By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington’s ban on utility shutoffs will continue until October 1 following city council action Monday night. Aldermen voted unanimously to extend the moratorium a couple more weeks for people who are late paying their bills for water and other services because of pandemic-related financial hardships. Council member Tom Crumpler initially suggested…… MORE
Months after Sugar Creek Student Apartments caught fire, causing dozens of students to be displayed, a recent Illinois State University graduate is motivated to bring awareness to fire prevention measures. … MORE
Halloween is around the corner, and pumpkin farmers are beginning to harvest their crops around Central Illinois.… MORE
McLean County Health Department officials report 119 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend.… MORE
A dirt bike driver remains behind bars in McLean County after Bloomington Police say the driver allegedly had a loaded gun.… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – Gas prices in Illinois are down 5.2 cents over the past week, averaging $3.23 a gallon. According to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 4,378 stations in Illinois, gas prices are 7.2 cents lower than a month ago, but still up a dollar compared to this time last year. The cheapest station in Illinois…… MORE
By USDA SPRINGFIELD – September yield forecast for 2021 season. Corn: Planted area is estimated at 11.0 million acres, down 3 percent from last year. Harvested area, forecast at 10.8 million acres, is down 3 percent from 2020. Based on September 1 conditions, the Illinois corn yield is forecast at a record 214 bushels per…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – The latest surge in COVID-19 cases is prompting City of Bloomington staff to recommend a continuation of its ban on utility shutoffs. City aldermen Monday night are being asked to extend the ban until the end of this month, but staffers said it’s likely to be the last “blanket moratorium” even…… MORE
In McLean County, a former sheriff’s lieutenant is remembering heading to New York City right after the 9/11 attacks to help with recovery efforts at Ground Zero.… MORE
The McLean County State’s Attorney Office has released a preliminary report into the officer-involved shooting that left three dead, including the shooter.… 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…