dispensaries.

  23. The Leadoff - Tuesday 5/2/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Tuesday, May 2, 2023. You'll hear about the interim athletics director at ISU on her first day on the job. Plus, Charlie Schlenker talks to the incoming CEO of Bloomington-based Heartland Bank and Trust.

  24. The Leadoff - Monday 5/1/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Monday, May 1, 2023. You'll hear about a recent audit of ISU's Athletics department, in the wake of that costly donor trip. Plus, a new edition of Beyond Sports takes a local look at the transfer portal.

  25. The Leadoff - Friday 4/28/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Friday, April 28, 2023. You'll hear about Sunday's Fair Housing Affair at the YWCA McLean County. Plus, a preview of a Mayan show at the ISU Planetarium, running weekends through May 6.

  26. The Leadoff - Thursday 4/27/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Thursday, April 27, 2023. You'll hear about Illinois Wesleyan University's efforts to get its nursing program off probation. Plus, a Cornell philosopher speaks to an ISU audience about mansplaining and misogyny.

  27. The Leadoff - Wednesday 4/26/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, April 26, 2023. You'll hear about the importance of organ donation. Plus, how the end of expanded SNAP benefits is impacting a Normal food bank.

  28. The Leadoff - Tuesday 4/25/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know for Tuesday, April 25, 2023. You'll hear about efforts to bring a grocery store closer to the ISU campus. Plus, an interview with the curator of a show in Uptown Normal for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

  29. The Leadoff - Monday 4/24/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Monday, April 24, 2023. You'll hear about additional impacts of staff shortages at the McLean County jail. Also, get some tips for navigating the Ewing Cultural Center in Bloomington.

  30. The Leadoff - Friday 4/21/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Friday, April 21, 2023. You'll hear about asbestos removal planning at Normal Public Library. Plus, an interview with ISU's interim president about the way forward for ISU Athletics.

  31. The Leadoff - Thursday 4/20/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Thursday, April 20, 2023. You'll hear about Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe's testimony in Springfield on a key source of tax revenue. Plus, a 1960s fashion show comes to Illinois State University.

  32. The Leadoff - Wednesday 4/19/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, April 19, 2023. You'll hear about ISU alum Jane Lynch's return to campus for a 3-week Visiting Artist residency. Plus, a look at the shortage of firefighters in Bloomington-Normal and beyond.

  33. The Leadoff - Tuesday 4/18/23

    WGLT's The Leadoff is everything you need to know to start your day for Tuesday, April 18, 2023. You'll hear about what it will take to reopen Olympia's high school and middle school after last week's fire. Plus, an interview with McLean County Sheriff Matt Lane.

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TOPICS IN THIS SHOW

BloomingtonNews BusinessUpdates CommunityHighlights DailyBriefing LocalPolitics MorningDigest NormalSports

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

WGLT's The Leadoff podcast was a morning news digest all about Bloomington-Normal. New episodes were released between 2019 and 2025. The final episode was released Dec. 19, 2025.Transcripts are available in the Apple Podcasts app, inside each episode.

HOSTED BY

WGLT

CATEGORIES

news daily society culture

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does The Leadoff have?

The Leadoff currently has 33 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is The Leadoff about?

WGLT's The Leadoff podcast was a morning news digest all about Bloomington-Normal. New episodes were released between 2019 and 2025. The final episode was released Dec. 19, 2025.Transcripts are available in the Apple Podcasts app, inside each episode.

How often does The Leadoff release new episodes?

The Leadoff has 33 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to The Leadoff?

You can listen to The Leadoff on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts The Leadoff?

The Leadoff is created and hosted by WGLT.
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