By HOI ABC NORMAL – Water rates will rise in Normal and town government has a budget for the new fiscal year, but votes on both measures were by the narrowest of margins following a heated clash between a town council member and the city manager. The council voted 4-3 to raise water rates by…… MORE
A high bond was set Monday night for a Pontiac man charged with sexually assaulting a woman in Normal late last year.… MORE
The McLean County Chamber of Commerce is ‘rolling out the red carpet’ for new employees joining expanding businesses in the twin cities.… MORE
Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike is looking back on her time serving the state with only days left in office.… MORE
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON-Following another underwhelming 13-20 season by the Illinois State men’s basketball team, the University moved swiftly to find it’s next head coach. Nearly an hour after the Redbirds loss to Northern Iowa on Friday, ISU announced that Ryan Pedon, Ohio State Buckeyes assistant, would fill the vacant head coach position for the…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – With all the people and cars at a Springfield strip mall Monday morning, you would have thought Chuck E. Cheese was offering breakfast, or that there was a run on title loans. Neither would be correct. The shopping center houses the Illinois State Board of Elections, where candidates must turn…… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – Illinois gas prices are on the rise, up 46 cents over the week, averaging $4.31 a gallon. According to GasBuddy, prices in the state are 70 cents higher than a month ago and $1.43 more expensive compared to this time last year. The cheapest station in Illinois is priced at…… MORE
By Neil Doyle NORMAL – An apartment at the Lincoln Square apartment complex was heavily damaged by fire Sunday night. Fire crews were called around 9:15 p.m. to the 1700 block of North School Street. Neighbors reported visible fire and smoke and that occupants were evacuating from the building. Firefighters had the main body of…… MORE
By HOI ABC NORMAL – Most musicians can only dream of having their big break. Now, an ‘American Idol’ contestant from central Illinois is on the verge of getting hers. Leah Marlene was born in Toronto, moving to Normal with her family when she was three. From an early age, music was always a big…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – A beloved public servant to the Twin Cities, and former State Farm executive vice president, passed away Saturday. Willie Brown died at the age of 74, according to Kibler Brady Ruestman Memorial Home. Brown started working for State Farm in 1971 and, after a series of promotions over several decades,…… 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…