By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – A local nonprofit sustained some significant damage from the severe storms over the weekend. Home Sweet Home Ministries, located at 303 East Oakland Avenue in Bloomington, says they are still dealing with the impact of weekend storms. Overnight on Friday and during the day on Saturday, flood waters poured into…… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – A Bloomington business will be setting up a temporary office after a fire over the weekend on the city’s south side. Ron Smith Printing, located at 2425 South Main Street, says a fire caused extensive damage to their business. In a Facebook post, the company says a temporary office will…… MORE
By Neil Doyle MCLEAN – Roads across McLean County were flooded Friday night due to severe weather and Interstate 55 was badly damaged during the heavy storms. In a Facebook post, Mt. Hope-Funks Grove Fire Protection District says I-55 near McLean is closed indefinitely until the road is repaired and the bridges are inspected. The…… MORE
By Neil Doyle and HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – Heavy rain and severe thunderstorms dumped between four and seven inches of rain in parts of McLean County Friday night. Streets were flooded across Bloomington-Normal and rural parts of the county. The National Weather Service in Lincoln has issued a flood warning for McLean, northern DeWitt, northern…… MORE
McLean County Sheriff’s deputies showed how they are more than just a badge.… MORE
Illinois State University top cop is calling the 22.5-year prison sentence for a former Minneapolis cop “appropriate.”… MORE
By Neil Doyle WASHINGTON – A Central Illinois Congressman recognized Illinois State University President Dr. Larry Dietz on the house floor this week. Dietz is retiring at the end of the month after serving as ISU’s 19th president for seven years. U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Taylorville) spoke on the House floor. Watch my remarks recognizing…… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – Plenty of rain is expected as we head into the weekend. The National Weather Service in Lincoln has issued a flash flood watch until 7 a.m. Saturday. The NWS says periods of showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue through the weekend. Some of these storms could be severe, especially…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – Dozens of wind energy turbines will be sprouting up on more McLean County farmland if elected leaders approve the project. A Chicago-based energy firm is applying for a special use permit to build up to 64 turbines over 14,000 acres in Bellflower and West Townships, southeast of Bloomington-Normal. The wind…… MORE
Heavy rainfall is expected throughout the weekend, leaving a possibility of flooding in its path.… 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…