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Statewide

Reporting from in and around Illinois.Listen to Statewide on WNIJ Saturdays 6-7 a.m. and Sundays 6-7 p.m.

Statewide: Feeding Kids With Schools Closed; The Show Must Go On

NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS | By Sean Crawford

Published March 19, 2020 at 8:31 PM CDT

This week's program focuses on the changes we're seeing as a result of the coronavirus. From how schools operate to customers panic buying at grocery stores.

We're all feeling stressed during this time and we'll hear some ideas on how to cope with anxiety.

That and more on this week's Statewide.

Our lineup:

* Sean Crawford talks with reporter Tara McClellan McAndrew about another pandemic. Influenza killed hundreds of thousands across the world more than a century ago.

* Adam Reisch with Theatre In The Park in central Illinois explains how the organization will continue casting for summer shows with "virtual" auditions.

* Lee Gaines of Illinois Newsroom reports schools are closed, but the job of feeding kids continues.

* WBEZ's Kate McGee hears how some professors are making the transition to online-only teaching.

* Sam Dunklau speaks with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association CEO Rob Karr about panic buying and how retailers are handling the rush of customers during the pandemic.

* Sean Crawford interviews Jim Watts with the Central Illinois Community Blood Center about the mass cancellation of blood drives and the impact that's having on the blood supply.

* Memorial Health System's Diana Knaebe explains a new free hotline to provide emotional support in this unprecedented period. She also gives some tips that might help lessen stress.

Statewide for the week of March 20, 2020Listen to Statewide across Illinois in:

Bloomington/Normal – WGLT 89.1 (Fridays 11 a.m. - Noon, Sundays 6-7 a.m.)
Carbondale – WSIU 91.9 (Fridays 2-3 p.m. and Sundays 6-7 a.m.)
Mount Vernon - WVSI 88.9 (Fridays 2-3 p.m. and Sundays 6-7 a.m.)
Olney - WUSI 90.3 (Fridays 2-3 p.m. and Sundays 6-7 a.m.)
Rockford/DeKalb – WNIJ 89.5 (Saturdays 6-7 a.m., Sundays 6-7 p.m.)
Springfield/Decatur - WUIS 91.9 (Fridays 11 a.m. - Noon, 11 p.m. - Midnight, Saturdays 9-10 a.m.)
Peoria – WCBU 89.9 (Fridays 6-7 p.m., Sundays 6-7 a.m.)
Pittsfield - WIPA 89.3 (Fridays 11 a.m. - Noon, 11 p.m. - Midnight, Saturdays 9-10 a.m.)
Urbana/Champaign – WILL 580 (Fridays 11 a.m. - Noon, 7-8 p.m.)