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What is the future of journalism amid a challenging time for many news outlets?

This week, we ride along with a school bus driver to find out how a difficult job is even harder to do amid a shortage of those willing to transport kids.

It was an historic year in Illinois. Longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was pushed out of his job amid a scandal. The state adopted new laws dealing with criminal justice and energy policy. Democrats approved new political boundaries. And while Illinois rolled out its COVID-19 vaccination program, the pandemic cast a shadow over the entire year.

As more hospitals report ICU beds are filling up, the holidays will likely see additional transmission of the virus as people gather. At the same time, the severity of the rapidly spreading Omicron variant remains unclear.

Ride to Remember 9-11 is a memorial procession that begins at Hall's Harley Davidson on Dirksen Parkway and ends at the Illinois State Capitol. Diane Hughes spoke with Community Voices about the event that commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. All vehicles are welcome to participate at the procession that departs at 5 p.m. and spectators are welcome as well.

The Illinois Symphony Orchestra (ISO) spoke with Community Voices about the symphony's upcoming season. Dr. Yona Stamatis, the Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of Illinois Springfield, sat down with ISO Executive Director Trevor Orthmann and Music Director Ken Lam to talk about the season, the other programs the symphony offers and how soloists are selected for performances.

Jessica Gale is the owner of Our Town Books in Jacksonville, Ill. The store offers new and used books as well as novelty items. Gale spoke with Community Voices about the store's history and its special events.

Shannon McAuley and Fran Abbott are the owners of Scoop Du Jour in Chatham, Ill. They spoke with Community Voices about why they wanted to open up an ice cream shop in their town and some of the products the sweet treats they offer. They also spoke about how the pandemic has affected their business and the support they have received from the community.

This week, the story of women who worked at the Radium Dial Company factory in Ottawa, using radium-laced paint on glow-in-the-dark clocks and watches. Unaware of the health risks, many died from radium poisoning. Their case became a landmark moment in the workers' rights movement. Also, we'll hear about the stress on health care facilities in southern Illinois amid the latest COVID-19 surge. Those stories and more on Statewide.

Wade Kammin is the owner of Wild Birds Unlimited on Macarthur Blvd. He spoke with Community Voices about how to to use bird seed to attract different bird species and how to keep squirrels out of bird feeders.