An anonymous donor is gifting $5 million to Illinois State University to set the stage for the next generation of teachers.… MORE
Category Archives: Local News
Child ID’d in a crash last Friday in Shirley
The crash that caused the death of an Earlville woman has claimed another life, this time of a child.… MORE
MCHD: Data suggest McLean County is at a high COVID-19 community level
An uptick in cases of COVID-19 is putting the McLean County Health Department on high alert.… MORE
Posen man facing charges in McLean County for alleged involvement in pawn shop robbery
A 34-year-old Posen, Illinois, man is behind bars in McLean County for his alleged involvement in a robbery of a Bloomington pawn shop.… MORE
Two major cash crops in Illinois much closer to normal progress now
By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 5.7 days suitable for field work during the week ending June 5, 2022. Statewide, the average temperature was 71.1 degrees, 3.1 degrees above normal. Precipitation averaged 0.40 inches, 0.51 inches degrees below normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 1 percent very short, 9 percent short, 84 percent adequate, and…… MORE
Former McLean County high school teacher gets county jail time for grooming student
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – A former LeRoy High School teacher, who pleaded guilty to grooming a student, will spend some time in the county jail as part of his probation. Brandon Reynolds, 35, was ordered to immediately serve the first 30 days of a six-month jail sentence. Judge William Yoder will decide at a…… MORE
Leah Marlene’s homecoming well worth the cost, says Normal’s spokesperson
Normal’s government is finding out the cost to taxpayers for American Idol finalist Leah Marlene’s homecoming in Normal last month, and a town spokesperson said it’s well worth the cost.… MORE
BPD allegedly finds a man with meth after tearing down a bathroom door at Green Top Grocery
A Bloomington man faces drug charges in McLean County after police allegedly tore down a bathroom door at Green Top Grocery.… MORE
New finance lab at IWU teaching the next generations the in’s and out’s of Wall Street
The next generation of investors can now learn the ins and out’s of wall street at Illinois Wesleyan University in a new Bloomberg Finance Lab.… MORE
Connect Transit to host several community engagement sessions
By Neil Doyle NORMAL – Connect Transit will be hosting several community engagement sessions to discuss the proposal to merge the current Lime Express route with a new route that will serve west Bloomington-Normal. The proposed new route will provide service between Uptown Station and Downtown Bloomington, and will serve Rivian, OSF, Walmart and several…… 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…