Category Archives: Homepage
Bloomington recognized as Tree City USA by Arbor Day Foundation
By WMBD TV BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) - The city of Bloomington has been recognized as a Tree City USA community by the Arbor Day Foundation. This is the 40th year the city has earned the national desig...
Apr 17, 2026 (Photo courtesy: File)
McLean County School Board approves attendance boundary changes
By WMBD TV NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) - School Board members for McLean County's largest district approved changes to the school attendance boundaries at their meeting Wednesday. The Unit 5 board also approv...
Apr 17, 2026 (Photo courtesy: McLean County Unit 5)
House approves Pritzker initiative to regulate social media algorithms
By BEN SZALINSKI Capitol News Illinois bszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary The Illinois House voted on bipartisan lines to pass the Children's Social Media Safety Act. The bill is desig...
Apr 17, 2026 Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, takes a picture of the vote board in the Illinois House after the passage of a bill in May 2023. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki)
Energy demand in ComEd territory could double by 2040, in part driven by data centers
By NIKOEL HYTREK CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS nhytrek@capitolnewsillinois.com A House committee got an overview this week of how data centers are driving up energy demand and threatening potential shortfalls...
Apr 17, 2026
McLean County Farm Bureau investing $1 million into fairgrounds for upgrades
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) - A popular spot for amusement in the Twin Cities is getting some upgrades, thanks to the local farm bureau. The McLean County Fair, which has been at the same location for 30...
Apr 17, 2026
3D printed homes, an abandoned $590,000 deposit, the FBI: What really happened in this small town?
By MOLLY PARKER Capitol News Illinois Mparker@capitolnewsillinois Article Summary Two men promised a $1.1 million 3D printer could fix Cairo, Illinois' housing crisis. More than a year later, the one ...
Apr 16, 2026 State and city officials break ground on the Cairo, Illinois, 3D-printed duplex project in August 2024. (Julia Rendleman for Capitol News Illinois)
Device that helps make space travel possible named 'Coolest Thing Made in Illinois'
By NIKOEL HYTREK CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS nhytrek@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD - Astronauts just returned from their first voyage around the moon since 1972 and a device built by an Illinois compa...
Apr 16, 2026 The NASA Standard Initiator is a small but crucial part of space flight. The electrically activated devices fuel propulsion by igniting other components in space systems. NASA has worked with Chemring to manufacture these devices since the 1970s. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Nikoel Hyrtrek)
Union members rally at ISU for higher wages and fair contract
By WMBD TV NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) - Striking Illinois State University employees rallied outside the university's president's office Thursday morning. They showed up early, gathering before the sun rose ...
Apr 16, 2026 Illinois State University's president. (Photo courtesy: WJBC/File)
'Credit card chaos'? Financial institutions bet big on repeal of first-of-its-kind Illinois law
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com "Credit cards may not work for sales tax or tips starting July 1." By now, you've heard that claim, but whether it's true depend...
Apr 16, 2026 Ben Jackson of the Illinois Bankers Association urges lawmakers to repeal a state law that prohibits financial institutions from charging fees on the tax and tip portion of debit card transactions. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki)
GOP governor candidate Darren Bailey moves into Chicago apartment
By BEN SZALINSKI Capitol News Illinois bszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary Republican gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey has moved into an apartment in Chicago as he seeks to improve h...
Apr 15, 2026 Darren Bailey speaks to reporters at a Springfield hotel on March 17, 2026, after winning the Republican nomination for governor for a second time. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Peter Hancock)
