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Aurora’s poet laureate is making sure that poetry is in clear view in the city’s downtown.  

Karen-Fullett Christensen was at the starting line ready to take off after her appointment. But before she could get into a stride the pandemic swooped in like a whirlwind.  

“So, all the great plans that I had of things I wanted to do related to the poet laureate position really had to be put on hold with the exception of the Aurora Poet Laureate Facebook page,” she said, “and then everything that we're doing with A-Town Poetics.”  

Welcome to WNIJ's Poetically Yours. This segment showcases poems by northern Illinois poets. Today's poem is by Jennifer Rea.

We are all aware of the color blue, but what’s going on in our brains to make us conscious of the color blue?

So far, scientists don’t know. But let’s flash forward in hope and assume that by the year 2100 they figure it out. Awareness of the color blue is the result of a specific electro-chemical process in the cerebellum called LB2019c.

But there’s still a problem. When I see the color blue, I think of my Aunt Gwenelda, who loved the color. You, on the other hand, think of how depressed you’ve been. Yet that same LB2019c mechanism stimulated our awareness of blue.

Paralysis by Analysis is the new album out now from DeKalb artist Mark Walters, also known as Kram. Join us for this week's show featuring music from that album and more, performed live in WNIJ's Studio A. We'll also talk with Mark Walters about his background, inspirations, and about writing and producing Paralysis by Analysis.   

In special ed, teachers usually work with fewer students, and the relationships they build -- not only with kids but also their parents -- can become very close. The school year has been especially challenging with COVID-19 restrictions, but Maddi Bodine has kept forging those bonds -- even online or through plexiglass. She’s a pre-K special ed teacher at Kingston Elementary.

When the storm descended on Texas beginning on Valentine’s Day, many people turned on their heat only to discover that they had no power, some for as long as 50 hours. People died. Homes and businesses suffered great damage, and water supplies are still not fully restored for many.

A disastrous combination of factors turned this weather event into a dire emergency for millions when the extreme cold caused the electrical grid in Texas to come very close to total collapse.

Two Jefferson High School students in Rockford have advanced in a virtual nationwide spoken word competition.

Raeanna Tremethick and Emma Carmona have moved on to the Poetry Out Loud virtual state competition. 

The contest showcases the talents of high school performance poets across the nation. The students present poems from established poets. 

Many people consider the Chicago Portage to be the transportation link that spurred the growth of Chicago. Some call it the "Birthplace of Chicago" or even "Chicago's Plymouth Rock." Whatever you call it, the Byron Forest Preserve is hosting a free Zoom lecture about the portage's history dating back to the Ice Age. Paula Bryant is an archaeologist with Illinois State Survey Archaeology and she will lead the lecture. 

It is not possible to overstate the evil inflicted by the United States upon African Americans and their ancestors. The depravity of slavery, Jim Crow Era lynchings, rapes, and intimidation, continued economic warfare and a criminal justice system designed to control citizens of color with brutality. Just a partial list.  Yet proclaiming, “All men are created equal!”

A volunteer organization that supports teachers in Winnebago and Boone counties came up with a unique way to raise money.

Jennifer Stark is executive director of the Golden Apple Foundation of Rockford. She said the foundation’s teachers came up with the idea of doing a talent show. The viewing is free but those interested in voting are asked to make a donation.  

To mark Black History month, Mrs. Shershen’s 8th grade choir at Harter Middle School is exploring Langston Hughes’ poem, “The Dream Keeper” through song.  Its beautiful melody wrapped around my heart.  More so, the poetry mesmerized me. 

Bring me all of your dreams,

You dreamer,

Bring me all of your

Heart melodies

That I may wrap them

In a blue cloud-cloth

Away from the too-rough fingers

Of the world.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law a massive criminal justice overhaul. Critics are already lining up. 

Rockford-area Republican Sen. Dave Syverson said he sympathizes with the opponents of the measure, and referred to it as a “blatant anti-police bill.” 

"Well, certainly I'm disappointed that bill was signed and not vetoed, or even amendatorily vetoed. There are some things in there that make sense. Problem is that the major things that are in there clearly are going to tie the hands of law enforcement."

More and more Illinois school districts are offering in-person options as COVID-19 positivity rates continue to drop. 70% of students are now in a hybrid learning format. But many parents are turning to their school districts to ask for more in-person time.

Domestic protests continue against the military coup in Myanmar. A Northern Illinois University professor hopes they will lead to a democratic transition.

For decades, the southeast Asian nation of Myanmar was controlled by a military junta. This regime held free elections in 1990. That’s when democratic activist Aung San Suu Kyi’s party won a majority of seats. But the military didn’t cede power for nearly two more decades. 

William H. Bissell was Illinois’ 11th governor, elected in 1856 and endorsed by Abraham Lincoln. He is known for many Illinois firsts: first Catholic governor, first Republican governor  -- the party was only two years old at the time of his election -- and first governor to die in office.

It is the desperation, fear, and hatred in their faces that follows me. The pained shouts. The hand-to-hand barbarian combat. The use of blunt objects and murder weapons that were at hand. January 6th leaves me with troubling questions like a family member after a suicide.

What drives people to a desperate edge? Why does a person embrace lies over truth? How does a person turn the flag he claims to revere into a weapon?

Rockford Park District doesn't want you to wear your heart on your sleeve. They want you to hang it on a tree! It's part of their 2021 Winter Flurry initiative called "We Love Our Parks." That's when kids (and their families and friends) create colorful stained-glass hearts and hang them on designated trees throughout the city.

Laura Gibbs-Green is the communications manager for the park district. She said they are distributing free kits throughout the community and that the kits are a great way for families to create art, get outside and have fun.

Welcome to WNIJ's Poetically Yours. This segment showcases poems by northern Illinois poets. Today's poet is Bear Wolf. 

Wolf is a Shawnee Gypsy Jew social justice humanist who lost count of his tattoos somewhere around 20. This world makes no sense to him, so he makes music and poetry. His talks about a brighter tomorrow in his poem "Breath of Fresh Air, Sigh of Relief.'"

Listening to NPR today

Feels like once again

Finding my way

I have to say it's nearly miraculous

Hearing stories of inspiration and hope

The coldest, snowiest, most miserable time of year means one thing for many of the hardiest folk in Wisconsin – time to drag your ice auger and a bucket of shiners out onto the nearest lake.

On a new episode of Teachers' Lounge: Mary Beth Cunat! She’s the principal at Spectrum Progressive School in Rockford. Talking to Mary Beth is like taking a free master’s degree class in education. We went in-depth about what it means to be a “progressive school,” her lengthy career in education including her time at Chicago Public Schools, teaching working with her family at Spectrum as well as her love of animals (specifically we both love otters and talk about that for a while. Don’t miss it!)

Since we cannot go on vacations, my wife decided to explore new ways to be adventurous and, on a whim, she brought home a small jar of Marmite.

We knew that this substance is popular in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. But we also had heard other things about it. A colleague of ours had spent months in Australia with his cousins, who, in his words, "loved that stuff," and his opinion of it was quite low. Then, again, he also hated mayonnaise.

Local businesses have struggled to stay afloat during the pandemic. Seventeen percent of U.S. restaurants have closed due to COVID-19. They’ve swung from closed, to open with restrictions, to closed again -- and some have operated in spite of mitigation rules, potentially putting customers and employees at risk for the virus.