Podagraph Episode 25: Breast Cancer Awareness with Paul Swiech

Government Reporter Derek Beigh interviews Health Editor Paul Swiech about his breast cancer awareness package in Saturday’s Pantagraph, including a profile of cancer survivor Andrea Kane.

Paul discusses risk factors for breast cancer, how Andrea leaned on her workout family during treatment, what anyone can learn from her “quiet strength,” a Monday end-of-life planning event and the latest on vaping.

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Music by Sappheiros

Government Reporter Derek Beigh interviews Education and Public Safety Reporter Kelsey Watznauer about McLean County Unit 5 schools, starting with the Normal-based district’s long-standing transportation woes.

Kelsey discusses why Unit 5 has so much trouble getting students to school, where those problems originated and what changes may be on the horizon.

Plus: the search for a superintendent, adding lacrosse at the high-school level, a WorldSkills finalist and Normal West High’s 25th birthday celebration.

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Music by Sappheiros

Government Reporter Derek Beigh interviews Sports Editor Randy Kindred about the Chicago Bears, starting with his Sunday column on Pantagraph alum Will Larkin and the Chicago Tribune’s 100 Best Bears series.

Randy discusses how he chose to write about Larkin, his favorite eras of Chicago Bears history, how common Bears fandom is in Central Illinois and the paper’s different approaches to pro, college and high school sports.

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Music by Sappheiros

Education and Public Safety Reporter Kelsey Watznauer interviews Government Reporter Derek Beigh about his Sunday story on the McLean County Museum of History’s project to preserve early negatives from The Pantagraph, many of which will be published for the first time this week.

Derek discusses how these negatives have withstood the test of time, what the museum and its partners have done to bring them back to life and how historians the world over can access them online starting Wednesday.

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Music by Sappheiros

Government Reporter Derek Beigh interviews Health Editor Paul Swiech about his Sunday story on the link between mass shootings and mental illness, a national conversation again after August massacres in El Paso and Dayton.

Paul discusses how closely the issues are linked; what we lose by stigmatizing mental illness; tips for those who struggle with mental illness or have loved ones who do; and how stereotypes and easy explanations can fall short.

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Music by Sappheiros

Government Reporter Derek Beigh interviews Higher Education Reporter Lenore Sobota about the new semester at Illinois State University, kicking off Aug. 19 in Normal.

Lenore discusses how to steer clear of move-in days; what’s new with Bone Student Center and other ISU facilities; and the latest ‘Explore with Lenore.’

Music by Sappheiros

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Government Reporter Derek Beigh interviews Sportswriter Bruce Yentes about his weekly motorsports column, including Friday’s on the Prairie Dirt Classic, one of the nation’s biggest dirt late model races, this weekend in Fairbury.

Bruce discusses what defines dirt late model racing, how amped the local community gets for the classic and how he finds ideas for weekly features.

Music by Sappheiros

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Government Reporter Derek Beigh interviews Higher Education Reporter Lenore Sobota about “Explore with Lenore,” a new series that spotlights the beautiful and diverse outdoor environments of Central Illinois.

Lenore discusses what she loves about the first three destinations featured in the series, how she approaches such a personal assignment and what she’s working on to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing this week.

Music by Sappheiros

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Government Reporter Derek Beigh interviews Bill Kemp, librarian at the McLean County Museum of History, about the downtown State Farm building hours after the company announced that community institution will be razed.

Bill discusses how the building was built over four stages and several years; what it’s meant to the company, Bloomington-Normal and places beyond; and what lies ahead for the downtown district where the museum also sits.

Music by Sappheiros

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Education and Public Safety Reporter Kelsey Watznauer interviews Government Reporter Derek Beigh about electric car adoption, a one-time Twin City priority that’s slowed but may emerge again under Rivian.

Derek discusses the ambitious origins and decline of the EVTown initiative, how Rivian fits into the local market and what to expect from the future of electric automotive technology.

Music by Sappheiros

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