By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – A phone call from Springfield to Newtown, Ct., late Wednesday was an alleged threat on Sandy Hook Elementary School. A fourteen-year-old Springfield boy is in custody and charged with disorderly conduct. City, Sangamon County, and school officials here say after an investigation the boy, a Springfield High School freshman, was…… MORE
The State Board of Elections is launching a new effort to make it easier for those with disabilities to cast a mail-in ballot.… MORE
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – Make Music Normal is making a return to Uptown in June, and nearly 50 performers are scheduled to take the stage. Make Music Normal is an all-ages, free-to-attend festival taking place annually in Uptown Normal. Missing from this year’s event will be Normal native Leah Marlene. Fresh off her thrill…… MORE
By HOI ABC HEYWORTH – Heyworth’s police chief calls it one of the most serious crimes to happen in the small McLean County community since he became chief there six years ago. Jason Harris, 33, of Bloomington remained jailed on a high bond Wednesday night accused of starting a fire late on the night of…… MORE
By HOI ABC CHENOA – Vandals who punctured tires on seven school buses at a Chenoa elementary school put students’ safety at risk, the superintendent said Wednesday. All 14 front tires of buses parked at Prairie Central Primary West were punctured, and several buses sustained other damage, said Superintendent Paula Crane in a letter to…… MORE
June is pride month, and central Illinois organizations celebrate their freedom.… MORE
A Bloomington restaurant is closing its doors after serving central Illinois for 22-years.… MORE
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – Bring out the candles and cake as Miller Park Zoo is celebrating 131 years with a party on Saturday from Noon to 3:00. “We are celebrating our 131 year in existence. This is an annual event that we have been doing for a long time,” said Zoo Superintendent Jay Tetzloff.…… MORE
By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 3.9 days suitable for field work during the week ending May 29, 2022. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 4 percent short, 72 percent adequate, and 24 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture supply was rated 3 percent short, 78 percent adequate, and 19 percent surplus. Corn planted reached 89 percent, compared…… MORE
By Neil Doyle HEYWORTH – A McLean County man has been identified after a semi truck crashed into a tractor early Tuesday morning near Heyworth, killing the driver of the tractor. The collision took place on U.S. 51 near County Road 400 North. McLean County Coroner Kathy Yoder has identified the victim as Jay Fitzgerald,…… 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…