PODCAST

Life on the Illinois Prairie

Wendy Fleming Dexter

society & culture places & travel

All Episodes

71:36

Jeanette Suding is an animal rights activist in...

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2026/01/01

Jeanette shares her knowledge of the Sullivan, Illinois police chief who has been trapping and "relocating" cats in Sullivan for several months. Feral cats as well as pets with collars and microchips are treated alike.

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60:23

Recap of guests for 2025

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/12/25

Wendy recounts the over 40 guests who came on the podcast in 2025. She shares her appreciation for them taking the time to trust her with their stories.

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69:45

Part 2 Donna Nolan Wilson relates her deep sorrow and...

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/12/18

Donna discusses the rollercoaster ride that serious health issues for a spouse brings to a marriage. The caregiver role takes precedence at the end. After the loss comes the inevitable and unbearable painful reality if being alone. In time, the clouds began to part, letting in a little sunlight. Slowly, love crept back into Donna's heart.

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60:52

Part 1 Donna Nolan Wilson, owner of ITS Promotions,...

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/12/11

Donna shares her story of meeting and falling in love with her husband, Greg. More than marital partners, they shared a love of music and collaborated on many songs and albums. Sadly, like many marriages, they were challenged by Greg's growing health issues.

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60:09

Dusty Maninfior is a Mattoon native who has music in...

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/12/04

Mattoon,Illinois musician Dusty Maninfior has a rich history playing in popular local bands, Superbad and Jane Doe, along with others. Dusty shares the importance of music in his life and how a totally random encounter ended with a performance on America's Got Talent with Richard Goodall and The Sugar Street Band.

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41:52

Dan Craw has a unique car repair business in Mattoon,...

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/11/27

Dan Craw was moved many years ago to start his business, New Life Care Care, to help those who are struggling with transportation difficulties. His mission to help those in need has helped many families.

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55:17

Paul Thorn is a singer-songwriter from Tupelo,...

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/11/20

Paul Thorn is the son of a Pentecostal preacher. He went on to become a boxer who once fought Roberto Duran. Music has always been a big part of Paul's life, but he never dreamed how music would change the direction of his life.

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23:26

Mr. Taylor's Birthday

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/11/13

Wendy shares about how she and Stacy randomly met a man who had a big impact on them and how they got to enjoy celebrating his 95th birthday.

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45:31

Angelia Burgett is the Tourism and Arts Director for...

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/11/06

Angelia has been at her present job for nearly 20 years. She shares insight into the ever-changing landscape of tourism and how Mattoon is working with other area towns to bring more tourists to our communities.

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59:47

Kenton Allbright is the director of the French Lick...

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/10/30

Kenton is a native of French Lick, Indiana and is an enthusiastic director of the local museum. I doubt that you could find a more enthusiastic and passionate spokesman for his hometown. As a railroad enthusiast also, Kenton shares about the very popular French Lick Resort Polar Express.

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62:53

Maggie Grinestaff is the News Director for WCIA3...

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/10/23

Maggie tells about how her experience attending Eastern Illinois University in Charleston prepared her for her career at WCIA3 in Champaign. We also discuss Maggie becoming the first female news director in the 70 year history of WCIA.

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46:43

Chris Suerdieck is the curator of the Mattoon...

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/10/16

Chris gives updates on the Mattoon History Center and shares details about his recently published book about the "Big Dig".

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56:22

Rob Farmer shares his DNA story

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/10/09

Mattoon, Illinois native, Rob Farmer shares his DNA story and the surprising results. He gives insights for others facing the same or similar situation.

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54:50

Jeff Clark is the lead singer and front man of the...

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/10/02

Jeff shares the evolution of his own musical journey as well as the growing popularity of his band TOAST.

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29:07

Tara is the ReStore for Humanity manager in Sullivan,...

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/09/25

Tara explains the requirements for applying to purchase a Habitat for Humanity house and the work of the many volunteers. She also talks about the Christmas Open House, m which is a very popular event at the store.

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62:45

Tom Daughhetee is the Economic Development Director...

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/09/18

Tom shares about his experiences in larger cities like Chicago, Indianapolis, and New York after growing up in Casey, Illinois. After the COVID pandemic he left New York and returned to Casey as the Economic Development Director.

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47:06

Daphne Coffey is Executive Director of the Douglas...

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/09/11

Daphne's love and appreciation of history and museums was instilled in her at a young age. Family vacations plans were sure to include zoos and museums. Learn more about this enthusiastic young woman and the exciting events that are coming up at the Douglas County Museum.

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41:51

Mark and Carol are owners of Unity Chapel-Event Center

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/09/04

Mark and Carol often drove past Unity Church after it had closed due to dwindling membership. They wished they could resurrect the building that held so many special memories for Carol. So they bought it, refurbished it and turned it into a beautiful event center!

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53:23

Bernie is the owner of deBuhr's Feed and Seed Store...

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/08/28

Bernie shares his family's rich history in Mattoon, Illinois, beginning with his great-grandfather. We talk about his community involvement and work with Celebrate Downtown Mattoon.

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47:04

Jacob returns to the podcast with important...

Life on the Illinois Prairie ·

2025/08/21

Jacob returns to the podcast to give updates and information about the recent DO NOT DRINK water crisis in Mattoon, Illinois. He also shares about how the Community Foundation of Central Illinois partnered with the Southeastern Community Foundation to raise funds for businesses negatively impacted by the situation. He also gives information about the evolving aspects of journalism and how WCIA3 has released a new streaming app.

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Life on the Illinois Prairie

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