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Speaker 1: From the WGLT newsroom, I'm Courtney Conroy. Illinois business leaders

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Speaker 1: are calling for more childcare assistance. The nonprofit Ready Nation

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Speaker 1: Illinois reports the state economy is losing $6 billion annually

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Speaker 1: because of the childcare crisis. Springfield area parent Tiffany Saunders

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Speaker 1: says her daughter was on multiple waitlists.

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Speaker 2: I lost count of how many I called, and she

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Speaker 2: never rose to the top of the list for most.

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Speaker 2: sat on one waitlist for over a year before getting in.

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Speaker 1: Saunders says being a salaried employee allows her to be

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Speaker 1: more flexible. Former Illinois State University softball coach Melinda Fisher

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Speaker 1: is among the 2026 class of McLean County history makers.

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Speaker 1: Fisher says despite retiring, she is always a Redbirds supporter.

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Speaker 1: I give my advice when or my opinion when it's asked,

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Speaker 1: and sometimes when it's not, but I

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Speaker 1: I still support Redbird Athletics through and through. Other honorees

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Speaker 1: include former county board chair John McIntyre, counselor Fay Sebastian,

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Speaker 1: and community advocates Art and Camille Taylor. The YWCA of

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Speaker 1: McLean County is ending its second oldest effort, the retired

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Speaker 1: senior Volunteer Program. CEO Liz German says new federal guidelines

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Speaker 1: to qualify for a federal grant would require the volunteers

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Speaker 1: to offer direct service instead of administ.

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Speaker 1: Rate of support and the high average age of volunteer

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Speaker 1: means that's not a good fit. German says the new

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Speaker 1: requirements don't fit with what the nonprofits want the volunteers

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Speaker 1: to do either, and they said, you know, we would

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Speaker 1: love for you to do X, Y, Z, but working

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Speaker 1: directly with our participants isn't really, it's not really covered

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Speaker 1: under our insurance. It's not really safe. The program coordinated

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Speaker 1: volunteers for up to 80 nonprofit organizations for about 40 years,

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Speaker 1: and a museum drawing roots.

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Speaker 1: 66 travelers in Logan County has been cited for violations

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Speaker 1: to the Americans with Disabilities Act. The American Giants Museum

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Speaker 1: has agreed to make two dozen improvements to expand access

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Speaker 1: for people with mobility devices. The museum opened in 2024

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Speaker 1: in Atlanta, 30 miles southwest of Bloomington Normal, featuring a

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Speaker 1: collection of restored fiberglass statues. Assistant US Attorney Joshua Grant

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Speaker 1: commended the museum for its prompt renovations. I'm.