By WJBC Staff NORMAL – Starting Tuesday, Virginia Avenue between South Linden Street and Hillcrest Street will be closed to traffic. Weather permitting, the road closure is expected to last until late October. Drivers are urged to use caution when traveling through the area. The road closure is required for maintenance to the Camelback Bridge.…… MORE
Garage fire Saturday morning in Bloomington
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington fire crews were called to a home on the east side Saturday morning for a fire inside of a garage. Authorities responded around 9:30 a.m. to 15 Prenzler Drive after neighbors saw smoke coming from the home. Authorities say fire was seen coming from the garage. Most of the…… MORE
Victim identified in Bloomington pedestrian-motorcycle crash
By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – The McLean County Coroner has identified the man who was killed in a traffic crash Friday night. 37-year-old John Grisham of Bloomington was pronounced dead just before 10:00 p.m. at a local hospital, according to a news release. An autopsy revealed the cause of death was multiple blunt injuries due to…… MORE
Man critically injured in shooting Friday night near Bloomington High School
By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – One person is said to be in critical condition after being shot just blocks from Bloomington High School’s Fred Carlton Field where BHS and Normal West High School were playing a varsity football game. Bloomington Police said they heard gunfire about 7:30 p.m. and found a young adult male had…… MORE
Normal West Wildcats pounce on Purple Raiders in Week 2 of high school football
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – Week 2 of the High School Football season featured blowouts for many local area teams, including intercity foes Normal West and Bloomington. Wildcats quarterback Jayden Mangruem led Normal West’s scoring effort with three touchdowns as the Cats shutout the Purple Raiders 46-0. West’s defense forced a safety late in the…… MORE
Ex-Pekin City Council member to run next year for Bloomington City Council seat
By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – High school history teacher and former Pekin City Councilman Cody Hendricks announced Thursday he wants to become an alderman in Bloomington. Cody Hendricks is running for Ward 6 alderman in the 2023 municipal elections. The redrawn Ward 6 covers much of the downtown area and parts of Blooomington’s west side.…… MORE
Control Your Clutter with a Makeover from Storage Options & Solutions
WJBC and Storage Options & Solutions have teamed up to control your clutter. Whether it’s in your closet, garage, man cave, pantry, laundry room or office, you could win a complete makeover valued at over $6,000!… MORE
State Rep. Dan Brady: Still too much paperwork and delays at Secretary of State office
A candidate for Illinois secretary of state says there’s still far too much paperwork and delay in that office.… MORE
WJBC’s Laborer of Year revealed ahead of Labor Day weekend
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – The first weekend in September is celebrated as Labor Day weekend and Bloomington is planning a parade which will feature WJBC’s Laborer’s of the Year. This year there’s a twist. WJBC’s “Laborer of the Year” is a couple, Greg and Mary Zappa. Greg is retired, a 48-year Laborers Local 362 member,…… MORE
Rollover crash in Bloomington sends two people to the hospital
By Blake Haas BLOOMINGTON – Two people were taken to a local hospital after a rollover crash Wednesday in Bloomington. Authorities say the two people are in stable condition after the crash. According to the Bloomington Fire Department, the crash happened at Washington Street and North Veterans Parkway. The scene was cleared around 4 p.m.…… 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…