By WMBD-TV SPRINGFIELD – A new law will guarantee workers in Illinois will be earning paid time off in 2024. According to an Illinois State news release, Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Paid Leave for All Workers Act in March, which allows workers in Illinois to earn 40 hours of paid leave a year. Workers…… MORE
By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON-NORMAL – A local artist has been chosen to restore two 14-foot Santa statues that have been a focal point at Bloomington’s Livingston’s Department Store for several decades. The statues have been in the possession of the Jeffery Alans store in Bloomington, which recently donated them to the McLean County Museum of History.…… MORE
By WMBD-TV MCLEAN COUNTY – A McLean County man was sent to the hospital after a two-vehicle crash near County Roads 1900 North and 2300 East near Towanda on Dec. 22. According to the McLean County Sheriff’s Office, they responded to the crash at 12:48 p.m. and the driver of one of the vehicles was…… MORE
By WMBD-TV MCLEAN COUNTY – Eastern Illinois Foodbank (EIF) will start making the rounds to local families who suffer from food insecurity. McLean County Emergency Management Agency Facebook states that the Foodmobile will travel through McLean County starting on Wednesday. Distribution destinations and times can be found here. Attendees are asked to bring bags or boxes to transport…… MORE
By WMBD-TV URBANA – A Normal woman was sentenced to 8 1/2 years in federal prison on Friday. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 28-year-old Regina Lewis was sentenced for conspiracy to illegally purchase and transfer a firearm, and conspiracy to engage in misleading conduct. She pleaded guilty on May 16 that she conspired with…… MORE
Public school superintendents in Illinois have a new voice, but it’s one familiar to McLean County.… MORE
By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON – A Bloomington man was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison on Tuesday. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 55-year-old Jeffrey Bosaw was sentenced to 205 months in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for attempted enticement of a minor. He must also register as a sex offender.…… MORE
By WMBD-TV NORMAL – Connect Transit, serving the Bloomington-Normal area, has announced its Christmas Eve and Day hours. The service will be shutting down early on Sunday and will be closed Monday, Christmas Day. Connect Transit has created a schedule showing the last trips and times from different locations in the area. For more information,…… MORE
By WMBD-TV FARMER CITY – The Farmer City Police Department asked the public for help locating a missing teen on Tuesday. According to a Farmer City police Facebook post, 16-year-old Raheem Crowder was last seen near Green and Thomas Streets at approximately 7:40 p.m. on Monday. He was last seen wearing a black colored shirt with…… MORE
By WMBD-TV NORMAL – Colene Hoose Elementary School added another aspect for wildlife in its natural playground. On Wednesday, students installed birdhouses at the Ilse and Charlie Jobson Natural Play Park. It was a joint project with volunteers from the John Wesley Powell Audobon Society. There are now seven boxes for bluebirds, one screech owl…… MORE
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.” …
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…
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…
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…