Police in LeRoy are calling a Bloomington woman a hero after helping save the life of a toddler last November.… MORE
Category Archives: Local News
Statewide gas prices up 17 cents compared to last week
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – According to GasBuddy, prices at the pump in Illinois are up about 10 cents over the week. Statewide, the average price of gas is sitting at $3.48 a gallon as of Sunday. That’s up about 17 cents from a month ago and slightly higher than a year ago. According to…… MORE
Illinois corn set a record in 2022
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – 2022 was a very good year for Illinois crops, so says the USDA. From its National Agricultural Statistics Service, Mark Schleusener says Illinois is Number One for soybeans, 63 bushels per acre. “NASS estimates the 2022 corn yield to be 214 bushels per acre. That is down one bushel from…… MORE
Public hearing set for pot dispensary in northeast Normal
By 25 News NORMAL – It’s up to the local government whether Normal will soon get its second dispensary selling cannabis for recreational use. Normal’s Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a public hearing next Thursday, Jan. 19 to consider a special use permit for a dispensary where the Mandarin Garden Restaurant now stands on…… MORE
Prison sentence given to Bloomington shooting victim who tried to hide gun part in his mouth
By 25 News PEORIA – The reported victim in a gang-related shooting a year ago in Bloomington is himself going to prison for trying to hide evidence in his mouth when he was in the hospital. U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid sentenced Javares Hudson, 22, of Bloomington to two-years and nine-months in a federal…… MORE
State Farm selects India-based tech company to modernize IT services
By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – State Farm Insurance has selected India-based HCLTech to assume its day-to-day IT help desk and infrastructure services work. Beginning this year, HCLTech will manage hardware, infrastructure software, and network connections support for State Farm, the insurer said. State Farm says it did not make this decision lightly. Both companies say employees at…… MORE
Unit 5 board approves tax increase question on April ballot
By 25 News NORMAL – In the face of a $12 million deficit, the McLean County Unit 5 school board has approved a ballot question to ask voters on increasing the tax rate – again. In November, Unit 5 voters decided not to increase taxes for the education fund, but the board says the feedback…… MORE
State police investigate fatal crash in McLean County Tuesday
Illinois State Police are investigating a fatal crash involving a semi and a motorcycle.… MORE
IWU plans $16.5 million upgrade for on-campus student housing
By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – On-campus housing for first-year students is about to undergo a $16.5 million renovation at Illinois Wesleyan University. Munsell and Ferguson Halls will be getting the upgrades this summer thanks to the family of the late B. Charles Ames, from Wesleyan’s Class of 1950 and Joyce Ames from the Class of…… MORE
McLean County Unit 5 holding special board meeting to consider ballot question
By 25 News NORMAL – Facing a nearly $12 million structural deficit in 2023, McLean County Unit 5 is going to try again to put a question raising the existing property tax on the ballot. In a statement, the district says that Unit 5 maintains the lowest education fund tax rate of all the neighboring districts. Despite…… MORE
Blogs
Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all
By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …
Is federal mobilization the answer?
By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…
In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans
By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…
Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life
Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…