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Looking for something to do this weekend that's not the state fair? Check out the opening of "Big River," a musical retelling of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. We sit down with director Rich McCoy, cast member Kimberly Johnson and Director of the Hoogland Gus Gordon to talk about the show and what we're looking forward to. 

Carla Jimenez sits down with State Fair Manager Luke Sailer to talk about what fairgoers can expect for the 2018 Illinois State Fair. We've got all the state fair scoop for you.

State Journal-Register medical reporter Dean Olsen previews his latest installment of his ongoing series exploring the opioid drug crisis in the Springfield area. His latest story looks at the plight of patients who have legitimate pain issues but are being weaned off or cut off opioids by their doctors amid concerns about the drugs' addictiveness. Read the full story on SJ-R.com on Saturday, March 24, 2018, and in The State Journal-Register print edition on Sunday, March 25, 2018.

Boys and Girls Club of Central Illinois Executive Director Bill Legge and Director of Operations Emily Bergschneider discuss 21st Century after-school programs the group operates in Springfield Public Schools. 

State Journal-Register education reporter Jason Nevel talks with Springfield High School social studies teacher Jeff Lightfoot to get a teacher's perspective on District 186's facilities plan, as well as how he got into teaching and what he feels are some of the factors contributing to a teacher shortage in Illinois.   

Mike Zimmers has played a role in Springfield Public Schools since 1977, including as a special education teacher, administer and now as a board member. Zimmers, 68, spoke with The State Journal-Register on the most recent episode of the education podcast about his time in the district, community views and standardized testing, among other things.

SJ-R education reporter Jason Nevel sits down with Springfield Public Schools Superintendent Jennifer Gill to talk about the recent bomb threats at school buildings, Southeast High's 50th anniversary, the district's plan to overhaul its facilities and more.  

This week, we bring on Craig McFarland and Jeremy Goeckner from Front Row Movie Reviews to recap the summer movie season. We praise the hits, bash the stinkers and talk about what we're looking forward to in the fall and holiday movie seasons. You can find Front Row Movie Reviews on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thefrontrowmoviereviews/

This week on the podcast we bring on Business Editor Tim Landis to talk about a story that will appear in The SJ-R on Sunday about Illinois students leaving the state to go to college.   

SJ-R education reporter Jason Nevel talks with Riverton School District Superintendent Lance Thurman about the landmark education funding reform bill, the district's course offerings, whether Riverton is still talking about merging with another district (not right now) and the hardest parts of being a superintendent.

This week we bring on some old friends from the Capital City Improv group. Drew Stroud and Hope Cherry come to talk about their show on Saturday, a few of the new games they've cooked up, and they also play a game with us. 

This week, the podcast crew talks about the Illinois State Fair and the 2017 attendance numbers, which were up a significant amount from the 2016 state fair attendance numbers. They also do a bit of a dive and history into attendance records from the past.

This week, education reporter Jason Nevel sits down with Ball-Chatham Superintendent Douglas Wood to talk about the landmark education funding reform bill, the district's growing enrollment and what makes Chatham a destination school district.

Millennials are the topic of discussion this week on The SJ-R Podcast. A recent survey came out that shows people under 35 years old in Sangamon County are more likely to think about leaving the area than older residents. The trend is concerning as the county's population has been dipping and more young people leaving could mean there won't be a large enough workforce in the future. This week, we talk about what this could mean and why millennials don't seem to be put off by moving around as much.

The total solar eclipse is right around the corner, and are you prepared for the celestial event of a lifetime? If you've still got some questions, we've got your back on this week's episode. Mary and Carla bring on Samantha Reif, an associate professor at Lincoln Land Community College, to talk all about the solar eclipse and what skywatchers can expect to see on Monday afternoon.

SJ-R education reporter Jason Nevel talks with Rochester School District Superintendent Tom Bertrand about the ongoing school funding issue at the Statehouse, standardized testing, some background on Rochester schools and the success of the high school football team.

This week, the Carla and Mary bring on Jeremie Bailey from Lincoln's Legends to discuss content creation in Springfield, and his efforts to put the spotlight on notable people in the area.

The Illinois State Fair starts in just a week, with a new parade route, eating contests and rides. The podcast crew chats with fair manager Kevin Gordon and Morgan Booth, public information officer for the Department of Agriculture. We talk about ride safety and a new stage for up-and-coming bands, as well as fair favorites.

We're talking school funding on today's episode of The State Journal-Register Podcast. SJ-R education reporter Jason Nevel is your host as he interviews Darren Root, superintendent of the Auburn School District. Root is talking about the unresolved school funding issue in the state of Illinois. He also takes us behind the scenes of Gov. Bruce Rauner's visit to Auburn High School last week to talk about school funding. In addition, Root discusses what it's like being a superintendent in Auburn.

This week, the podcast crew brings on Betsy Dollar, the executive director of the Springfield Art Association, to talk about the annual Paint the Street event. It's supposed to be a hot one, folks, so if you attend be sure to bring plenty of water!