If you haven’t caught any of the 104 episodes of News-Gazette Radio, powered by GTPS Insurance, we hope you’ll give us a try (4-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday on WDWS 1400-AM, with every podcast available on iTunes, Spotify and at news-gazette.com).
Here’s just a small sampling of what the 402 movers, shakers and headline makers who’ve appeared as guests have had to say through the first six-plus months.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric Long speaks at the beginning of a naturalization ceremony last week at Hotel Royer in downtown Urbana in which 56 immigrants officially became U.S. citizens.
Federal magistrate judge for the Central District of Illinois
On getting to preside over naturalization ceremonies like the one last week on the eve of the country turning 250: “It’s really hard to put into words how fulfilling is. It’s also one of the few days when everybody in my courtroom is happy, so that’s an added benefit to it.
“It’s incredible for a number of reasons but there’s really one that stands out. New citizens have a bit of a unique perspective on America in the sense that they chose this country. It wasn’t happenstance that they ended up here.
They see it for its opportunities, they see it for its freedoms, they see its for its possibilities, which many of us who were born here take for granted.
“You talk to these folks and understand exactly where they’re coming from and the sacrifices they made — leaving behind homes, family members, friends, careers … it’s all done for one purpose. And that’s to come here to the United States and start all over in a brand-new country. It’s spectacular.”
Graham Nash
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young singer/songwriter booked for a Virginia Theatre gig on July 21
On the contemporary no longer with us he most misses making music with: “Crosby. I think about David a lot. He’s in my prayers every night. We had a certain thing together. We had a certain blend vocally. We had a certain way of writing — it was different from each other but very much the same.”
On mixing up his set list: “It stretches all the way from The Hollies all the way through. I have a skeleton of songs that I know people want to hear. They want to hear ‘Our House.’ They want to hear ‘Teach Your Children.’ … And in between all those songs, I can go wherever I want. I change every single night. (But the finale) is always either ‘Suite Judy Blue Eyes’ or ‘Ohio.’”
On the size of venues he prefers playing now as an 84-year-old act without his familiar bandmates: “Anything between 1,200 people and and 4 or 5,000. I do really like to see my audience. I want my audience to be a part of the show; I don’t want them just looking at me. I need to know that they’re a part of it. If they want to sing ‘Teach Your Children’ with me, fantastic.”
Ava Clark
2026 Champaign Central grad awarded one of six Vic Shaul scholarships by the Kiwanis Club of Champaign-Urbana
On the teacher who had the most profound impact on her: “At Central, my math teacher, Julee Lee, had the biggest impact on me academically. She’s, hands down, one of the best teachers that I know and it really shows through her students’ performances. She has a really high class average for AP tests. She’s just the best.
“I took two math classes with her back to back during my senior year but I loved it because she always had so much energy and made the classes so engaging.
“I go on a mission trip with her every year. I’m actually on it right now, in Jonesville, Virginia.”
Troy Strebin
Westville mayor
On the thrill of joining his veteran dad on an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.: “I was able to convince my father, who’s a Vietnam veteran, to go on an Honor Flight, but I didn’t tell him that I was going to be his guardian. I signed him up, he got picked and about a week out, he found out I was going, so it was a special moment.
“But we went a little bit further. My older brother, who is retired Navy as well and whose youngest son is still active duty Navy in the Washington, D.C., area, were able to surprise my father at the World War II Memorial. When he turned the corner, boom. His other son and one of his grandsons were there, as well.
“The Land of Lincoln Honor Flight staff, from Day 1, made sure everyone had everything they need, from early morning until when you got back that evening. When we arrived back in Springfield, there were thousands of people (at the airport). It was like walking through a celebration of the Cubs winning the World Series.
“It was just absolutely amazing. My father was bawling. I was crying. It was great.”
Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas.
U.S. Olympic Hall of Famer who’ll leave her job at the UI College of Applied Health Sciences later this summer for a position leading a fundraising team at The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis
Jean Driscoll
On the most unique of many honors during and after her wheelchair racing career — being named godmother of a cruise ship: “I didn’t even know their were godmothers until Royal Caribbean contacted me and told me I was godmother of Mariner of the Seas. I just sailed on Mariner of the Seas over New Year’s with some other Illini.
“Being a godmother of a ship is the highest honor in the cruising industry. Actually, every ship on the high seas has a godmother. Queen Elizabeth was godmother to several ships. Jackie Joyner-Kersee is a godmother.
“I got to help christen the ship in 2003. Mariner of the Seas had its maiden voyage during my birthday week. I got to sail for free and they put me in the largest suite on the ship, which was about 1,400 square feet.
“They also allowed me to invite sixty — six-zero — family and friends to the christening and they sailed free of charge. It was a great way to say thank you to a lot of people who supported me.”
Former Illini All-Big Ten ace pitched 10 years in the major leagues
On being in the stands at Comiskey Park as a teenage White Sox fan on July 12, 1979, aka Disco Demolition Night: “I remember bringing my disco record from home, me and some friends. We were in the seats and it felt like a Grateful Dead concert, with all the marijuana smoke hanging over the stadium.
“A lot of people with black concert T-shirts on. There were no baseball fans there; it was like going to a concert.
“When the first game of the doubleheader was over and people stormed the field, it was crazy. There were people climbing from the upper-deck foul pole down to the field. Things were on fire.
“I think I was the only person there upset that the Sox had to forfeit Game 2 of the doubleheader. The Sox weren’t that good then. They couldn’t afford a forfeit game.
“I’m sure I’m the only guy there who ended up playing in the major leagues later on.”
Wendy Driver
Urbana mom of two young sons
On the inspiration for her June 16 column in our Tuesday Town Hall section, entitled ”A mother’s plea: Change narrative about young Black boys”: “We just suffered another loss of a teenage boy. His name was Christian (Cowan). His mom is a great woman. I went to school with her; April is wonderful.
“His dad passed away from health issues. April has five boys that she has been raising as a single mother. And with this economy, with this financial burden that we all have, that we can all relate to, it is hard raising children alone.
“I saw some comments where people would say, ‘Oh, they were shooting at each other. They live the thug life.’
“Let’s not do that. Christian was not that type of kids. He barely went outside his home. … We don’t want to see the Black boys seen as the problem. We want the problem seen as the problem.”
From left, 2026’s new royalty — Junior Miss Fisher Fair Ivy Waldron, Queen Ava Paullin and Little Miss Alaina Hershberger — wave to their subjects Monday afternoon during the Fisher Fair and Sesquicentennial Lighted Parade in downtown Fisher.
2026 Fisher Fair queen, who won over judges with a speech comparing herself to three Muppets: Kermit, Fozzie Bear and Miss Piggy
On the perks that come with the crown: “I get VIP parking. And for food, I get free Cullers’ fries for life whenever I show that bracelet. So I’m pretty excited about that.
“For life. I just have to show them my bracelet and they’ll give me free fries.”
Logan Wagler, center, with wife Jennifer and the I Hotel’s Sam Santhanam during the madness of last March.
Father of the fifth pick in the 2026 NBA Draft: Illini freshman phenom Keaton Wagner
On the image he’ll never forget of draft night in New York: “Honestly, the whole time there was just surreal. Probably the coolest part was late at night, after the draft party, after the draft happened, we were driving back across the Brooklyn Bridge, back over to New York, at like 2 in the morning.
“Windows down. New York was quiet. It was definitely one of the coolest moments of my life, thinking, ‘My son’s going to play in the NBA, just got drafted and we’re having the time of our lives.’”
Gary Huisinga
Co-founder, Monticello Community Foundation
On the one thing his hometown doesn’t have that he’d most like to see added: “A lot of communities will say small manufacturing, a distribution warehouse, maybe a tech company … and we certainly wouldn’t turn that down.
“But one thing I think would be a huge benefit to the city — and it’s a little outside of our scope — is a YMCA. We had an ad-hoc committee going on that for several years, talking to some of the neighboring YMCAs that we could maybe partner with. It somewhat fizzled out, with the realities of funding and then COVID came along and different things.
“But that could span the generations and really be a big benefit to the community.”
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