HyperLocal(s)

 This trio is a community-driven powerhouse of commitment and dedication to kids and the game of football.   Listen as this mix of townies and transplants talks about youth football in our community, the popularity peak in the late 80s/early 90s, the fade out in the early 2000s and the rise again as Champaign-Urbana and surrounding towns build and strengthen youth football teams to participate in...

 Champaign County Court Appointed Special Advocate's (CASA) representatives stop by to passionately and compassionately explain why the kids in our community need CASA to to be their voice.  Listen as Candi, a townie and CASA volunteer, and Laura, a Peoria transplant and Director of Development, talk about how they attach themselves to the child abuse and neglect cases in Champaign County, th...

My husband and I download this non-stop season of life.    Listen as my husband and the "Tales From Two Townies" most requested, returns to talk wrapping basement construction, "stolen" haybales, parent failures, having "the talk" as kids and with our own, the neighborhood car chase and accident, In Retrospect: A HyperLocal(s) Project, teaching Science Olympiad, tree...

What a local treasure. Champaign-Urbana is so very lucky to have someone who cares about creating, maintaining and improving beloved businesses in our community.  Listen as this Michigan/Florida transplant talks about her commitment and ownership to five touchstone businesses in our town, Central Illinois Bakehouse, Espresso Royale Cafes, Martinelli's Market, Pekara Bistro and Prairie Fruits...

The introductions go wayyyy back to Franklin Middle School then Central High. Two of the four Cornett sisters, Amanda Overmyer and Jodi Davis, join me for a look back, snapshot of the present and glimpse into the future.   Listen as these Champaign natives talk sisterhood, family dynamics and roles, unexpected blessings, midwest mannerisms vs. southern hospitality, why Jodi will forever be mad at...

Coming in fresh from a day of summer school, this fixture at Central High School takes me through the trajectory of his teaching and coaching career.  Listen as this small town Iowa farm kid talks farming, "kids these days," technology, the longevity of his career at our local high school, the approach of empty nesting, travel baseball, emotional coaching vs. skills coaching, bringing a...

Busy, kind, funny and self-deprecating. Jess stayed cool, calm and collected under pressure as the definition of a multi-tasking mom unfolded right in front of me in order to get the job done.  Listen as this Chicago-area transplant talks micropreemie, losing a twin, infertility, the endless NICU stay, taking home "the sickest, smallest baby at Carle," trach life, regrets and therapy, CO...

I couldn't take in all of the poetic and prophetic words fast enough. Wise beyond words and kind beyond the capacity of most, Carlos has used his tonsorial talent to give back to select groups of youth in our community.  Listen as this Champaign native talks all things grooming, the importance of looking good to feel good, feeling good to perform good, abuse, divorce, being a dad to a big bro...

A local newspaper article led me to her. She had surprised herself by winning an award for "Dispatcher of the Year." After talking to the 9-1-1 call center operator, there was no doubt she was deserving of this award.   Listen as this Monticello Sage lights up the MIC with her tales from behind the drawn windows of the local 9-1-1 call center, the importance of food on the job, night shi...

Open and honest, warm and approachable. Father O'Brien gives priests a great name. He has made such a positive imprint on our community, and we are sad to see him move on to his next assignment, as is the dedicated life of a priest.  Listen as this Bloomington native turned nomadic priest talks rectory life, choosing to attend seminary and the low rate of graduates, what his parents thought o...

It is much more than bell ringing and disaster relief, this couple upholds the promise to do the most good with the resources provided by The Salvation Army.  Listen as this Nebraska native, Kenyon, talks about his story as a foster youth, how his mother needed and used the Salvation Army to bring their family back together, how the Salvation Army gave them the opportunity to have a Christmas, how...

This red-headed delight has come up many times in previous episodes, so I thought it only right she comes on and tells her story.   Listen as this Easton, IL native (home to 400 or less) talks about her life as a photographer, the niche she has carved in the industry, going from small town to big city, photographing campus shenanigans as her first gig, volunteering for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (...

What a joy and pleasure and light and well-rounded person Jae was to interview. There's no shortage of adjectives for this well-spoken delight. She is a That's What She Said Sister, therapist, financial guru and simply a great person to have met.  Listen as this Naperville native and University of Illinois grad talks about the lifetime's worth of trauma she has experienced in just a...

This smooth operator joins me at Kitchen Table Studios after a long day of teaching and dadding.   Listen as this Kankakee-born musician talks skipping a grade, clutching a high-honor scholarship, falling a few credits short, mastering his degree later in life, becoming a teacher of music and playing his voice all over our community while trying to manage a tricky relationship with finances. Final...

Her intellect, presence and breadth of talent was inspiring. Her disposition and mellow nature was calming. She was a lovely interview and an honor to sit down with.   Listen as this German-born, California-raised and Champaign-rooted, talks how music influenced and shaped her education, her love life, her career and her family dynamics. Julie's main instrument is piano, however: conducting,...

My family of four gather around our dining table aka Kitchen Table Studios to excitedly provide content.     Listen as my children, husband and the "Tales From Two Townies" most requested, graciously provide content during a rousing Q & A game, expose family secrets, tell us why they know mom and dad love them, what are mom and dad not good at, lots of secret fast food content, what...

We saw the same episode of the same trash TV show. We thought the same thing as the same time. She reached out and I was ready to listen and record.   Listen as this Champaign girl turned Bloomington-Normal resident returns to talk about the most controversial topic on the planet. Heated, political, polarizing and emotional. This one is all hers, however. The spring break we will never forget foll...

Bubbly is an understatement. She is bouncy, beautiful and ultimately driven by a love for her business. Her second child.   Listen as this Tuscola woman talks about working at the outlets, always wanting to be at work over school, following what she excelled at over what she envisioned for her future, scaling down the dream of a family of five to one, managing a home and business with a commuting...

Sweet and hardworking, altruistic and loving. She is the definition of selfless and the embodiment of maternal resilience.  Listen as this Urbana-born woman breaks free from a traumatic childhood by seeking refuge at a woman's shelter near her neighborhood, prioritizing work over a higher education, eventually getting straight A's and building a career in respiratory therapy, finding lov...

She is a ball of energy with a desire to change and help those that don't have a voice. At our first formal meeting she tells me all about her job at our local alternative school.   Listen as this townie talks working at the juvenile detention center, earning trust and respect, becoming an accidental liaison for the lost pets in our community, turning off social media for self-preservation, l...

When I saw her on stage at That's What She Said 2025, she shined like a diamond. Authentic, sweet and funny. A few messages later, and I got to meet the star for a long-form interview of her performance.  Listen as this Farmer City girl talks about the unique spelling of her name, her career in philanthropy, infertility treatments, the heart-wrenching ending to the birth of her triplets, how...

Ommmmmmm. She has a calming affect that is unmatched. Flowers, yoga and an overall conscious lifestyle cloaked in spirituality, sustainability, staying grounded and an appreciation for nature.  Listen as this Korea-born, nomadic youth and now local business woman shares a story of yoga, the Dahlia diva, gardening, being a librarian, spirituality, losing her mom after healing their relationship, li...

What a character! What an entertainer! Energy and talent bubble out of this Jim Morrisonesque style icon while he graces the stages of Champaign-Urbana.   Listen as this New York transplant talks about his youth as a performer, relative pitch versus perfect pitch, his ongoing residency at Urbana's Canopy Club, the history and resurrection of Piano Man, the most requested songs and finally how...

When you realize someone you have always known strictly as an authority figure has a personal life, you begin to see them in an entirely different way. A dad, a husband, humanized, vulnerable. My former high school teacher had an entire story unfolding outside of the brick and mortar of Central High School.  Listen as this tight local father-and-daughter combo come to Kitchen Table Studios to talk...

A lot can happen in two years. On September 12, 2022 the first podcast was released with this single mom. She returns to give a life update on the growth of her family and her heart.  Listen as this Urbana gal talks about her move to a small town, going from a mom of one to a mom of two overnight, her faith, her support system, how she manages stress, the adoption process, how they celebrated the...