By HOI ABC NORMAL – The Town of Normal has been working to redevelop the Uptown area for more than half a decade. That dream may soon become reality as the council will review the plans from a new developer at Monday night’s meeting. Eagle View Partners has submitted plans for Trail East and Trail…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – McLean County Sheriff’s Deputies will soon be wearing body cameras, following the lead of many other police agencies. The county board Thursday night unanimously approved a nearly $328,000 contract with Axon Enterprise Inc. for 53 body cameras, enough for all of the department’s officers. Sheriff Jon Sandage said his deputies…… MORE
By HOI ABC NORMAL – The union representing about 350 buildings, grounds, and food services workers at Illinois State University said they’ve reached a tentative agreement on wages, averting a threatened a strike. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1110 said in a news release the tentative contract “advances the goals the…… MORE
A Bloomington man is heading to federal prison after a judge in Peoria sentenced him to 30 months behind bars.… MORE
A judge in Tazewell County is signing off on an agreed-upon receivership of Reditus Laboratories. The agreement was finalized during a hearing Thursday in a civil case against company CEO Aaron Rossi.… MORE
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – A new historical site will be recognized by The McLean County Museum of History at the beginning of May in association with Abraham Lincoln. Nearing the 157th anniversary of the Lincoln assassination, “Looking for Lincoln” will be displayed near the site of the old Bloomington Train Depot of the Chicago…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – If prosecutors have DNA evidence available, they can’t resist using it. A U of I researcher has found the odds of a sex assault conviction are nine times greater than with no DNA. It’s not foolproof, but Ted Cross, a professor of social work, says his research underscores the importance…… MORE
By HOI ABC NORMAL – McLean County’s largest school district is planning a series of public engagement sessions – the first three scheduled later this month – in a process that might result in a tax hike referendum to reduce multi-million dollar budget deficits in the coming years. At Wednesday night’s Unit 5 school board…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – A District 87 School Board member is resigning her elected position because she’s moving out of the district. Tammy Houtzel informed the board of her resignation at Wednesday night’s meeting. The resignation is effective May 1. Houtzel is moving to LeRoy, according to Superintendent Barry Reilly. Houtzel was first elected…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – An engineer whose job with the government is to respond to such things has critical new information about the deadly Amazon warehouse collapse last year. Attorney Jack Casciato of Clifford Law Firm in Chicago says the evidence is damning. “Within the last few weeks,” he told an online news conference,…… 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…