Interviews with people doing big things in the Bloomington-Normal area.
Episodes
Monday Jun 24, 2019
Monday Jun 24, 2019
Steve Suess is the Chair of the McLean County Libertarian Party. We talk about the recent growth of the local party, learn about their future plans, and try out best to keep the conversation local instead of national – you can judge if we were successful.
Find out more on:
- Facebook: McLean County Libertarian Party
- Online: mcleancountylp.org
Thank you to our sponsors
- Play Normal E-Sports
- Normal Gadgets
- Lil’ Beaver Brewery
Music: “Extremes” by The Lemming Shepherds, public domain
Wednesday Jun 05, 2019
Wednesday Jun 05, 2019
Chuck Marohn is the Founder and President of Strong Towns, an international movement that’s dedicated to making communities across the United States and Canada financially strong and resilient. He Skyped in from Minnesota to talk about hot topics in Bloomington-Normal.
We start with a brief orientation to Strong Towns (2:20), then we chat about approaches for connectivity and infill (8:45), downtown/uptown revitalization (20:15), Connect Transit (35:20), and next steps for the Arena and Eastland Mall (53:20).
Find out more at StrongTowns.com and the Strong Towns Podcast. At the website you can preorder “Strong Towns: The Book” and see what events are scheduled, including the upcoming book tour.
On the topic of transit, Chuck recommends “Human Transit” by Jarrett Walker.
Thank you to our sponsors
- Play Normal E-Sports
- Normal Gadgets
- Lil’ Beaver Brewery
Music: “Extremes” by The Lemming Shepherds, public domain
Sunday May 26, 2019
Sunday May 26, 2019
Charlie Johnsonis the owner of Potsitivities, a CBD lotion producer. We discuss CBD, a cannabis-based (legal) supplement which has been shown to have remarkable health benefits. He also offers his take on marijuana legalization, a topic he follows closely. We wrap up with some philosophizing on the Fermi Paradox and the free will/determinism debate.
Find out more at
Thank you to our sponsors
- Play Normal E-Sports
- Normal Gadgets
- Lil’ Beaver Brewery
Music: “Extremes” by The Lemming Shepherds, public domain
Monday Apr 22, 2019
Monday Apr 22, 2019
Zach Dietmeier is the Vice President of Marketing & Communication for the EDC. He explains the history the EDC, its goals, and its practices. We then dig into the details of Rivian and Brandt: two recent notable examples of EDC action. We wrap up with a discussion of how the council interacts with the other private and public organizations in the county.
Find out more at:
- EDC website: bnbiz.org
- BN Advantage website: bnadvantage.com
- EDC on Facebook
- Visit their office at 200 W College Ave in Normal
- Call 309-452-8437
Thank you to our sponsors
- Play Normal E-Sports / Normal Gadgets
- Lil’ Beaver Brewery
Music: “Extremes” by The Lemming Shepherds, public domain
Monday Apr 15, 2019
Monday Apr 15, 2019
Lauri Meins is a fitness enthusiast and serial entrepreneur. She has a streak of running at least a mile every day for 4 years, is an IronMan triathlete, and teaches yoga. Her hair styling businesses have helped her live her best life through her work, and she’s recently purchased on online boutique as well. We discuss what motivates her to pursue all these endeavors (it’s not Hot Pockets).
Find out more at
- Instagram: runlaurirun
- Haven Studios
- Hello Beautiful Hair Salon
- Harlow Brooke Boutique
- Barbell Club: Free yoga Thursdays at 7pm
Thank you to our sponsors
- Play Normal E-Sports
- Normal Gadgets
- Lil’ Beaver Brewery
Music: “Extremes” by The Lemming Shepherds, public domain
Tuesday Apr 09, 2019
Tuesday Apr 09, 2019
Jennifer McDade, owner of Elemental Market & Art Hive, talks about her community service experience, including her time on Bloomington City Council during the financial crisis. We then discuss her microbusiness and her perspectives on Downtown, past and future. Plus: fancy pants and a special heart pillow.
Find out more at elementalmarketandarthive.com, on Facebook, and on Instagram.
Thank you to our sponsors
- Play Normal E-Sports
- Normal Gadgets
- Lil’ Beaver Brewery
Music: “Extremes” by The Lemming Shepherds, public domain
Wednesday Mar 27, 2019
Wednesday Mar 27, 2019
You thought we were done, but there’s one more!
A sub-podcast featuring conversations with Bloomington-Normal council candidates.
Our guest is Karl Sila, write-in candidate for Normal Town Council.
Find out more on Facebook at "Karl Silva for Normal Town Council"
Thank you to our sponsors
- Play Normal E-Sports
- Normal Gadgets
- Lil’ Beaver Brewery
Music: “Up for Days” by Pleasant Pictures Music Club (pleasantpictures.com); licensed for use
Tuesday Mar 26, 2019
Tuesday Mar 26, 2019
Angelique Rački(“rahtch-key”)is the founder of Breaking Chains & Advancing Increase (BCAI) School of Arts. We talk about what led her to create the school, the experiences that keep her going, how Hip Hop culture differs from pop culture representations, how recognizing our shared humanity allows us to celebrate our differences, and much much more.
Click here to buy your tickets for their upcoming mix.fuze.evolve event.
Find out more at:
- BCAIArts.org
- BCAI on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and pretty much any other social media you can think of
- Email: breakingchains116@gmail.com
Thank you to our sponsors
- Play Normal E-Sports
- Normal Gadgets
- Lil’ Beaver Brewery
Music: “Extremes” by The Lemming Shepherds, public domain
Tuesday Mar 12, 2019
Tuesday Mar 12, 2019
Mike McCurdy, co-founder of Bike BloNo and Chair of the Connect Transit Board, stops by to talk transportation.
What is it like to use a bike as your primary mode of transportation in Bloomington-Normal? How are bus routes established? How does car culture clash with public transit culture? We discuss those questions and much more.
It may help to pull up this System Map during some of the Connect Transit discussion in the second half of the show.
Find out more at:
- “Bike BloNo” Facebook page
- Connect-Transit.com
Thank you to our sponsors
- Play Normal E-Sports
- Normal Gadgets
- Lil’ Beaver Brewery
Music: “Extremes” by The Lemming Shepherds, public domain
Friday Mar 08, 2019
Friday Mar 08, 2019
PodBN – Elections Edition
A sub-podcast featuring conversations with Bloomington-Normal council candidates.
Our guest is Julie Emig, candidate for Bloomington City Council Ward 4.
Find out more on Facebook at Julie Emig for Ward 4
Thank you to our sponsors
- Play Normal E-Sports
- Normal Gadgets
- Lil’ Beaver Brewery
Music: “Up for Days” by Pleasant Pictures Music Club (pleasantpictures.com); licensed for use