From USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 5.7 days suitable for field work during the week ending July 25, 2021. Statewide, the average temperature was 76.5 degrees. Precipitation averaged 0.05 inches, 0.97 inches below normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 3 percent very short, 12 percent short, 77 percent adequate, and 8 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – Lawyers finished pretrial motions and picked a jury on Monday, setting the stage for a murder trial to begin in McLean County Court. Opening statements are set to start at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the trial of Amari McNabb, 22, who’s claiming self-defense for the April 2019 shooting death of…… MORE
More than a month after historic flooding in the Twin Cities, the U.S. Small Business Administration approved a disaster declaration.… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – Illinois gas prices inched down about four cents over the past week, averaging $3.30 a gallon. GasBuddy price reports show the cheapest station in Illinois is priced at $2.95, while the most expensive is $3.99. Prices in the state are 7.2 cents higher than last month, and $1.01 more expensive compared…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – Police in Bloomington-Normal want to put a stop to what they say is a “dangerous game” local teens are playing using BB guns and social media. Police said in the past few weeks, there have been 13 cases of teens shooting BB or Airsoft guns at people and cars. Officer…… MORE
By HOI ABC MCLEAN COUNTY – A local man is jailed in McLean County after a grand jury indicted him on charges he beat a child. Court documents say Lance Cotton, 29, beat the child repeatedly starting in December 2019, causing brain injuries and bone fractures. The child was younger than 13, according to court…… MORE
Rivian has closed on another multi-billion dollar round of private funding.… MORE
More than a month after historic flooding in McLean County, Gov. Pritzker on Friday submitted a request to the U.S. Small Business Administration seeking a disaster declaration.… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – The interim chief of the Bloomington Police Department is retiring after 25 years on the job. Greg Scott will retire in September as City Manager Tim Gleason accepted Scott’s resignation on Thursday. “I appreciate Greg postponing his original retirement plans and stepping up to guide the department until a new…… MORE
By WJBC Staff PONTIAC – Masks will be optional in Pontiac’s District 429 this school year. Superintendent Brian Dukes says the district’s board of education met earlier this week and determined that students will not be required to wear masks during the school day. State law still requires masks when students are on buses, and…… 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…