By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 6.4 days suitable for field work during the week ending July 03, 2022. Statewide, the average temperature was 73.2 degrees, 1.2 degrees below normal. Precipitation averaged 0.36 inches, 0.64 inches below normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 11 percent very short, 33 percent short, 55 percent adequate, and 1…… MORE
Bloomington man facing “Ghost” gun charges
A 19-year-old Bloomington man is behind bars in McLean County on gun charges.… MORE
Highland Park resident: “I heard popping…and saw people scattering”
A day after a shooting left six dead and 30 injured in Highland Park at a 4th of July parade, residents are looking for answers.… MORE
Normal Police reveal policy for use of license plate reading cameras
By HOI ABC NORMAL (Heart of Illinois ABC) – The Normal Police Department is trying to answer privacy concerns about Automated License Plate Readers before the town council votes later this month whether to buy the crime-fighting cameras. Police on Friday shared the guidelines they developed “in an effort to continue full transparency with the…… MORE
Illinois gas prices continue plunge through July 4 weekend
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – Gas prices continue to drop across the state as the latest gas report shows prices at the pump are down 14 cents over the past week. “As expected, and for the third straight week, average gasoline prices have fallen to their lowest level in over a month. The price of…… MORE
Vehicles, apartment damaged after early morning fire Monday in Bloomington
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – An early morning fire Monday left three vehicles and an apartment building damaged in Bloomington. The Bloomington Fire Department says they were dispatched to the 2500 block of East Washington Street for a structure fire – several cars were burning next to a one-story apartment building. While on scene firefighters…… MORE
Caterpillar lab near Peoria is home to the quietest room in Illinois
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – A Caterpillar lab near Peoria is home to “the quietest room in Illinois.” David Copley, a senior engineering specialist at the company’s Mossville, Ill., facility, says the idea is that the equipment is easier to use when his team applies “quiet” technology to it. “Sound is a great diagnostics tool,”…… MORE
WJBC VIP: Win Tickets to Matilda The Musical at Community Players Theater
Matilda The Musical is coming to the Community Players Theater and we have your tickets!… MORE
Sewage cleaning leads to lane reductions for the Town of Normal next week
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – Beginning at 6:00 a.m., on Tuesday, July 5, there will be three separate lane reductions throughout the Town of Normal for sewer cleaning and televising. The following areas where traffic could be impeded are: Northbound and southbound lanes on North Main St. from Manchester to Bowles. The Northbound Lane on…… MORE
The re-election campaign is on for the governor
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – One of the first things Gov. JB Pritzker did after defeating a nominal opponent in Tuesday’s primary was to sit for two days of interviews with statehouse reporters. He told WJBC’s Dave Dahl that “anti-corruption” Aurora mayor Richard Irvin turned out to be corrupt himself, and that Republican primary winner…… 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…