The 25th annual Threshermen’s Bluegrass Festival begins with an open mic night Thursday… MORE
Market St. closing for street repairs
BLOOMINGTON – Market St. between Mason St. and Oak St. will be closed today (September 20) to all traffic for street repairs. Street will be closed until work is completed. Truck traffic should remain on Route 9. Residents should choose an alternate route during this time period.… MORE
Linden St. closing for tree removal
NORMAL – The northbound lanes of Linden St. between Willow and Cypress streets will be closed for tree removal starting at 6 a.m. Thursday, September 21, weather permitting. Both intersections will remain open. Removal is expected to be completed in four to six hours.… MORE
Maple Place Road in Normal to close
Maple Place between Briarwood Avenue and Norbloom Avenue will be closed for sewer repairs starting at 7 a.m. Thursday, weather permitting, and will remain closed until repairs are completed.… MORE
Sports On Air
Sports On Air… MORE
Heartland CC adopts $32 million budget
Heartland Community College passed a balanced budget Tuesday night.… MORE
McLean County Board names Bloomington businessman to fill vacancy
A Bloomington businessman wants to bring a business approach to county government.… MORE
Life sentence reduced for Livingston County woman in 4-year-old’s death
A Livingston County woman who is serving life in prison for her foster child’s death has had her sentence reduced.… MORE
6 Unit 5 schools show elevated lead levels
Six of Unit 5’s oldest school buildings have tested positive for lead levels that are higher than state guidelines.… MORE
City Manager David Hales takes Joliet City Manager position
Bloomington is losing its city manager to Joliet. The city council in the community just south of Chicago hired David Hales at an annual salary of 215-thousand dollars.… MORE
Blogs
Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all
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.” …
Is federal mobilization the answer?
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…
In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans
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…
Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life
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…